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English cricketer

John Neville Crawford (1 December 1886 – 2 May 1963) was an English first class cricketer who played mainly for Surrey County Cricket Club and South Australia. An amateur, he played as an all rounder. As a right handed batsman, Crawford had a reputation for scoring quickly and hitting powerful shots. He bowled medium paced off spin and was noted for his accuracy and his ability to make the ball turn sharply from the pitch. Unusually for a first class cricketer, Crawford wore spectacles while playing. Crawford established a reputation as an outstanding cricketer while still a schoolboy. He played Test cricket for England before he was 20 years old, and successfully toured Australia with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1907–08. He played only 12 matches for England, although critics believed he had a great future in the sport and was a potential future England captain. In two successive English seasons, he completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in first class games. A dispute over the composition of a Surrey side chosen to play a high profile game in 1909, after several professional players were omitted for disciplinary reasons, led to an increasingly bitter disagreement between Crawford and the Surrey authorities. Crawford was told he had no future with the club, and moved to Australia. There, he worked as a teacher and continued his cricket career with South Australia. This arrangement had a controversial end, when he clashed with the South Australian Cricket Association over money and moved to New Zealand to play for Otago. That relationship also ended badly, and he left Otago before being conscripted into the New Zealand armed forces near the end of the First World War. When he was demobilised, he returned to England and made his peace with Surrey. He played a handful of games between 1919 and 1921 but faded out of first class cricket to pursue a career in industry. In all first class cricket, Crawford scored 9,488 runs at an average of 32.60 and took 815 wickets at an average of 20.66. Although he continued to play cricket at a lower level, the remainder of Crawford's life passed in relative obscurity.

Jack Crawford was born on 1 December 1886 at Cane Hill, Coulsdon, Surrey, the youngest of three sons of the Rev John Charles Crawford and his wife Alice; the couple also had three daughters. Crawford senior was the chaplain at the recently opened Cane Hill Asylum, in the grounds of which Crawford was born. He grew up in a cricketing environment. His father and uncle, Frank Crawford, played first class cricket for Kent; his brothers Vivian and Reginald were also first class cricketers. The whole family played cricket and encouraged Crawford from a young age, and from the age of eleven he regularly played with adults. After attending Glengrove School in Eastbourne, Crawford went to St Winifred's School in Henley on Thames where, in his two years in the cricket team, he scored 2,093 runs and took 366 wickets. His impact was considerable. A 1906 report in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack rated him as one of the best three schoolboy cricketers in the previous 40 years, matched only by A. G. Steel and Stanley Jackson. Cricket historians similarly praised his cricket at Repton. Benny Green notes that his prolific achievements "created  chaos among schoolboy cricketers." Gerald Brodribb describes him as "probably the best ever" schoolboy cricketer. By 1904, Crawford dominated the Repton team. He scored 759 runs and his 75 wickets were more than the combined total of all the other bowlers in the team. he bowled medium paced off spin, although he varied the speed of his delivery from slow to fast. Surrey County Cricket Club took an interest in Crawford almost immediately, calling him to a trial in 1903. Following his achievements in 1904, he was invited to play for the county. The county club was in the midst of a spell of uncertainty; several men captained the team, but only for a handful of matches each. The composition of the side continually changed, and the team performed poorly, causing unrest among supporters accustomed to success. Crawford was just one of many players brought in as an experiment, albeit one of the most successful. He made his first class debut against Kent. Taking three wickets and top scoring in Surrey's first innings with 54, Crawford did well enough to retain his place for another seven games, Against Gloucestershire, he took seven wickets for 43 runs in the second innings, and a total of ten wickets in the match. In the season as a whole he took 44 first class wickets at an average of 16.93 to top the county's bowling averages, and scored 229 runs at an average of 16.35. Although hampered by injuries during the 1905 season for Repton, his last at the school, Crawford scored 766 runs with a batting average of 85. In the five matches in which he was fit to bowl he took 55 wickets at an average under 13.|group=notes In his second game, he took seven for 90 against Yorkshire and in his third, he scored his maiden first class century—119 not out against Derbyshire—to become the youngest centurion for the county, a record that was not broken until 2013. Later, he took eight for 24 against Northamptonshire and scored 142 not out against Leicestershire. appearing in several representative games for teams representing the South of England and played for the Rest of England against the County Champions Yorkshire.

