Lost 17, Abandoned 1

Black clouds gather over the county ground in 2016, a season in which Derbyshire failed to win a single county championship match.

Much has been written about the history of Derbyshire County Cricket Club by more knowledgable writers than I, but I thought it would be interesting to take a brief look at the disappointing 1920 county championship season from a local angle, considering the contrasting fortunes of three cricketers from this area; Thomas Forrester of Pilsley, Allen Turner of Heath, and Guy Jackson, born at Ankerbold. One was at the end of his time with the county, one apparently didn’t quite make the grade, and the third was at the start of a successful cricket career.

There is a good deal of information about the careers of all Derbyshire players available online, particularly at the DCCC Heritage website, for those who wish to know more.

The 1920 Season

Notorious in the history of the club, the 1920 season saw Derbyshire lose 17 of their 18 county championship matches, the other match being rained off. The side, struggling to rebuild after the war, lost heavily and were especially poor in the batting department. More details of the season can be found in the excellent Old Ebor blog here:https://oldebor.wordpress.com/category/derbyshire/

The batsmen of the team have lost their form – is it true that they have also lost their nerve? The bowling is reduced to one slow to medium bowler… The worst feature of all, however, is the absence of a single young player to whom we can turn with hope or confidence… What can be done to avert the perpetuation of such tragedies as have been enacted in the first three matches? (Derby Daily Telegraph – Tuesday 25 May 1920).

Tom Forrester 1873-1927

Image: heritagederbyshireccc.com

Thomas Forrester played two matches in the 1920 season, 15-17 May against Yorkshire at Bramall Lane, and 19-20 May at Queen’s Park, Chesterfield, against Lancashire. Both were 3-day matches which lasted less than 2 days.

Thomas Forrester (sometimes Forester) was born in Clay Cross in 1873 but raised in Pilsley. He began his working life as a schoolteacher, and came to prominence whilst at teacher training college in Birmingham, subsequently playing for Warwickshire for about three years.

He joined Derbyshire in 1902 and played three seasons for the county as an amateur. He retired due to pressure of work but rejoined the county team in 1910 and became established as a regular. A capable left-hand bat and right-arm bowler, in 1912 he took 7-18 against Nottinghamshire. In WWI he was awarded the DSO and rose to the rank of major.

By the start of the 1920 season Major Tom Forrester was 45 years old, and the match at Chesterfield proved to be his last, as he broke down after bowling 20 overs and was unable to bat at all. This loss of one of the old hands was a blow to the Derbyshire team.

Major Tom Forrester was later landlord of the Willow Tree at Pilsley. He died in Nottingham in 1927.

Allen Turner 1891-1961

Allen Turner was born at Heath in 1891. He worked as a clerk for Hardwick Colliery Co. and played football and cricket for the colliery teams. He was given a chance to play for the struggling county side for the match against Leicester at Derby 11-13 August. The Sheffield Daily Telegraph reported that ‘ Still another recruit will be introduced in the Derbyshire side for the last home match…. This is Turner, a medium fast bowler, of Hardwick Colliery, who has been spoken of as one of the best bowlers in the Derbyshire League.’ (Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Wednesday 11 August 1920). He only bowled 13 overs, but took a wicket and made 2 runs in each innings. Derbyshire collapsed in their second innings and lost the match by an innings and 14 runs.

Turner was also selected for the match against Nottingham at Trent Bridge 26-28 August which Derbyshire lost by 197 runs. Although he bagged a pair batting, Allen Turner’s bowling performance was perfectly respectable, with 3-66 and 2-28, a five-wicket haul, which makes me wonder why he never played for the county again.

Guy Jackson 1896-1966

The name Jackson instanly identifies our man as a member of the wealthy family associated with the Clay Cross Company. Guy Rolf Jackson was the son of the chairman, and had a privileged upbringing coming to prominence as a cricketer playing for his school team, Harrow.

Painting of G.R. Jackson: meisterdrucke.com

After distinguished service in the war, G.R. Jackson made his county championship debut for Derbyshire in July 1919, shortly after his 23rd birthday. He was to go on to have a long career with the county, playing some 280 first class matches and captaining the team 1922-30.

Captain Jackson was a fine left handed batsman, but in 1920 he was out of form. In the nine county matches he played between May and July his top score was 14, and he was out for a duck six times. his average for the season was 5.11, and this was perhaps why he did not feature in any more matches that season. It was said that he had stood down to give his cousin Anthony Jackson a game or two. It would be two years before he scored his first century in a county championship match, at Cardiff in June 1923, when he was run out after making 102.

Captain Jackson lived at Higham Cliffe for many years, and died at Chesterfield Royal Hospital on 21 February 1966.

And Finally…

The performances of Derbyshire in county cricket team in 1920 are probably best forgotten, but there was at least one positive. This season saw the debut of one of their great wicketkeepers, Harry Elliott (1891-1976) of Scarcliffe. He played for the team for 27 years, and also for England 1927-1934. He later became a test umpire.