On the 7 September 1956, the renowned English sportsman, politician, diplomat, academic, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, Charles Burgess Fry, died aged 84 [1872-1956].

Fry was born in Croydon, the son of a civil servant, his family had once been wealthy, but by 1872 were no longer prosperous. After winning a scholarship, Fry was educated at Repton School and then at Wadham College, Oxford. Fry played for the under 16 Repton football team aged thirteen. Then went on to captain the school’s cricket and football teams, and also won prizes for athletics.  At the age of sixteen he played for the Casuals in the F.A. Cup.

Known as C.B. Fry, he is best remembered for his career as a cricketer. Although Fry’s list of sporting achievements include, representing England at both cricket and football, an FA Cup Final appearance for Southampton F.C., and equalling the world record for the long jump.

Apart from all this, Fry was also a decent shot putter, hammer thrower, and ice skater. Representing Wadham in the inter-College races in the winter of 1894–1895, Fry came close to an unofficial Blue as a member of the Oxford team who took on Cambridge on the Fens. He was also a proficient golfer. He is also reputed to have turned down the throne of Albania.

Fry won a further scholarship to study at Wadham College, Oxford, where he won a university Blue in football, cricket and athletics, but narrowly failed to win a Blue in rugby union, because of an injury. 

Fry played for Surrey in 1891, but not in first-class fixtures, Oxford University  1892–1895, Sussex 1894–1908, and Hampshire 1909–1921. He was first selected by England for the tour of South Africa in 1895-1896, and captained England in his final six Test matches, winning four and drawing two. He twice scored Test centuries: 144 v Australia in 1905, hitting 23 fours in just over 3½ hours, batting at number four, and 129 opening the batting against South Africa in 1907.

A highly effective right-handed batsman, Fry scored 30,886 first-class runs at an average of 50.22, a particularly high figure for an era when scores were generally lower than today. He headed the batting averages for six English seasons (1901, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1911 and 1912).

Fry scored 94 first-class centuries, including six consecutive centuries in 1901. He made his highest first-class score of 258 not out in 1911.

In his early career Fry was an enthusiastic and successful right-arm fast-medium bowler.

Fry later commentated on cricket matches, and was called ‘one of the most eloquent cricket commentators of all time.’

During his time at Oxford Fry had accumulated disturbingly large debts, and in his final term suffered a mental breakdown. His indebtedness provides an explanation for his acceptance of an offer to do some nude modelling. These financial problems combined with his mother being seriously ill, placed an unbearable strain on him, and in the summer of 1895, Fry found himself saddled with mounting debts, and no way with which to repay them. Cricket came to his rescue when he was offered the chance to tour South Africa as a member of Lord Hawke’s 1895–1896 England touring party.

John Arlott described him with the words, ‘Charles Fry could be autocratic, angry and self-willed. He was also magnanimous, extravagant, generous, elegant, brilliant, and fun … he was probably the most variously gifted Englishman of any age.’ 

Fry’s achievements also extended to association football. Fry learned his football at Repton School.  While still at school he also played for the famous amateur club the Casuals, for whom he found himself turning out in an FA Cup tie at the age of sixteen. Fry won Blues in each of his four years at Oxford University  In 1891, he joined the famous amateur club, the Corinthians, making 74 appearances for them between 1891-1903. Fry joined Southampton FC as a professional, and also because The Dell was conveniently close to his home. He made his debut for Southampton in December 1900, against Tottenham Hotspur. 

Fry achieved his aim of international honours when, along with Southampton’s goalkeeper, Jack Robinson, he was picked to play as a full-back for England in the match against Ireland in 1901.

The following season (1901–1902), Southampton reached the FA Cup Final, against Sheffield United, the match was drawn 1–1, but Southampton lost the replay, 2–1. Fry made 25 first-team appearances for Southampton, and then joined local rivals Portsmouth, making his debut for them in 1903. Fry made three appearances for Portsmouth before retiring from football due to injury.

Fry won Blues in athletics, at Oxford 1892–1895, representing the University against Cambridge in the long jump (1892, 1893, 1894 and 1895) the high jump in 1892, and the 100 yards in 1893 and 1894 . In 1892 Fry broke the British long jump record with a jump of 23 feet 5 inches, and a year later equaled the world long jump record of 23 feet 6 ¹⁄₂. 

Fry was also president of the Oxford University athletics club in 1894.

Fry played rugby union for Oxford University, narrowly missing out on a Blue in his final year due to injury. He made ten appearances for  Blackheath, and three appearances for the Barbarians.

In 1896 Fry took up a teaching position at Charterhouse, later moving on to a successful and much more lucrative career in journalism.

In 1898, Fry married Beatrice Holme Sumner, who was ten years his senior, and was reckoned to be ‘a cruel and domineering woman’, who Fry ‘lived in fear of for the duration of their marriage’.

Fry had been interested in politics since his time at Wadham College, admitting, ‘I take a great interest in heaps of things that I know nothing about … politics for one’.

He unsuccessfully stood as Liberal candidate for parliament for the Brighton constituency in 1922.  Winning 22,059 votes, 4,785 fewer than the Conservative victor, the Rt Hon. George Clement Tryon, Unionist. He later fought the seat of Banbury in 1923, losing by just 219 votes, and the Oxford by-election in 1924, where he was defeated by 1,842 votes.

Fry suffered mental health problems In later life, but well into his seventies, it is said he was still able to leap from a stationary position backwards onto a mantelpiece ! 

His ashes were buried in the graveyard of Repton Parish Church, next to Repton School’s Priory. In 2008, his grandson, Jonathan Fry (chairman of the governors at Repton), was in attendance at the rededication of Fry’s grave, which was inscribed with, ‘1872 C B Fry 1956. Cricketer, scholar, athlete, Author – The Ultimate All-rounder’.

07 September, 2019