Having finished his school career, Crawford joined the first MCC tour of South Africa in the 1905–06 season. The MCC was criticised by the press both in England and in South Africa for omitting many of the strongest players. As the youngest member of the team, Crawford was given the traditional role of writing press reports to be sent back home during the tour. When the team played in Worcester during the tour, the local press carried a report that Crawford planned to remain in South Africa. The 1906 Wisden carried the same story; in a comment on his success in 1905, it suggested that it was uncertain for how long he would play, and questioned whether, if he played Test cricket, he would do so for England or South Africa. The cricket historian Nigel Hart queries why Wisden mentioned South Africa; Crawford's only known connection came through his uncle, who had left South Africa five years before. In all first class matches on the tour, Crawford scored 531 runs at an average of 31.23, Batting at number six, Crawford scored 44 runs in the first innings and 43 in the second; he took a wicket with his first delivery, bowling Bert Vogler. He was wicketless in the second innings, and bowled inaccurately as the home side recorded a one wicket win. Wisden noted that Crawford batted well in both innings. After a month of cricket in between the Tests, during which Crawford scored 212 in a minor game, In the second Test, Crawford was promoted to open the batting, a position he retained for most of the series. England lost the series 4–1, finding it difficult to bat against the South African googly bowlers. Wisden's tour report described Crawford's batting as one of the few positives for his side. Writing home during the tour, the MCC captain Pelham Warner frequently praised Crawford and the extent of his ability at a young age. The English press even parodied what Crawford's biographer, Michael Burns, describes as Warner's "near obsession" with Crawford. Other critics believed that Crawford should have been more successful as a bowler but was distracted by the matting surfaces used in South Africa; because he was able to make the ball bounce and turn extravagantly from the surface, he tried to spin the ball too much and lost accuracy as a result.

Returning to England for the 1906 season, Crawford completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in first class cricket, the youngest player at the time to accomplish this feat. Despite his lack of success in the Tests, Crawford was invited to tour Australia that winter even before the South African series was complete; he suggested to the press that he might remain in Australia after the tour.

The MCC team which toured Australia in 1907–08, like that which toured South Africa, faced questions about its strength. Because at least four first choice players chose not to tour, and another was not selected despite strong claims, the team was less representative than usual for an Ashes series. The tourists lost the Tests 4–1, although Wisden suggested that the series was more competitive than suggested by the results. Crawford began the tour well, taking seven wickets in the opening first class match against Western Australia. Crawford contributed little more with bat or ball in the lead up to the Test series; He scarcely bowled in the first Test, won by Australia, Frederick Fane, the acting captain of England, seemed to share this view in the second Test, withholding Crawford from the attack for some time. However, Crawford took five for 79 in the first innings helped to restrict Australia on a good batting pitch and took eight wickets in the match as England levelled the series. Australia won the remaining games to win the series. In the third match, Crawford scored his only half century of the series, hitting 62 out of England's 363 to help his team build up a first innings lead. However, Australia scored 506 at the second attempt, during which Crawford bowled nearly 46 overs to take three for 113. By this stage of the tour, the press looked on him much more favourably, and he received praise for his performances. However, his heavy workload with the ball affected his health; he lost a stone in weight during the tour, and before the final Test a Melbourne doctor diagnosed that he had "strained the right side of his heart" and advised that he see a specialist. Crawford played in that game, won by Australia, despite his ill health, with several other players unfit, and the tour manager later wrote that he looked poorly throughout and should not have played. Nevertheless, he bowled 54 overs and took eight wickets in the match. Wisden considered Crawford's bowling to be one of the most successful features of the tour and praised his ability to spin the ball, reporting: "It was said of Crawford that even on the most perfect wickets he could at times make the ball break back." As the tour neared its completion, the Australian press reported that Crawford planned to remain in Australia, that he had attracted the attention of several "society" women, and that he had become engaged. Even so, he returned to England when the tour ended. In May 1909, he published a book about the tour, JN Crawford's Trip to "Kangaroo" land.

