Greville Stevens

Greville Thomas Scott Stevens (7 January 1901 – 19

September 1970) was an English amateur cricketer who played Greville Stevens
for Middlesex, the University of Oxford and England. A leg- Personal information
spin and googly bowler and attacking batsman, he captained Born 7 January 1901
England in one Test match, in South Africa in 1927. He was
London
widely regarded as one of the leading amateur cricketers of his
generation who, because of his commitments outside cricket, Died 19 September 1970
was unable to fulfil his potential and left the game early. (aged 69)
London
Stevens was an outstanding schoolboy cricketer, whose exploits
Batting Right-handed batsman
at University College School brought him to the attention of
Middlesex, for whom he made his debut in 1919 while still at (RHB)
school. He won cricket blues at the Oxford in each of the years Bowling Leg break
1920 to 1923, and was captain of the university side in 1922. He
International information
played for Middlesex between 1919 and 1932, and appeared
altogether in 10 Test matches. The first of these was against National English
South Africa in 1922–23, the last against the West Indies in side
1929–30. He was a member of the side that regained the Ashes Career statistics
from Australia in 1926.
Competition Tests First-class
Had he been able to devote himself more fully to cricket, Matches 10 243
Stevens's overall first-class record would, in the view of
Runs scored 263 10376
commentators, have been more impressive. After he left Oxford
in 1923, his cricket appearances became increasingly Batting average 15.47 29.56
intermittent, and in 1932, at the age of 31, he gave up the first- 100s/50s 0/1 12/55
class game altogether, although he played in occasional minor Top score 69 182
matches until 1947. He served as an officer in the Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Balls bowled 1186 32625
Wickets 20 684
Bowling average 32.40 26.84
Contents 5 wickets in innings 2 29
10 wickets in match 1 5
Cricket career
School, Middlesex debut and Oxford Best bowling 5/90 8/38
Middlesex and England Catches/stumpings 9/0 214/0
County Source: [1] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/P
England LAYERS/ENG/S/STEVENS_GTS_01000
Other matches 424/)
First-class record
Later life
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
 Books
Online
Matchcards

Cricket career

School, Middlesex debut and Oxford

Stevens was born and grew up in Hampstead, North London, where

he attended University College School.[1] There, he began to show
considerable talent as a cricketer, as a bowler of leg-breaks and
googlies, and this was recognised in 1918 when Wisden, widely
regarded as the "bible of cricket",[2] named him as one of "Five
School Bowlers of the Year".[3][n 1] In the following season, 1919, University College School in the early
he created a batting sensation by scoring 466 runs for Beta House v. 20th century
[5]
Lambda House, in an internal school match. This feat attracted the
attention of Middlesex County Cricket Club, who drafted him into
their side to play Hampshire at Lord's on 9–10 June 1919.[1][6] On his county debut Stevens took 10
Hampshire wickets in the match, including 7 for 104 in their first innings.[7] Stevens held his place in the
Middlesex XI for the remainder of the season, and was chosen to play for the Gentleman in the prestigious
Gentlemen v. Players fixture at Lord's – an almost unprecedented honour for a schoolboy cricketer.[1] In the
match he scored 24 and 11, and took 1 wicket for 62 runs.[8]

In the autumn of 1919 Stevens entered Brasenose College, Oxford.[5] In his first match for the University,
against Warwickshire, he took 5 for 35 in the county's first innings.[9] He was a regular member of the side
for each of his four years' residence, the batting highlights of which were two centuries scored in 1923: 115
against the MCC,[10] and 182 (his best first-class score) against the West Indies touring side.[11] He gained
his cricket "blue" in 1920, his freshman year, and in each of the following three years, and was captain in
1922. His performances in the University matches against Cambridge were modest until his final year, 1923,
when his bowling – he took 6 for 20 in the Cambridge first innings – played a significant part in Oxford's
overwhelming victory that year.[1]

In all, Stevens played 40 matches for Oxford University, scoring 2,484 runs with two centuries, for a batting
average of 38.81. He took 146 wickets for a bowling average of 19.91, and held 54 catches.[12][13]

