Lionel Palairet

Lionel Charles Hamilton Palairet (27 May 1870 in Grange-over-Sands, Lancashire – 27 March 1933 in Exmouth, Devon) was a famous cricketer of the so-called "Golden Age" of English cricket before the First World War. An opening batsman, he was famed for the elegance of his cover driving, but he also had the skilful footwork.

Palairet played for Oxford University for four years, two of them as captain, but his main cricket was for Somerset. During his time aft Oxford, Palairet had already acquired enough of a reputation to be one of Wisden's Five Batsmen of the Year in 1893, a forerunner of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year. After Herbie Hewett refused to play for the county from 1894 onwards Lionel Palairet was always the mainstay of Somerset's batting, and though his form did vary somewhat he reached many notable heights, such as when he scored 292 against Hampshire or when he averaged 56 for the season in 1901. During that year he made 173 to inflict Yorkshire's first defeat for a year and a half.

This performance, along with an innings of 90 against the formidable Australian side the following year, caused Palairet - for so long overshadowed by Ranjitsinhji, Fry, F.S. Jackson, Archie MacLaren and others - to leap to the top of the amateur batting ranks. He played his only two Test matches for England in 1902. They were two of the tightest games ever: the defeat by three runs at Old Trafford and the victory by one wicket at The Oval. Palairet was captain of Somerset in 1907 when Sammy Woods was clearly becoming too old to continue, but was having trouble by this time because it cost him more to spend a full summer away from business than he could afford: in 1905 and 1906, Palairet had been able to spare time only for three county matches out of thirty-six. He played his last match for Somerset in 1909 and it is perhaps surprising that in the following years, when Somerset was close to the weakest side ever to play in the County Championship, that Palairet was never invited to turn out again even at over forty.

His brother Richard was a lesser cricketer for Somerset, but an influential cricket administrator at Surrey.