Herbert Strudwick facts for kids
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| Born | 28 January 1880 Mitcham, Surrey, England |
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| Died | 14 February 1970 (aged 90) Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, England |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Test debut | 1 January 1910 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 18 August 1926 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 30 December 2021
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Herbert Strudwick (born 28 January 1880 – died 14 February 1970) was a famous English wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket. He was known for his amazing skills behind the stumps. His record of 1,493 dismissals (catching or stumping batsmen out) is the third highest ever by any wicket-keeper in the history of first-class cricket.
Contents
Herbert Strudwick's Cricket Journey
Early Life and Becoming a Wicket-Keeper
Herbert Strudwick was born in Mitcham, Surrey, England. He started playing cricket and became a wicket-keeper when he was just ten years old. This was apparently suggested to him by a local lady.
He first played for the Surrey team in a few games in 1902. The very next year, in his first full season, he set an amazing record. He dismissed 91 batsmen, which included 71 catches and 20 stumpings. This was even more impressive because Surrey's best fast bowlers were not playing as much. Also, the weather that summer was very wet, making it harder to play.
Playing for England
Because of his great skills, people soon saw Strudwick as the perfect choice to be England's main Test wicket-keeper. He traveled with the England team to Australia in 1903/1904. However, he did not play in any Test matches during that tour.
Strudwick continued to play very well. He was considered one of the top wicket-keepers throughout the 1900s. He finally played his first Test match for England in 1909/1910 against South Africa.
In 1911, he was chosen as the main wicket-keeper for the tour to Australia. He was younger than some other players, and he did not disappoint. He showed great skill in catching the fast bowling of Frank Foster and Sydney Barnes. His talent was even more clear when he played against South Africa in 1914. He managed to catch Barnes's bowling even when it was bouncing and spinning a lot on the matting wickets.
The next year, Strudwick's excellent wicket-keeping was a big reason why Surrey won the County Championship. This was the only time his team won this championship during his career.
After World War I and Retirement
World War I stopped county cricket for a while. After the war, Strudwick returned to play for the England team. He continued playing until he retired in 1927. He was sometimes left out of the team to try and improve the batting, especially during the difficult 1921 series against Australia.
Gilbert Jessop, another famous cricketer, called Strudwick a "specialist" and said he was "our most reliable 'stumper'" year after year. After he stopped playing, Strudwick became a respected coach. For many years, he also worked as the scorer for the Surrey team.
Writing About Cricket
In his later years, Herbert Strudwick wrote many articles about cricket. These articles appeared in Wisden, which is a very famous cricket book published every year. His most well-known article was called From Dr. Grace to Peter May. It was published in the 1959 Wisden. In this article, Strudwick shared his thoughts on how the game of cricket had changed. He wrote about what he saw during his own playing career and as a fan after he retired.
Batting and Records
Herbert Strudwick was not known for his batting skills. However, he did achieve something special twice. He was part of a partnership that added over 100 runs for the last wicket with his teammate Bill Hitch. This is a rare achievement in first-class cricket. Only four pairs of players have done this more than once.
His amazing record of 1,493 dismissals as a wicket-keeper is the third highest in the entire history of first-class cricket. Herbert Strudwick passed away in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, when he was 90 years old.
