On the 7 June, 1929, the English cricketer, J.E.P McMaster, died.

Born in Gilford, County Down in 1861, in what was then a united Ireland, he was educated at Harrow.

JEP did not get into the Harrow school’s first XI at cricket. He then went on to study law at Trinity College, Cambridge, and again played no cricket there, but did win a blue in 1881 at the newly created sport of lawn tennis.

He qualified as a barrister in 1888, following which he embarked on a daring adventure. A private cricket tour of South Africa, organised by a Major R G Warton. The party was made up of a mixed bag of players, including 5 England Test players, 4 county players, and 6 like McMaster who no known cricketing experience at all. One of which was a comedian who was selected to provide humourous entertainment for the party.

The group were genuine pioneers. It suffered the most basic forms of transport and accommodation imaginable, and at times were in danger from bandits and wild animals. At the time political tension between the English settlers and the Boers was building in South Africa, which a decade later would result in war.

Warton’s team played 20 matches in all, 17 of which were against local teams, fielding between 15 and 22 players. JEP played in 13 of these, in which he managed to amass a grand total of 107 runs in 17 innings, at an average of 7.2 per innings. His top score being a ‘carefully compiled’ 34 not out.

In 1889, two of the matches were played against 11 players representative of South Africa, which to the anger of cricket statisticians, were retrospectively given Test Match status.

JEP got his chance to shine in 1889, in the second of these encounters, a consequence of a more experienced player having to withdraw through injury.

With the score at 287 for 7, McMaster took the field batting at number 9. He took guard, but was out first ball, caught at slip. JEP fielded in both of the two innings, took no catches, and was not called upon to bowl his rare leg-breaks.

The ‘golden duck’ was the zenith of J.E.P. McMaster’s Test career. His lone appearance, representing his entire first-class cricketing career. Leaving him with a record which is impossible to beat. One ball faced, no runs made, no wickets taken, and no catches.

Although JEP never played another major match, he was honoured with the retrospective glory of an England cap.

McMaster died of a fever in Umtali a few years later, and was buried in an improvised coffin made of whiskey cartons, which had to be guarded in order to protect it from marauding lions.

7 June, 2019

On the 6 June, 1901, James Braid, won the 41^st Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Club, Scotland, the first of five Open Championship victories, three strokes ahead of runner-up Harry Vardon of Jersey.

All the entrants played 36 holes on the first day of the Championship, with those within 19 strokes of the leader deemed to have made the cut, and eligible to play 36 holes on the final day, with the provision that the final day’s field had to contain at least 32 professionals.

Vardon led after the first round with a 77, and followed up with a 78, and was joined on 155 by Braid. After the third round, Braid was five shots clear of Vardon and, holding a clear lead, played a cautious final round of 80. J.H.Taylor finished 3rd with the English amateur Harold Hilton a further 7 strokes behind.

James Braid (1870^–1950) was a Scottish professional golfer, and a member of the Great Triumvirate together with Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He also was a renowned golf course architect.

Born in Earlsferry, Fife, Braid played golf from an early age, and worked as a club-maker before turning professional in 1896.

He won The Open Championship in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910, and was runner-up in 1897, 1902, 1904, and 1909. In addition, Braid won four British PGA Matchplay Championships, as well as the 1910 French Open title.

Braid became the full-time club professional at the Walton Heath GC in Surrey, founded in 1903, from 1904-1950.

He died in London in 1950.

On the 5 June, 1952, ‘Fiery’ Fred Trueman made his Test Cricket debut against India at Headingley, Leeds, which England won by 7 wickets. Trueman bowled a total of 35 overs, including 7 maidens, and took 7 wickets in all, at a cost of 116 runs.

Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest bowlers in cricket history, Trueman was the first bowler to take 300 wickets in a Test career. Together with Brian Statham, he opened the England bowling for many years, and formed one of Test cricket’s most famous bowling partnerships.

Even so, Trueman was omitted from numerous England teams because he was frequently in conflict with the cricket establishment, which he perceived as being ‘snobbish’ and ‘hypocritical’.

He made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in May 1949, in the three-day match against Cambridge which Yorkshire won by 9 wickets. Mistakenly described by Wisden as a spin-bowler, he opened the bowling in both innings with Brian Close, and collected a total of 3 wickets at a cost of 94 runs.

He was awarded his Yorkshire County Cap in 1951, and in 1952 was elected ‘Young Cricketer of the Year’ by the Cricket Writers’ Club. An outstanding fielder, especially at leg slip, Fred was a useful late order batsman, collecting three first-class centuries in his career.

Trueman appeared in 603 first-class matches, scoring 9,231 runs, his top score being 104. He bowled a total of 99,701 balls and took 2,304 wickets, his best performance being 8 for 28.

Fred also played in 67 Test matches for England, his last appearance coming in June 1965 against New Zealand. He knocked up 981 runs, his highest score being 39 not out, and bowled 15,178 balls, collecting 307 wickets, his best figures being 8 for 31

After he retired from playing, he became a media personality, working mainly on Test Match Special for the BBC. In 1989, he was awarded the OBE for services to cricket.

