Wikipedia

Ralph Crake

Ralph Hamilton Crake DSO DL (13 April 1882 – 26 January 1952) was a Scottish first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

Ralph Crake
Personal information
Full name
Ralph Hamilton Crake
Born13 April 1882
Madras, Madras Presidency,
British India
Died26 January 1952(1952-01-26) (aged 69)
Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
BattingUnknown
RelationsEric Crake (brother)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1901Marylebone Cricket Club
1920/21Europeans
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 47
Batting average 11.75
100s/50s –/–
Top score 37
Catches/stumpings 1/–
Source: Cricinfo, 30 May 2021

The son of the merchant and footballer William Crake, he was born in British India at Madras. He was educated in England at Harrow School,[1] where he played for the school cricket team.[2] Having left Harrow in 1900, Crake played a single first-class cricket match for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Nottinghamshire at Lord's in 1901.[3] He scored 8 runs in the MCC first innings and a single run in their second innings, being dismissed on both occasions by John Gunn.[4]

After completing his education, he attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He graduated from that school in May 1901, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the King's Own Scottish Borderers.[5] Soon after being commissioned he went to South Africa, where he saw action with the 1st battalion of his regiment in the Second Boer War.[1] The war in South Africa ended in May 1902, and he returned home later that year, on the SS Kildonan Castle in December 1902.[6] He was promoted to lieutenant in September 1905,[7] with promotion to captain following in November 1908.[8] He was station in Egypt in 1909, where he played minor cricket matches for the Egyptian cricket team.[9] Crake served in the First World War, seeing action during the Mesopotamian campaign from 1915 to 1918.[2] He gained promotion to major in May 1916,[10] while in August of the same year he was made an acting lieutenant colonel while commanding a battalion.[11] He relinquished his acting rank in October 1916,[12] but was once again made an acting lieutenant colonel in August 1917.[13] Crake was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in February 1918.[14]

Following the war, he served in British India. While there, he made his second appearance in first-class cricket, after a gap of nearly twenty years, for the Europeans cricket team against the Parsees at Bombay in the Bombay Quadrangular in November 1920.[3] Batting twice during the match, he made scores of 37 in the Europeans first innings and 1 in their second innings, being dismissed on both occasions by M. B. Vatcha.[15]

Crake was promoted to the full rank of lieutenant colonel in July 1930,[16] before being placed on the half-pay list in July 1934.[17] He retired from active service in January 1935.[18] Crake was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Berwickshire in April 1937.[19] During the Second World War he assisted the Army Cadet Force at Roxburgh.[20] Crake died at Edinburgh in January 1952.[2] His brother, Eric, was also a first-class cricketer.

References edit

  1. ^ a b Dauglish, M. G.; Stephenson, P. K. (1911). The Harrow School Register, 1800-1911 (3 ed.). London: Longmans, Green, and Co. p. 768.
  2. ^ a b c "Wisden - Obituaries in 1952". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b "First-Class Matches played by Ralph Crake". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Marylebone Cricket Club v Nottinghamshire, 1901". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  5. ^ "No. 27312". The London Gazette. 10 May 1901. p. 3200.
  6. ^ "The Army in South Africa - Troops returning Home". The Times. No. 36943. London. 5 December 1902. p. 8.
  7. ^ "No. 27843". The London Gazette. 10 October 1905. p. 6778.
  8. ^ "No. 28201". The London Gazette. 1 December 1908. p. 9183.
  9. ^ "Miscell aneous Matches played by Ralph Crake". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  10. ^ "No. 29589". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 May 1916. p. 5041.
  11. ^ "No. 29844". The London Gazette. 1 December 1916. p. 11733.
  12. ^ "No. 29904". The London Gazette. 16 January 1917. p. 605.
  13. ^ "No. 30262". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 August 1917. p. 9091.
  14. ^ "No. 30514". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 February 1918. p. 1800.
  15. ^ "Europeans v Parsees, 1920/21". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  16. ^ "No. 33625". The London Gazette. 15 July 1930. p. 4429.
  17. ^ "No. 34066". The London Gazette. 3 July 1934. p. 4229.
  18. ^ "No. 34121". The London Gazette. 4 January 1935. p. 136.
  19. ^ "No. 34329". The London Gazette. 27 April 1937. p. 2737.
  20. ^ "No. 36213". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 October 1943. p. 4612.

External links edit

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