Robert Lyttelton

Robert Henry Lyttelton (18 January 1854 – 7 November 1939) was an English cricketer who appeared in seven first-class matches between 1873 and 1880. A member of the Lyttelton family who were prominent in English cricket in the mid to late 1800s, he did not play county cricket, but appeared for a number of representative sides, in which players were often chosen more for their social status than their cricketing ability.

Early life and cricket career

Robert Henry Lyttelton was born in Westminster, London on 18 January 1854, the sixth son of George Lyttelton, 4th Baron Lyttelton and his first wife Mary Glynne.^[1] Having studied at Eton College, he attended Trinity College, Cambridge, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in 1875 and received his Master of Arts (M.A.) in 1878.^[2] He played a number of matches for Eton during his time at the school, including the annual fixture against Harrow in both 1871 and 1872; which Eton won in both years.^[3][4] He did not play for Cambridge University, but six of his seven first-class matches were played against the University at Fenner's.^[5]

He made his debut in first-class cricket in 1873 for an "England XI", batting at number ten in the first innings, in which he scored two runs, and opening the batting in the second innings, remaining not out with three runs when his team achieved victory; fellow opener Charles Thornton scored 27 runs in the innings.^[6] He played in two further first-class matches that year, all in May and all against Cambridge; in the third match, once again representing an "England XI", he claimed his solitary wicket in first-class cricket, dismissing Thomas Latham bowled.^[7] Lyttelton reached his highest score in first-class matches the following year for the same side, scoring 27 runs while batting at number ten (in a twelve-per-side contest).^[8] He did not appear in first-class cricket in 1875, but returned to Cambridge in 1876, the year after his graduation, to appear for the Gentlemen of England. Playing for the Cambridge side in that match were two of his brothers, Edward and Alfred. The Gentlemen won the match by three wickets, but Edward and Alfred outperformed their brother, who did not bowl, and scored one run in his only batting innings.^[9]

Despite playing just seven first-class matches, Lyttelton played a number of cricket matches that were not afforded that prestigious status. He played for the "Gentlemen of Worcestershire", a fore-runner to Worcestershire County Cricket Club, and made his debut for them in a match against the "Gentlemen of Herefordshire" while still at Eton. He played alongside three of his brothers during this match; Neville; Arthur and Edward.^[10] In an 1874 match for Worcestershire against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), he played as wicket-keeper, and took five catches in the second innings, four of them off the bowling of his brother Alfred, who went on to keep wicket in Test cricket for England.^[11] In addition to appearing for Worcestershire, he played for a number of amateur sides, such as the MCC, Free Foresters and I Zingari,^[12] for whom he was playing in his final first-class match in 1880.^[5]

He was a strong believer that blocking the wicket with the legs was unsportsmanlike, and battled to outlaw the manoeuver for over thirty years, even going so far as suggesting that if the ball strikes any part of the batsman at all in front of the stumps then he should be given out.^[13] In his 1928 book The crisis in cricket and the "leg before rule", Lyttelton claims that the "curse of modern cricket" is drawn matches, which are caused by artificial pitches and "the pernicious modern habit of covering the stumps with the legs".^[14]

Later life

On 14 July 1884, he married the concert singer Edith Santley, daughter of the eminent baritone Charles Santley.^[15] After her death in February 1926,^[16] he remarried on 19 July 1926 to Olive Agneta Clarke. He did not have children with either wife.^[1] He worked as a solicitor and was a partner of first Milward and Co. in Birmingham, and later Stow, Preston & Lyttelton in London.^[2] He died on 7 November 1939.^[1]

Publications

• Lyttelton, Robert Henry; Steel, A. G. (1890). Cricket. London: Longmans, Green and Co. OCLC 457962090. 
• Lyttelton, Robert Henry; et al (1899). Giants of the game : being reminiscences of the stars of cricket from Daft down to the present day. London: Ward Lock & Co. OCLC 55774624. 
• Lyttelton, Robert Henry (1901). Out-door games; cricket & golf. London: J. M. Dent & Co. OCLC 5276627. 
• Lyttelton, Robert Henry (1928). The crisis in cricket and the "leg before rule.". London: Longmans. OCLC 15101993. 

References