Frederick Sewards Trueman, OBE, (1931-2006) was born in Stainton, near Maltby, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, weighing in at 14 lb 1 oz. Shortly before his death aged 75 in Steeton with Eastburn, West Yorkshire in 2006, Trueman is said to have discovered his grandmother was Jewish, which claimed, according to Jewish law made him Jewish. Typically, it is maintained Freddie joked, he was ‘happy with that, but would not give up bacon sandwiches’ !

5 June, 2019

On this day, the 4 June, 1927, the USA dominated Great Britain in the first Ryder Cup match, held at the Worcestershire Country Club, Worcester, Massachusetts.

Illness rendered it impossible for the founder of the he competition, Samuel Ryder, to witness the USA win the inaugural event by the landslide score of 9½–2½ points, and see the first winning captain, Walter Hagen, lift the Ryder Cup.

The format for the inaugural event, through until 1959, was a match play tournament, with each match worth one point. Four foursome matches were played on the first day, and 8 singles matches on the second day, for a total of 12 points. All matches were played over a maximum of 36 holes.

A sub-committee of the PGA was appointed to choose the Great Britain team, consisting of Harry Vardon, J,H. Taylor, and James Braid. Initially a group of nine players were selected to represent Great Britain, with Abe Mitchell chosen to captain the team. However, his health gave some concern, and he was declared unfit to travel, and was later operated on for appendicitis. Ted Ray was subsequently elected as the first captain to represent the Great Britain team.

Results: USA 9 ½ – GB 2 ½  Foursomes: USA 3 – GB 1 Singles: USA 6 ½  – GB 1 ½

Teams: USA: Walter Hagen [Captain] Leo Diegel; Al Espinosa, Johnny Farrel; Johnny Golden; Bill Mehlhorn; Gene Sarazen; Joe Turnesa; Al Watrous.

Great Britain: Ted Ray [Captain][Jersey]; Aubrey Boomer [Jersey]; Archie Compston [England]; George Duncan [Scotland]; George Gadd [England]; Arthur Havers [England]; Herbert Jolly [Guernsey];Fred Robson [England]; Charles Whitcombe [England].

4 June, 2019

On this day, the 3 June, 2016,  the American professional boxer, activist, and philanthropist, ‘The Greatest’, Muhammad Ali, died.

Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., in June 1942, he is regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century. He converted to Islam and became a Muslim after 1961, and took the name Muhammad Ali.

He had a sister and four brothers, and was named for his father, Cassius Marcellus Clay Snr., who himself was named in honour of the 19th century Republican politician and staunch abolitionsist.

He won the world heavyweight championship from Sonny Liston in a major upset at the age of 22 in 1964.

In 1966, Ali refused to be drafted into the military, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was arrested, found guilty of draft evasion, and stripped of his boxing titles. He was systematically denied a boxing license in every state and stripped of his passport. As a result, he did not fight from March 1967 to October 1970, from ages 25 to almost 29 His case worked its way through the appeals process, and his conviction was overturned in 1971. 

On 20 December, 2014, Ali was hospitalised for a mild case of pneumonia, and was again hospitalised in January, 2015, for a urinary tract infection after being found unresponsive at a guest house in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was released the next day.

Once again, Ali was hospitalised in Scottsdale on 2 June, 2016, with a respiratory illness, and alhough initially his condition was described as ‘fair’, it worsened, and he died the following day from septic shock at the age of 74.

3 June, 2019

On this day, the 2 June, 1871, the English jockey, George Stevens [1833-1871], died from a fractured skull, aged 38.

Stevens began his riding career at around the age of 16 or 17, and at the age of 18 rode Hardwick to victory in the Grand Annual steeple chase at Wolverhampton in 1851. From the beginning of 1848 to 1870 he won 76 races, finding fame by riding five winners in the Grand National, including Freetrader, 1856; Emblem, 1863; Emblematic, 1864; and The Colonel, 1869,1870. 

The Grand National steeplechase race was first run since in the early 19 century, and has been held annually at Aintree in Liverpool since its creation in 1836.

The steeplechase became extremely popular shortly after horse-racing became well liked as a sport. The early courses over which the races were run were unmarked, and commenced from a designated spot and usually ended parallel to a common landmark, such as a church steeple. From which it is said the name steeplechase was derived.

Stevens died after suffering a fracture of the skull, the day after his horse bolted, stumbled and threw him, as he was quietly riding home to his cottage on Cleeve Hill.

2 June, 2019

On this day, the 1 June, 1899, the English cricketing legend, William Gilbert ‘W.G.’ Grace, MRCS, LRCP (1848-1915), widely considered one of cricket’s greatest-ever players, made his last appearance in a Test match at Trent Bridge.

Grace captained England in the First Test of the 1899 series against Australia at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, when he was 51. However, his considerable bulk made him a liability in the field and, recognising his limitations, he stood down and surrendered his place and the captaincy to Archie MacLaren. Grace later confessed ‘the ground was getting a bit too far away’.

A rught-handed batsman and bowler, ‘W.G’ played first-class cricket for 44 seasons, from 1865 to 1908, during which time he dominated the sport.

