Frank Woodhead

Frank Ellis Woodhead played five games of first class cricket for Cambridge University and Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1889 to 1894. A right handed batsman and right arm medium pace bowler he achieved little success, although he retired with the excellent bowling average of 4 as his solitary spell of 20 balls gained him the wicket with just four runs conceded. In ten innings he made a total of 57 runs, with a best of 18, for an average of 5.7.

In his only appearance for his university he recorded a pair in a heavy defeat against Surrey at the Oval in a two day match on the 13th and 14th June 1889. On the bright side, he did take his only first class wicket in this match, bowling J.W. Sharpe for a duck. His next match was actually for Yorkshire against Cambridge University at Fenners in 1893, when he compiled 5 and 8 when opening the innings in a low scoring match won by Cambridge by 27 runs. In the same year he turned out against the touring Australians at Bramhall Lane, Sheffield, dismissed for 3 and 8 at the top of the order by Trumble in a fluctuating match won by Yorkshire to the delight of the home crowd.

In 1892 he played for Yorkshire in a non first class two day fixture against then minor county Durham at Thrum Hall, Halifax, making 8 runs in Yorkshire's first innings and then a fine 15 not out from number three in the order to steer them to a seven wicket victory.

His last season, in 1894, saw him feature in a two day loss against Leicestershire in a friendly first class match when, demoted in the order to number 7, he scored 8 and a duck and his swan song came against his old university once again when Yorkshire lost by 119 runs. Woodhead did post his career best score of 18 in his final first class knock before he was clean bowled by Burrough.

He was born on May 29, 1868 in Woodthorpe, Huddersfield and died, aged 75, on August 25, 1943 in the same Yorkshire town.

References

* [http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/23163.html Cricinfo Profile]