Middlesex and England

County

While at Oxford, Stevens played for Middlesex when the university term was over, and helped the county to
win the County Championship title in 1920 and 1921.[1] In 1922 he recorded the best bowling figures of his
career, 8 for 38, for Middlesex against Hampshire, at Portsmouth.[1][14] After leaving Oxford, the need to
earn a living affected his availability to play regular cricket for Middlesex; his appearances became less
frequent, and in 1928 and 1929 he did not appear for the county at all.[6][n 2] He managed almost a full
season in 1931,[6] when he made his highest score for the county – 170 not out against Warwickshire at
Edgbaston,[12][15] and appeared regularly in the first part of the 1932 season, but at the end of June
withdrew from the side and played no more county cricket. That was end of his first-class career, except for
a couple of festival games in 1933.[6]

For Middlesex, Stevens played 127 matches between 1919 and 1932. He scored a total of 5,434 runs for the
county, including 7 centuries, for a batting average of 30.18. He took 385 wickets, with a bowling average of
27.41, and held 107 catches.[12][13]

England

While still at Oxford, Stevens was invited to go to South Africa with the 1922–23 MCC touring side under
Frank Mann.[16][n 3] The team played a series of five Test matches against the South African side; Stevens
played in the first of these, at the Wanderers ground, Johannesburg, beginning on 23 December 1922. He
made little impression on the game, and did not feature in the rest of the Test series.[18][19]

Stevens's next Test opportunity came in 1926, in the fourth Test against Australia. During the match
England's captain, Arthur Carr, was taken ill and had to withdraw. A stand-in captain was required; at the
time, practice and tradition suggested the choice of an amateur. Thus, as the only other amateur in the team,
Stevens might have been asked to fulfil this role. However, he was the youngest and least experienced in a
side that included several veteran professionals. The selectors broke with the amateur captain tradition and
chose Jack Hobbs, who accepted but only after first offering to defer to Stevens.[20][21] The match was
drawn, as had been the previous three; Stevens kept his place for the decider at The Oval, which England
won and thus regained the Ashes.[22][23][n 4]

These two matches against Australia were Stevens's only Test appearances in England.[18] He made two
further MCC tours: to South Africa again in 1927–28, under R.T. Stanyforth,[24] and to the West Indies in
1929–30, under Freddie Calthorpe.[25] In South Africa, Stevens played in all five Tests, unproductively
except for a score of 69 in the third Test at Durban.[24][26] For the fifth Test of the series Stanyforth was
unfit, and Stevens assumed the England captaincy for this one match, which was lost.[27] In the West Indies
he played in two Tests, in the first of which he took ten wickets: 5 for 105 and 5 for 90 – his best bowling
performance in Test cricket.[1][28]

Stevens played in 10 Tests altogether, scoring 263 runs, average 15.47, and taking 20 wickets, average
32.40. He also held 9 catches.[1]

Other matches

Alongside his county and Test appearances, Stevens played regularly for the Gentlemen, for whom he
scored two centuries in Gentlemen v. Players matches.[12] He often turned out in the end-of-season
Scarborough Festival matches, for various sides.[6] In early 1932 he went with Lord Tennyson's XI to
Jamaica, and played in three representative matches, all of which were won by Jamaica.[29] In the first of
these, Jamaica scored 702 for 5 declared (George Headley 344 not out); Stevens's bowling figures were 2 for
194. In the second match, however, Stevens recorded one of his best bowling analyses, taking 8 for 87 in the
Jamaicans' first innings. In the third game Stevens achieved figures of 3–199 in Jamaica's first innings, but
came close to winning the match for Tennyson's XI with 4 for 63 in the second innings.[30]

First-class record
In all first-class cricket, Stevens played in 243 matches. He scored 10,376 runs, average 29.56, with 12
centuries, highest score 182. He took 684 wickets, average 26.84, best analysis 8 for 38, and held 213
catches.[1]

Later life
After his first-class cricket career was over, Stevens played in occasional minor matches, including several
for The Forty Club in 1938–39.[31] After the Second World War in which he served as a Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve officer,[32] he toured The Netherlands with the Free Foresters side, in August and
September 1947 when he was 46 years old.[31] He died at his home in Islington on 19 September 1970.[1]

