Ernest John Plantagenet Cassan (17 October 1835 – 24 December 1904) was an English first-class cricketer.

Ernest Cassan
Personal information
Full name
Ernest John Plantagenet Cassan
Born17 October 1835
Bruton, Somerset, England
Died24 December 1904(1904-12-24) (aged 69)
Bath, Somerset, England
BattingUnknown
BowlingUnknown
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1859Oxford University
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 8
Batting average 2.66
100s/50s –/–
Top score 4
Balls bowled 436
Wickets 16
Bowling average 11.00
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match
Best bowling 5/64
Catches/stumpings –/–
Source: Cricinfo, 10 February 2020

The son of Stephen Hyde Cassan, he was born in October 1835 at Bruton, Somerset where he attended King's School.[1] From there he went up to Magdalen College, Oxford.[2] While studying at Oxford, he made two appearances in first-class cricket for Oxford University in 1859, against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Oxford and Cambridge University in The University Match at Lord's.[3] He fared well with the ball in these matches, taking 16 wickets at an average of 11.00,[4] with one five wicket haul of 5 for 64 against Cambridge.[5] His endeavours earned him a cricket blue.[1]

After graduating from Oxford, Cassan trained to become a barrister, though he never practiced due to his cricketing commitments.[1] He was strongly associated with cricket in the West Country, where he played as an amateur for Dorset, Incogniti, Lansdown, and the Gentlemen of Somerset. He founded the latter with fellow West Country cricket enthusiasts in 1860, with the team later evolving into Somerset County Cricket Club in 1875.[1] Away from his cricketing commitments, he served as a governor for King's School, Bruton from 1876–8.[6] Cassan committed suicide by shooting himself in the head on Christmas Eve in 1904.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Firth, David (2011). Silence Of The Heart: Cricket Suicides. Random House. p. 30. ISBN 978-1780573939.
  2. ^ Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Cassan, Ernest John Plantagenet" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  3. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Ernest Cassan". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  4. ^ "First-class Bowling For Each Team by Ernest Cassan". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  5. ^ "First-class Bowling Against Each Opponent Ernest Cassan". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  6. ^ Strong, Thomas Augustus (1890). Bruton Register, 1826-1890. Horace Hart. p. 32.
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