During the 1908 season, Crawford narrowly failed to complete his third double. He scored 1,371 runs at an average of 37.05 and took 98 wickets at 21.48.|group=notes

In the remainder of the season, Crawford scored 232 against Somerset, his highest first class score, as well as centuries against Derbyshire and Hampshire. Contemporary reports suggested that his performances tailed off as the season progressed, possibly through tiredness from having played too much cricket, and that he became a less accurate bowler through trying too hard to spin the ball. The Surrey captaincy remained unsettled; Crawford led the team on several occasions, including Surrey's final game of the season, when his brother Vivian captained Leicestershire, their opponents. Crawford, who played as an amateur but was not independently wealthy, received an increased expenses allowance during 1908, but other financial dealings with the committee were less successful: they paid his laundry bills in 1905, but refused to do so afterwards; additionally, they refused his request in 1907 to have part of his expenses paid for matches that he missed, as happened with the wages of professionals. His financial problems were compounded by his inability to find a suitable job, and the Surrey committee threatened that he "ought not to be played on the same terms" unless he "[commenced] to earn his livelihood". Crawford's performances in the 1909 season were less effective than in previous years. His batting average also fell. Apart from adversely affecting some players' careers, this preference had destabilised the team over several seasons. Crawford disagreed with Alverstone, but nevertheless frequently assumed the leadership in the absence of the regular captain Leveson Gower for much of the season. Around this time, Crawford's form declined. With the bat, he was often dismissed attempting aggressive shots, and he lost his effectiveness as a bowler. As a result, he was not chosen for the Gentlemen and missed selection in the Ashes series. The press continued to criticise his captaincy, despite Surrey's good results under his leadership. Burns notes: "For a young man with no experience of prolonged failure on the cricket field, this was almost certainly a traumatic time." Surrey had other problems at this time. When the team arrived in Chesterfield to play Derbyshire, eight of the professionals were arrested following an incident in the street; the matter was cleared up and the press suggested that the police had been over eager. but with Rushby and Lees omitted, In Crawford's absence, Surrey were led by the professional Tom Hayward; the match, affected by rain, was drawn.

The cricket press noticed the absence of Crawford and the professionals from Surrey's team over the following games, and noted that Crawford was now playing club cricket. Meanwhile, Alverstone wrote to Crawford that the Surrey committee fully supported Leveson Gower's decision to omit Rushby and Lees, and told him that Surrey would not select him again unless he apologised to Leveson Gower. Crawford refused, writing to Alverstone: "I do not know who was responsible for the selection of the second eleven sort of team furnished up for such an important match  There seems to be some impression amongst a few of the Surrey committee that I am some young professional instead of being a young fellow who has had an experience of cricket that has seldom fallen to the lot of anyone, and my request for an alteration of the team should have had some weight". Crawford's father wrote to the Surrey committee in support of his son. Burns notes that this "[generated] a strong response from the public, mainly unsympathetic to the young amateur" in the letters pages of many newspapers. Many commentators felt that the argument could have been resolved easily had either side made concessions. Another of the players involved, Rushby, left Surrey at the end of the season to play league cricket, but later returned to the team. Crawford's father made a further attempt to end the dispute between Surrey and his son in 1910, asking the committee to reverse their decision. Wisden reported that Alverstone declined on the grounds that it would suggest a lack of confidence in the committee, but that if Crawford "came forward in a sportsmanlike way [Alverstone] would be proud to give his personal support to the step proposed. This of course meant that an apology was expected." In his History of Cricket, Green contended that the "Surrey committee must be held accountable for a degree of idiocy rarely met with even in the realms of cricket administration" for the way they dealt with Crawford, "one of the world's most prodigious all rounders." At the end of the season, Crawford played his last matches in England for 10 years, appearing for an "England XI" against the Australians and for the Gentlemen of the South. Burns suggests that this knowledge that he had the offer of work may have prompted him to take a stand against the Surrey committee. No cricket figures saw his departure, but there was considerable interest from the press.

