68 Facts About Arthur Gilligan

Arthur Edward Robert Gilligan was an English first-class cricketer who captained the England cricket team nine times in 1924 and 1925, winning four Test matches, losing four and drawing one.

Arthur Gilligan played cricket for Dulwich College before the First World War, then for Cambridge, twice winning his blue.

Arthur Gilligan briefly played county cricket for Surrey but moved to Sussex in 1920.

Arthur Gilligan subsequently became a writer, journalist and cricket commentator while maintaining his connections with Sussex.

Arthur Gilligan encouraged the search for young talent, and the players consequently discovered became the backbone of the club into the 1930s.

Arthur Gilligan was born in Denmark Hill, an area of Camberwell in London.

Arthur Gilligan was the second of four children born to Willie Austin Gilligan, a manager for Liebig's Extract of Meat Company, and Alice Eliza, nee Kimpton; his brothers Frank and Harold played high-level cricket.

The family had a strong connection with Sussex; Arthur Gilligan followed Sussex County Cricket Club as a child, and later played club cricket there.

Arthur Gilligan played in the eleven between 1911 and 1914 and captained the side in his final two years.

In 1914, Arthur Gilligan entered Pembroke College, Cambridge, but his life at the university was interrupted by the First World War.

Arthur Gilligan fought in France with the Lancashire Fusiliers from 1915, serving as Captain in the 11th battalion.

Consequently, Arthur Gilligan faced little competition for his place in the team and took 32 wickets at an average of under 27 in Cambridge matches, which critics considered a poor return.

Arthur Gilligan made a bigger impression when, batting at number eleven in the order, he scored 101 against Sussex and shared a last-wicket partnership of 177 in 65 minutes with John Naumann.

Towards the end of the season, Arthur Gilligan played three first-class matches for Surrey and made a further appearance in a festival game, although he accomplished little with bat or ball.

Arthur Gilligan retained his position in the Cambridge team in 1920 and once more played against Oxford.

The Times later commented that in 1920, Arthur Gilligan was "known as a fast but unreliable bowler, a dashing and vulnerable batsman and a mid-off without his equal in England".

Arthur Gilligan played for Sussex throughout the 1921 season and according to Wisden "made a distinct advance".

Arthur Gilligan was described on all hands as the best mid-off in England.

The team's results were not impressive, but Wisden said that the team were attractive to watch and excelled in fielding, in which Arthur Gilligan led by example.

Arthur Gilligan later recalled that he received great support from George Cox, the senior professional in the team.

Personally, Arthur Gilligan had his best season to date with bat and ball; he scored 916 runs and took 135 wickets at an average of 18.75.

Arthur Gilligan was selected in a further representative match, when he played for the "Rest of England" against Yorkshire, the County Champions.

Arthur Gilligan was appointed as vice-captain in preference to Percy Fender, who was much admired as a captain but not popular with the cricket authorities.

Arthur Gilligan played in two of the five Tests, the first and last.

In total, Arthur Gilligan took nine Test wickets at 22.37, and in all first-class games, captured 26 wickets at an average of 22.03.

Arthur Gilligan took 163 wickets at 17.50 and scored 1,183 runs at an average of 21.12 to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season for the only time in his career.

Arthur Gilligan scored two centuries and nine times took five or more wickets in an innings.

Arthur Gilligan was never again as effective a cricketer, and he later conceded that batting in the second innings was a mistake.

Arthur Gilligan played in the next Test match, without much success, and for the Gentlemen at Lord's.

Arthur Gilligan batted just three times in the series, scoring 77 runs at 25.66.

Arthur Gilligan continued to take wickets in the latter stages of the season, but was less successful than before his injury.

Arthur Gilligan had faced some criticism of his captaincy.

Additionally, while Arthur Gilligan was generally popular for his cheerful and friendly approach, the press judged Fender to be the better captain.

Gibson, writing in 1979, noted that Arthur Gilligan "was, and is, one of the most popular captains England have sent to Australia".

The periodical Cricket described him as "'one of the most jovial personalities imaginable", while former Australian Test captain Monty Noble wrote that Arthur Gilligan was the "type of man who, in the most unostentatious way, can do more than all the politicians and statesmen to cement the relations between the Homeland and the Dominions".