In Grace’s final Test match the English professional cricketer Wilfred Rhodes (1877-1973) made his debut. Rhodes went on to play 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930, taking 127 wickets and scoring 2,325 runs. Rhodes was the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches. 

Also making his debut at Trent Bridge was the Australian cricketer Victor Trumper (1877–1915), known as the most stylish and versatile batsman of the Golden Age of cricket. Capable of playing match-winning innings on wet wickets his contemporaries found unplayable. Archie MacLaren is said to have jaked, ‘Compared to Victor I was a cab-horse to a Derby winner’. Trumper was also a key figure in the foundation of rugby league in Australia.

1 June, 2019

On this day, the 31 May, 1868, it is claimed the English cycle racer, Dr.James Moore (1849-1935), was the winner of the first official cycle race in the world at St-Cloud, Paris.

Born in Long Brackland, Bury St. Edmunds, in 1849, when James was four years old, the family moved to Paris, where he followed his father’s footsteps and became a blacksmith and farrier.

Moore became the owner of his first bicycle in 1865, a heavy wooden velocipede or boneshaker, which he rode with great enthusiasm, running errands for his father, riding from the centre of Paris to the suburbs.

He joined the Véloce Cycling Club of Paris in 1868, at 19 years of age, and began racing at the meeting held in the park at St-Cloud. The race, 1,200 metres on a gravel path, is cited as the first formal cycle race in history. And a plaque was attached to the park railings commemorating the event. However, the validity of the claim is contested, claiming Moore’s race was the third that day and not the most important.

Moore was one of the first stars of cycle racing, dominating competition for many years. In 1869 he won the world’s first road race Paris-Rouen, covering the 113 km (70 miles) ride in 10 hours 25 minutes.

He died in 1935, aged 86, his obituary read ‘The part that James Moore played in the history of cycle racing, while of brief duration, was historically of the greatest importance’

31 May, 2019

On this day, the 30 May, 1879, English cricketer, Colin Blythe, was born in Deptford. The eldest of 13 children, 7 boys and 6 girls, 12 of which survived infancy. When he was nearly 13, the statutory minimum age for leaving school at the time, as the growing family needing an extra breadwinner. 

Blythe was an outstanding slow left-arm orthodox bowler, and right-handed batsman for Kent, from 1899 to 1914. He also played in 19 Test matches for England [1901-1910].

Blythe numbers among just a few players to have taken 2,000 wickets in a first-class career, and shares the world record for the highest number of first-class wickets [17] taken in a single day of play.

It is said in his teenage years, Blythe played both cricket and football on Blackheath, as a member of a boys’ club team, and village cricket.

In 1897, Blythe attended a trial with Kent, at the renowned ‘Tonbridge nursery’, a renowned training centre for young players. He was successful and engaged by Kent as a trainee bowler.

In July 1898, Blythe made his début for Kent’s Second XI against Sussex Second XI, at the Clnty Cricket Ground in Hove, which Kent lost by 8 wickets. In August, 1898 he made his first-class debut for Kent in a County Championship match against the Championship favourites Yorkshire, which Kent surprisingly won by 8 wickets.

In his career, Blyth played in a combined total of 458 Test and first-class matches, scoring 4,661 runs, with no centuries, his top score being 82 not out. He took 2,606 wickets in all, including a haul of 10 wickets in a match on 75 occasions, his best figures being 10 for 30.

Despite suffering from epilepsy, Blythe enlisted in the armed forces at the outbreak World War 1, and was killed in the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917.

30 May, 2019

On this day, the 29 May, 1954, the English athlete, Diane Leather Charles, (1933 -2018) became the first woman to run a sub five minute mile.

Born in Streetly, Staffordshire, Diane was the only daughter of the six children of Mabel (nee Barringer) and the surgeon, James Leather.

As a child she played lacrosse, and her interest in athletics was not ignited until she watched the 1952 Summer Olympics.

She joined the Birchfield Harriers Athletics Club in Birmingham, while studying chemistry at the Birmingham College of Technology (now Aston University), where she was later employed as an analytical chemist.

Although Leather was coached for mile racing, at the time the longest recognised event in women’s athletics was the 200 metre race. In 1953 she ran a mile in 5 minutes 02.6 seconds which was acknowledged by the IAAF as the ‘world best’, rather than the ‘world record’, as the distance was not officially recognised for a further 15 years.

Leather broke the 5-minute barrier with a time of 4 minutes 59.6 seconds in 1954 during the Midlands Women’s AAA Championships at Birmingham’s Alexander Sports Ground, 23 days after Roger Bannister became the first man to run a sub four minute mile.

In 1955, Leather bettered the mile record yet again, by a further 15 seconds, achieving her personal best of 4 minuted 45 seconds.  This remained a world record until 1962, when New Zealand’s Marise Chamberlain ran 4 minutes 41.4 seconds.

She competed in her final competition, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, at the age of 27, competing under her married name Diana Charles.

After her retirement, Diane lived in Cornwall for the remainder of her life, where she worked in child protection.

She was married for 55 years, and had four children and 13 grandchildren.  She died in 2018 in Truro aged 85.

29 May, 2019