Frank Woolley

Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Frank Woolley
country = England
fullname = Frank Edward Woolley
dayofbirth = 27
monthofbirth = 5
yearofbirth = 1887
placeofbirth = Tonbridge, Kent
countryofbirth = England
dayofdeath = 18
monthofdeath = 10
yearofdeath = 1978
placeofdeath = Chester, Nova Scotia
countryofdeath = Canada
batting = Left-handed
bowling = Left-arm medium
Slow left-arm orthodox
role = All-rounder
international = true
testdebutdate = 9 August
testdebutyear = 1909
testdebutagainst = Australia
testc

lasttestdate = 22 August
lasttestyear = 1934
lasttestagainst = Australia
club1 = Kent
year1 = 1906 – 1938
club2 = MCC
year2 = 1909 – 1930
deliveries = balls
columns = 2
column1 = Tests
matches1 = 64
runs1 = 3283
bat avg1 = 36.07
100s/50s1 = 5/23
top score1 = 154
deliveries1 = 6495
wickets1 = 83
bowl avg1 = 33.91
fivefor1 = 4
tenfor1 = 1
best bowling1 = 7/76
catches/stumpings1 = 64/–
column2 = FC
matches2 = 978
runs2 = 58959
bat avg2 = 40.77
100s/50s2 = 145/295
top score2 = 305*
deliveries2 = 94824
wickets2 = 2066
bowl avg2 = 19.87
fivefor2 = 132
tenfor2 = 28
best bowling2 = 8/22
catches/stumpings2 = 1018/–
date = 18 October
year = 1978
source = http://content.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/22518.html Cricinfo

Frank Edward Woolley (born 27 May 1887 in Tonbridge, Kent, died 18 October 1978 in Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada) was an English cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/22518.html] In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20. He is also the only non-wicket-keeper to have held more than 1,000 catches. [cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283648.html|title=Records - First-class matches - Most catches in a career|author=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-13] His batting was remarkable both for his well documented elegance and his rapidity of scoring. [http://www-uk8.cricket.org/magazine/content/story/337943.html]

After making his debut for Kent in 1906, he fast established himself as a great all-rounder, [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/22518.html] especially in County Cricket. No one else scored 2000 runs and took 100 wickets in a season more often, a feat he performed in 1914 and 1921-23. Only W.G. Grace scored a century and took ten wickets in a match more often. Just as impressive was his consistency, he averaged 40.75 in first-class cricket and scored one thousand runs in a season 28 times, a record equaled only by W.G. Grace. According to R. C. Robertson-Glasgow "when you wrote about him, there weren't enough words. In describing a great innings by Woolley, and few of them were not great in artistry, you had to be careful with your adjectives and stack them in little rows".
R. L. Arrowsmith wrote "his average rate of scoring has been exceeded only by Jessop ("the Croucher") and equaled by Trumper. His philosophy was to dominate the bowler. "When I am batting," he said, "I am the attack." " To this day his 205 minute triple century for the MCC vs Tasmania remains the second fastest ever scored, bettered only by Denis Compton. [http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283002.html]

Woolley played 64 Test matches between 1909 and 1934, coincidentally both topping and tailing his international career with games against Australia at The Oval. He played under no less than 14 different captains for England, a record in Test cricket. He was made a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1911. In county cricket he spent his entire career (1906 - 1938) with Kent County Cricket Club, making his mark in his third game when he produced match figures of 95 runs and 8-119 with the ball to help Kent to a one-wicket win.

Woolley Way in Maidstone, Kent (in an area where all the streets are named after Kent county cricketers) is named in his honour.

In July 2000 he was inducted into the The Federation of International Cricketers Associations' Hall of Fame. [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/88992.html]

Note

The first-class career statistics quoted in this article do not include one match whose first-class status is disputed, but which is included in publications such as Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and the Playfair Cricket Annual. In this match, Woolley took two wickets and scored 10 runs.

For more information see Variations in first-class cricket statistics.

References

External links

*cricinfo|ref=england/content/player/22518.html