Australia won by the small margin of 11 runs, though Arthur Gilligan helped to take his team close to victory with a restrained innings of 31.

Arthur Gilligan gave further evidence of his political beliefs at the conclusion of the tour, when he wrote an article called "The Spirit of Fascism and Cricket Tours" for The Bulletin, a publication of the British Fascists.

Arthur Gilligan bowled in the first four games of the season, but in his remaining seventeen appearances played only as a batsman.

That season, although no longer considered for a place in the England team himself, Arthur Gilligan joined the panel of Test selectors, and as a consequence missed some cricket for Sussex.

Arthur Gilligan published a book on that summer's tour by Australia called Collins's Men.

Arthur Gilligan left most of the day-to-day organisation to his vice-captain, Raleigh Chichester-Constable, and did not take his speech-making duties particularly seriously.

One of the team, Jack Parsons, refused for religious reasons to take part in matches that included Sunday play; Arthur Gilligan threatened to send him home but in the end he agreed to play on condition that he could leave early on a Sunday to attend religious services.

Arthur Gilligan himself intervened at one point when the MCC professionals were excluded from some invitations in Calcutta; he told their hosts that no-one would attend the functions if the professionals were not included.

Arthur Gilligan successfully encouraged the Indians to form their own cricket board and promised to make a case with the Lord's authorities for India to become a Test playing team.

Arthur Gilligan did so, and in 1929 India became a member of the Imperial Cricket Conference.

In terms of the advancement of Indian cricket, Bose writes that "Arthur Gilligan's influence was immense".

Arthur Gilligan was frequently affected by injury; his brother Harold captained Sussex in his absence and assumed the role full time in 1930.

Arthur Gilligan played several charity games during the Second World War, including some for Sussex and the Royal Air Force.

At the peak of his career, Arthur Gilligan was a fast bowler.

Arthur Gilligan bowled with his arm quite low, but was very accurate; his usual strategy was to aim at the stumps or to try to induce the batsmen to edge the ball to be caught in the slips.

Arthur Gilligan's batting was based mainly around driving the ball.

Arthur Gilligan batted low in the order, and tried to score quickly, particularly against fast bowling.

Arthur Gilligan excelled as a fielder; his Wisden obituary stated: "At mid-off he has had few rivals".

Arthur Gilligan himself was a mixture of amateur brilliance and professional thoroughness which inevitably brought about criticism.

Arthur Gilligan extensively coached and lectured around the county, spending time in the English winters raising the team's profile.

Arthur Gilligan encouraged the search for promising young cricketers, and most of the club's professional cricketers during its successful years in the 1930s were discovered during Gilligan's drive for new talent.

Percy Fender believed that Arthur Gilligan allowed the team's professionals a greater say in Sussex's affairs than previously permitted.

Fender wrote that Arthur Gilligan's teams enjoyed playing under him and that he was one of the most popular captains in county cricket.

Arthur Gilligan married his first wife, Cecilia Mary Matthews, in April 1921, but she successfully filed for divorce in October 1933 on the grounds of her husband's infidelity.

Arthur Gilligan married again in 1934; he met his second wife, Katharine Margaret Fox, on a skiing trip.

Arthur Gilligan wrote several cricket books, including a history of Sussex cricket in 1932.

Arthur Gilligan was a member of the BBC radio commentary team for Tests between 1947 and 1954.

When his cricket career ended, Arthur Gilligan maintained his connection with Sussex, of which he was later made an Honorary Life Member.

Arthur Gilligan served as chairman, patron and president of the county and assisted many local clubs in the area.

Arthur Gilligan gained a good reputation as a speaker and lecturer, and developed an interest in golf in later years: he was president of the English Golf Union in 1959, captain of the County Cricketers' Golfing Society from 1952 until 1972, and president of the latter organisation until his death.

An Honorary Life Member of the MCC, Arthur Gilligan served as MCC president from 1967 to 1968.

In 1971, a stand named after Arthur Gilligan was opened at Hove Cricket Ground, but this was demolished in 2010 as part of a redevelopment.

Arthur Gilligan died in Pulborough, Sussex, on 5 September 1976, aged 81.