Stevens was widely regarded as one of the finest amateur cricketers of his time.[1][33] However, like other
prominent amateurs of his era such as Gubby Allen and Douglas Jardine, he had to arrange his cricket
around the demands of his working life. In his case this eventually proved too difficult, hence his early
departure from the game.[34] Commentators accept that, had he been able to spare more time for cricket, he
would have improved his career record considerably. Alan Gibson, in his history of the England Test
captaincy, comments on his modest Test figures: "[T]his is not sufficient evidence to say he would have
been a poor Test player, had he been able to give himself more opportunities". Whether he would have
proved a successful England captain, Gibson adds, is equally hard to say.[33]

Notes and references

Notes
1. In the absence of first-class cricket during the First World War, Wisden suspended its regular
"Five Cricketers of the Year" feature after 1915. In 1918 and 1919 a version of the feature,
relating to public schools cricket, was introduced as an interim measure.[4]
2. From 1924 to 1930 Stevens's appearances for Middlesex were: 1924, 14; 1925, 9; 1926, 9;
1927, 6; 1928, 0; 1929, 0; 1930, 6.[6]
3. At that time, and until 1976–77, England toured under the aegis of the MCC, and played their
matches as "MCC" except for the Tests, which they played as "England".[17]
4. Hobbs was not retained as captain for the final Test, nor was Carr; instead, the captaincy was
given to another young amateur, Percy Chapman.[21]

Citations
1. Wisden obituary 1971.
2. CricketNext, September 2013.
3. Wilde 2013, pp. 88–90.
4. Wilde 2013, pp. 88–93.
5. Cricket archive.
6. Middlesex CCC archive: First-class matches.
7. Middlesex v. Hampshire, 9–10 June 1919.
8. Gentlemen v. Players, 14–16 July 1919.
9. Oxford University v Warwickshire, 5–7 May 1920.
10. MCC v. Oxford University, 4–6 July 1923.
11. Oxford University v. West Indies, 6–8 June 1923.
12. Middlesex CCC archive: Batting and fielding.
13. Middlesex CCC archive: bowling.
14. Hampshire v. Middlesex, 22–24 July 1922.
15. Warwickshire v. Middlesex, 1–3 July 1931.
16. Wisden tour report 1924.
17. Wilde 2019, p. 111.
18. Middlesex CCC archive: Test batting and fielding.
19. Middlesex CCC archive: Test bowling.
20. Gibson 1989, p. 128.
21. Wilde 2019, p. 159.
22. Gibson 1989, p. 127.
23. Wilde 2019, p. 116.
24. Wisden tour report 1929.
25. Wisden tour report 1931.
26. South Africa v. England, 21–25 January 1928.
27. Gibson 1989, pp. 133–134.
28. West Indies v. England, 11–16 January 1930.
29. Tennyson's XI in Jamaica.
30. Lord Tennyson's XI in Jamaica, Feb/Mar 1932.
31. Middlesex CCC archive: Miscellaneous matches.
32. On board HMS Mauritius.
33. Gibson 1989, p. 134.
34. Wilde 2019, pp. 161–162.

Sources

Books
Gibson, Alan (1989). The Cricket Captains of England. London: The Pavilion Library.
ISBN 978-1-851-453955.
Wilde, Simon (2013). Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest
Players (https://archive.org/details/wisdencricketers0000wild). London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
ISBN 978-1-4081-40840.
Wilde, Simon (2019). England: the Biography. London: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4711-
5485-0.

Online
"1931–32 Lord Tennyson's XI in Jamaica" (https://www.windiescricket.com/series/lord-tennyso
ns-xi-in-jamaica-1931-32/). windiescricket.com. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
"Cricket archive subscription page" (https://cricketarchive.com/subscribe). Cricket archive.
Retrieved 27 August 2019. (subscription required)
"Greville Stevens: England" (http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/20369.html).
Cricinfo (republished from Wisden 1971). Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"John Wisden: The man who gave cricket fans their bible" (https://www.news18.com/cricketnex
t/news/john-wisden-the-man-who-gave-cricket-fans-their-bible-636779.html). CricketNext.
Retrieved 29 August 2019.
 "Lord Tennyson's XI in Jamaica: Feb/Mar 1932" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/19
30S/1931-32/TENNYSON-XI_IN_JAM/). Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
"MCC team in South Africa, 1922–23" (http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/s
tory/155202.html). Cricinfo (republished from Wisden 1924). Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"MCC team in South Africa, 1927–28" (http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/s
tory/155205.html). Cricinfo (republished from Wisden 1929). Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"MCC team in the West Indies, 1929–30" (http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/conte
nt/story/155209.html). Cricinfo (republished from Wisden 1931). Retrieved 27 August 2019.
Middlesex County Cricket Club archive

