Austin Matthews

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Austin Matthews England (ENG)
Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling type	Right-arm fast-medium
	Tests	First-class
Matches	1	281
Runs scored	2	5919
Batting average	-	15.70
100s/50s	-/-	2/14
Top score	2*	116
Balls bowled	180	47983
Wickets	2	816
Bowling average	32.50	23.40
5 wickets in innings	-	45
10 wickets in match	-	6
Best bowling	1/13	7/57
Catches/stumpings	1/-	124/-
Test debut: 14 August 1937 Last Test: 14 August 1937 Source: [1]

Austin David George Matthews (born May 3, 1904 in Penarth, Glamorgan, died on July 29, 1977 in Penrhyn Bay, Llandudno, Caernarvonshire, Wales) was a cricketer who played for Northamptonshire, Glamorgan and England.

Matthews was a right-arm fast-medium bowler and a useful lower order batsman who played for 10 seasons for one of the weakest counties, Northamptonshire, from 1927 without ever suggesting that there was any great depth to his talent. The 567 wickets he took in those 10 seasons cost an average of 26.45 runs each, and though he scored a couple of centuries, his batting was not out of the ordinary.

Then in 1937, he left full-time first-class cricket to become coach at Stowe School and, in the holidays, turned out for Glamorgan. In his third match for the county, he took 14 Sussex wickets for 132 runs on a batsman's pitch at Hastings, and two weeks later he was a controversial choice for the third Test match against New Zealand at The Oval, making his debut alongside Denis Compton. He took two wickets (Walter Hadlee in both innings), made two runs and took one catch, and was never picked again.

He continued in county cricket intermittently until 1947, taking 225 wickets for Glamorgan at the low average of 15.88 runs per wicket, and also coached Cambridge University.

An all-round sportsman, Matthews played Rugby Union for Penarth RFC and later Northampton. In 1929, during his time with Penarth, Austin was a final Welsh rugby trialist and his cap is held in the Penarth Club's archive. Matthews captained Northampton RFC between 1935 - 1937. His Northampton cap is also lodged with the Penarth RFC archive together with the cap gained by Austin's father, Frederick, as a final Welsh rugby trialist in 1896. Austin also represented Wales at table tennis.