Cricket scores/schedules for Winchester College in 1873

[Allison Smith]

Is there ANYTHING ANYWHERE that contains a list of the matches played by Druitt in the year 1873? Specifically in September? I've combed the interwebz until my eyes are crossed, and I guess my search criteria is too broad/specific because I can't find anything!! I'm perfectly willing to make it up (this is for an historical fiction novel I'm working on) but would LOVE there to be some coinciding FACTS to base the idea I have on....ANY and ALL help is welcome! Thanks, in advance!

[Adam Went]

Hi Allison,

I'm not aware of anything specific but perhaps you could try searching newspaper databases for that time period? Quite often the sports section of local newspapers would contain at least reports about, if not entire scorecards of such matches. Good luck!

Cheers,
Adam.

[Allison Smith]

Hi Allison,

I'm not aware of anything specific but perhaps you could try searching newspaper databases for that time period? Quite often the sports section of local newspapers would contain at least reports about, if not entire scorecards of such matches. Good luck!

Cheers,
Adam.

Oh, that's a thought! I hadn't thought about tracking down individual newspapers, and doing it that way. I tried contacting Winchester College through website and even sent them an email, which has gone unanswered. And tried many a Google (and other search engines) search. Maybe an email to one of the newspapers will produce better results, too!

Thanks for the tip!

[Adam Went]

Oh, that's a thought! I hadn't thought about tracking down individual newspapers, and doing it that way. I tried contacting Winchester College through website and even sent them an email, which has gone unanswered. And tried many a Google (and other search engines) search. Maybe an email to one of the newspapers will produce better results, too!

Thanks for the tip!

No problem, I'd be interested to hear how you get on with it! In the past I've found that the newspapers can be a great resource to go back to for these kinds of searches if you get stuck, it can just take some time to narrow down the searches if you don't have specific dates etc etc.

Cheers,
Adam.

[R. J. Palmer]

Is there ANYTHING ANYWHERE that contains a list of the matches played by Druitt in the year 1873? Specifically in September? I've combed the interwebz until my eyes are crossed, and I guess my search criteria is too broad/specific because I can't find anything!! I'm perfectly willing to make it up (this is for an historical fiction novel I'm working on) but would LOVE there to be some coinciding FACTS to base the idea I have on....ANY and ALL help is welcome! Thanks, in advance!

Hi Allison.

There is an account of M. J. Druitt playing cricket, along with his brother William, in Wimborne on 30th of August 1873. He had just turned 16 two weeks earlier, and was on summer break from Winchester.

He may also have played for the Ringwood Club the following week, Sept. 5th, but it's unclear; there is a Druitt listed as playing, but the score card doesn't identify whether it was William or Monty. It may well have been MJD, as he would have been still on break.

In his book, D. J. Leighton refers to MJD playing for Winchester's 2nd XI team by the age of 16, but my educated guess is that this wouldn't have been until the Spring of 1874. He refers to the 'Two Guinea Match' which is played in the Spring, which is why I believe he didn't make the school team until 1874.

(Leighton's lack of notes is often frustrating).

Good luck with your research.

[R. J. Palmer]

Here's the Ringwood Club v. Fordingbridge match (Ringwood, Dorset, is about 10 miles northeast of Wimborne Minster, and Fordingbridge another five). The article states the match was played on Friday the "15 inst." but this is an obvious typo, because it comes from the Salisbury and Winchester Journal, dated September 13th, so "inst." makes no sense. It must be September 5th, which was a Friday. (Most of the other matches listed were also on Friday the 5th)

You'll notice two things. One of the bowlers for Fordingbridge is J. Blachford, who played alongside MJD on the Wimborne team the previous week.

Also, this Druitt is shown to be bowling, and MJD was particularly known as a bowler, so my guess is that this is the young MJD and not William. That would place him in Ringwood on Friday, September 5th, 1873

A few years ago, I spent a long time tediously chronically all of MJD's sporting matches, and if memory serves, and I think it does, these were the earliest accounts of him playing cricket.

[Gary Barnett]

I know nothing whatsoever about Druitt. Is this him in 1870?

Ringwood, of course, is in Hampshire, as is Winchester.

[R. J. Palmer]

I know nothing whatsoever about Druitt. Is this him in 1870?

Ringwood, of course, is in Hampshire, as is Winchester.

Yes, it's him and his brother William. The grew up in Wimborne.

And yes, I see Ringwood is indeed over the county line, but it's still only ten miles from Wimborne, which was my point; MJD played in Wimborne only a week earlier, while on summer break, so it very likely him in Ringwood on the 5th.

[Gary Barnett]

Yes, it's him and his brother William. The grew up in Wimborne.

And yes, I see Ringwood is indeed over the county line, but it's still only ten miles from Wimborne, which was my point; MJD played in Wimborne only a week earlier, while on summer break, so it very likely him in Ringwood on the 5th.

They buggered about with the county boundaries in the 1970s and Bournemouth got dragged into Dorset from Hants. A lot of people get very hot under the collar about the integrity of the ancient counties.

As you say, Ringwood is only just in Hampshire and not far from Wimborne.

[Phillip Walton]

It would be interesting if there were records of him playing in the Autumn of 1888.

[Allison Smith]

Oh. My. Goodness!!

I KNEW I could count on you guys to help me out!!

I am FOREVER in your debt.

At the VERY LEAST I can play with this information and use it to at least back me up in some assumptions!

THANK. YOU.

[Adam Went]

It would be interesting if there were records of him playing in the Autumn of 1888.

Hi Phil,

There are. If you go to this page and scroll down a bit, you'll find links to a couple of scorecards from matches he played in 1888, including the September 8 match which was of course later on the same day Annie Chapman was murdered.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/...e-druitt-11949

Cheers,
Adam.

[Phillip Walton]

Hi Phil,

There are. If you go to this page and scroll down a bit, you'll find links to a couple of scorecards from matches he played in 1888, including the September 8 match which was of course later on the same day Annie Chapman was murdered.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/...e-druitt-11949

Cheers,
Adam.

Thanks for that Adam. It looks as if he was a pretty good bowler. I also think it is highly unlikely that he was JTR.

[Adam Went]

Thanks for that Adam. It looks as if he was a pretty good bowler. I also think it is highly unlikely that he was JTR.

Hi Phil,

Absolutely agreed, on both counts. By all accounts he was quite a competent cricketer and was also of course involved in the running of the club off the field. It'd be interesting to know what "locker room talk" there was about the Ripper case at the time.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Allison Smith]

I know nothing whatsoever about Druitt. Is this him in 1870?

Ringwood, of course, is in Hampshire, as is Winchester.

what paper did you find this in????