At St Peter's School, Crawford combined his teaching role with supervision of sports, including acting as coach for the cricket team. On several occasions, he had to request leave from the headmaster to play first class cricket. After arriving in Australia in December 1909, he was playing district cricket for East Torrens within a week, and played in South Australia's last three matches in the Sheffield Shield competition; the team went on to win the trophy for the first time since 1893–94. Crawford played a large part in this success. There was some controversy over his eligibility to play; New South Wales initially protested, but there was a precedent for ignoring the requirement of a three month qualification period, and the New South Wales Cricket Association (NSWCA) Executive Committee accepted this in the case of Crawford, to the displeasure of the full NSWCA. Green suggests that such a performance would have earned him Test selection if he had been Australian, instead they picked Charlie Kelleway as the all rounder. He may have considered leaving South Australia, but the Cricket Association appointed him as a clerk at the Adelaide Oval, a position which earned £200 per annum, with additional responsibility for coaching and youth scouting. Meanwhile, in England, after unsuccessful attempts by his father to change the mind of the Surrey committee, including a failed bid to secure his own election to the committee, Crawford sent a written apology to Surrey at some time in 1910. Consequently, the committee passed a motion in March 1911 which ended the ban on Crawford playing for the county. Press rumours over the following 12 months cast doubt on Crawford's future, suggestions including a return to England for the 1912 season. Instead, he remained with South Australia in the 1911–12 season. Although less successful generally, he played for a non representative Australian XI against the MCC touring team which contested the Ashes that season and scored 110 in as many minutes against bowlers including Sydney Barnes, at the time regarded as the greatest bowler in the world. The following season, in which South Australia again won the Shield, Crawford took seven for 31 against Western Australia, including a hat trick, and scored 163 in 177 minutes against Victoria before taking eight for 66 in their first innings. In 1913, Crawford was included in an Australian team which toured North America. The team was organised by Edgar Mayne, a South Australian batsman who tried to secure backing from the Australian Board of Control to make it an official representative team, but the Board refused to do so. In all matches, Crawford scored over 1,000 runs and took over 200 wickets, and he was particularly effective as a bowler in the matches designated first class. He later stated that this was the best tour he had been on; more press rumours suggested that he would return to England at the conclusion of the tour, but he returned to Australia with the rest of the team.