"First-class matches played by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketarchive.com/Middles

ex/Players/0/424/First-Class_Matches.html). Middlesex CCC archive. Retrieved
27 August 2019.
"First-class batting and fielding in each season by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketa
rchive.com/Middlesex/Players/0/424/f_Batting_by_Season.html). Middlesex CCC
archive. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"First-class bowling in each season by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketarchive.com/
Middlesex/Players/0/424/f_Bowling_by_Season.html). Middlesex CCC archive. Retrieved
27 August 2019.
"First-class batting and fielding for each team by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketar
chive.com/Middlesex/Players/0/424/f_Batting_by_Team.html). Middlesex CCC archive.
Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"First-class bowling for each team by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketarchive.com/
Middlesex/Players/0/424/f_Bowling_by_Team.). Middlesex CCC archive. Retrieved
27 August 2019.
"Test batting and fielding each season by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketarchive.c
om/Middlesex/Players/0/424/t_Batting_by_Season.html). Middlesex CCC archive.
Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"Test bowling in each season by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketarchive.com/Middl
esex/Players/0/424/t_Bowling_by_Season.html). Middlesex CCC archive. Retrieved
27 August 2019.
"Miscellaneous matches played by Greville Stevens" (https://www.cricketarchive.com/Mid
dlesex/Players/0/424/Miscellaneous_Matches.html). Middlesex CCC archive. Retrieved
28 August 2019.

"On board HMS Mauritius at sea, 12 May 1942" (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/objec

t/205142575). Imperial War Museum. Retrieved 28 August 2019.

Matchcards
"Middlesex v. Hampshire, Lord's, 9–10 June 1919" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/
1910S/1919/ENG_LOCAL/CC/MIDDX_HANTS_CC_09-10JUN1919.html). Cricinfo. Retrieved
27 August 2019.
"Gentlemen v. Players, Lord's, 14–16 July 1919" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1
910S/1919/ENG_LOCAL/OTHERS/GENTLEMEN_PLAYERS_14-16JUL1919.html). Cricinfo.
Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"Oxford University v. Warwickshire, 5–7 May 1920" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIV
E/1920S/1920/ENG_LOCAL/UNIV/OX-UNIV_WARWICKS_UNIV_05-07MAY1920.html).
Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
"Hampshire v. Middlesex, Portsmouth, 22–24 July 1922" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARC
HIVE/1920S/1922/ENG_LOCAL/CC/HANTS_MIDDX_CC_22-24JUL1922.html). Cricinfo.
 Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"Oxford University v. West Indians, 6–8 June 1923" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIV
E/1920S/1923/WI_IN_ENG/WI_OX-UNIV_06-08JUN1923.html). Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 August
2019.
"Marylebone Cricket Club v Oxford University, 4–6 July 1923" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/d
b/ARCHIVE/1920S/1923/ENG_LOCAL/UNIV/MCC_OX-UNIV_UNIV_04-06JUL1923.html).
Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
"3rd Test, England tour of South Africa at Durban, Jan 21–25 1928" (https://www.espncricinfo.c
om/series/17599/scorecard/62556/south-africa-vs-england-3rd-test-england-tour-of-south-afric
a-1927-28). Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"1st Test, England tour of West Indies at Bridgetown, Jan 11-16 1930" (https://www.espncricinf
o.com/series/17590/scorecard/62576/west-indies-vs-england-1st-test-england-tour-of-west-ind
ies-1929-30). Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
"Warwickshire v. Middlesex, Edgbaston, 1–3 July 1931" (http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARC
HIVE/1930S/1931/ENG_LOCAL/CC/WARWICKS_MIDDX_CC_01-03JUL1931.html). Cricinfo.
Retrieved 27 August 2019.

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