In December 1913, Crawford wrote to the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) asking for a six month leave of absence and a guaranteed renewal of his contract. The SACA described his letter as "arrogant" before eventually granting his request and offering him a three year contract worth around £300 per year, including coaching fees. In effect, he wanted to double his salary or leave to seek a position in New Zealand. Describing these events, Hart comments: "Crawford's financial dealings with the SACA reveal him both as mercenary and as an awkward 'cuss'. The latter aspect of his personality needs to be taken into account lest he be considered merely an establishment victim in his parting with Surrey". On the field, Crawford was successful in 1913–14. He took 34 wickets, and against New South Wales he hit 91 in 89 minutes before taking 10 wickets; against Victoria he took eleven wickets.—which contained many leading players, under the captaincy of the former Canterbury batsman Arthur Sims. In first class games on this tour Crawford took 21 wickets and scored a century, but his most notable innings came in a minor match. Against the "XV of South Canterbury", he scored 354 in five and a quarter hours, striking 14 sixes and 45 fours. He and Victor Trumper shared a partnership of 298 in 69 minutes, and Monty Noble helped him to score 50 runs in 9 minutes as the Australian team scored 922 for nine. In March 1914, the Otago Cricket Association (OCA) offered Crawford a three year contract worth £350 per year, and a share in the management of a sports store, to play for them. Briefly returning to Adelaide after the tour, he resigned from his South Australia contract before moving to Dunedin in June 1914. Later historians—Nigel Hart in his biography of Crawford, and Chris Harte in his A History of Australian Cricket (1993)—condemned Crawford as arrogant and mercenary for his behaviour towards South Australia. Harte also suggests that Crawford left Australia with many debts. Burns, however, suggests that Crawford may have wanted to maximise his earnings to support his upcoming marriage, and notes that his South Australian teammates held no grudges and even organised a farewell presentation. Once in his new position, Crawford immediately organised a Colts team which produced several future Otago players. While qualifying to play for Otago, he played club cricket in Dunedin, scoring 559 runs and taking 88 wickets. During the 1914–15 season he appeared in four first class games for Otago, in which he scored 337 runs and took 30 wickets. Schmidt—from Adelaide and described in the society press as a "beauty"—and Crawford met in 1912 when the former was 18 years old and became well known as a couple at fashionable events in Adelaide. Burns suggests that the wedding took place in Melbourne rather than Adelaide because Crawford may have been avoiding his creditors. Two days after the wedding, the couple returned to New Zealand. Crawford's wages caused the OCA some financial difficulty and were the cause of extended negotiations in 1915. Part of the settlement involved Crawford receiving a lower salary in return for freedom to offer his services to other clubs on a freelance basis. As a consequence, he represented different teams throughout the season in local cricket. He was also paid to coach at Otago Boys' High School. There were other difficulties; the association complained about the lateness of Crawford's report on the Otago team, and were unhappy that he also coached golf. Crawford in turn told the association that several Otago players were late for practice. After further complaints about Crawford's coaching in 1916, the OCA decided to terminate his contract. Crawford initially offered to continue for less money—£245. The OCA bargained, suggesting a payment of £200, whereupon Crawford insisted that he should be paid £300. The OCA then proposed to terminate his contract immediately for a payment of £150 but he refused. He was eventually paid £200 in June to leave Otago. That November, with the First World War into its third year, New Zealand brought in conscription. Crawford was called up in July 1917, He travelled to England prior to a posting to the Western Front, although he arrived too late to join the fighting. He was part of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade but it is unclear what his rank was. While Crawford was in the army, his wife moved to Adelaide. According to Anita, the marriage became unhappy in 1916 and Crawford left her in November of that year. She claimed that he had not supported her financially from that point. When the war ended, she returned to live in Australia with her parents. Her subsequent career as a dress designer and fashion buyer necessitated a move to London, where Crawford was living, in 1921 but the couple never reconciled. They were divorced, with some publicity in Australia, in 1923; in court, she gave evidence that he had an affair with a "third party". She went on to remarry and to have a successful career as a designer and orchestral conductor.

After the First World War, Crawford returned to live in England, Looking for work, he wrote to Surrey offering to play for them if they found him some employment in turn, but the committee, while writing that they would be pleased if he played for the county again, could not "see [their] way to find him employment". Crawford may have been contemplating playing professional cricket—unheard of for a former Public School cricketer—but instead found work at Repton, his old school. Having settled his disagreement with Surrey, Crawford resumed his English first class cricket career in 1919. He more than doubled his score after the ninth wicket had fallen, hitting 73 out of the last 80 runs scored in 35 minutes to take Surrey past the target required to avoid the follow on. In total, Crawford played in eight games in 1919, scoring 488 runs and taking 20 wickets. but by 1921 he had left the club—the Manchester Guardian speculated that he had returned to Surrey. He returned to live with his family in Merton Park, and played for the local cricket club. Of his first class matches, one was for Surrey against the Australian touring team of 1921 and the others were for teams representing the Gentlemen. He married his second wife, Hilda May Beman, in December 1925, but he never had children. he died, aged 76, in a Surrey hospital on 2 May 1963. As a bowler, Crawford's technique was also orthodox, His bowling pace varied from fast to medium, An accurate bowler, it was difficult for batsmen to score runs against him. In 1937, Herbie Collins wrote, at a time when Wally Hammond was considered to be the world's leading all rounder, that "people who have seen both men consider [Crawford] a better all rounder". He concludes that Crawford spent the last 40 years of his life "in comparative sporting obscurity".