Arthur Gilligan

Gilligan was born in Denmark Hill,[1] an area of Camberwell in London.[2] He was the second of four children born to Willie Austin Gilligan and Alice Eliza Kimpton; his brothers Frank and Harold also played high-level cricket.[2] The family had a strong connection with Sussex; Gilligan followed Sussex County Cricket Club as a child, and later played club cricket there.[3] After attending Fairfield School, he was educated at Dulwich College from 1906 until 1914 where he established a sporting reputation in athletics and cricket. In the latter sport, he played in the school first eleven, as did his brothers; in 1913, all three boys played in the team.[2] Gilligan played in the eleven between 1911 and 1914 and captained the side in his final two years.[4] In 1914, he topped the school's batting and bowling averages.[5] Selected to play representative schools cricket at Lord's Cricket Ground in 1914, he took ten wickets in total and scored one fifty in the two matches.[6] By the standards of school cricket, his pace was impressive, and Surrey invited him to play for their second eleven during the school holidays of 1913 and 1914; his father was a member of that county's committee, and Gilligan qualified to play through his London birth.[2][7]

In 1914, Gilligan entered Pembroke College, Cambridge, but his life at the university was interrupted by the First World War. He fought in France with the Lancashire Fusiliers from 1915, serving as Captain in the 11th battalion.[2][7] When the war ended, Gilligan returned to Pembroke and resumed his cricket career.[4]

Following the war, Cambridge University suffered from a lack of quality bowling at the start of the 1919 cricket season. Consequently, 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.[8] He 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.[4] A few days later, Gilligan won his blue—the awarding of the Cambridge "colours" to sportsmen—by appearing in the University Match against Oxford. On the last day of the three-day match, he took five wickets for 16 runs in 57 deliveries to finish with bowling figures of six for 52 (six wickets taken for 52 runs conceded).[2][8] According to Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, this was the best bowling performance in the University Match for many years, although Cambridge lost the match.[8] Towards the end of the season, 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.[6] In all first-class games in 1919, he scored 231 runs at a batting average of 17.76 and took 35 wickets at 31.57.[9][10] At the end of the season, he changed counties; his family connections in the area, and the presence of his brother Harold in the team, led him to register with Sussex.[3]

Gilligan retained his position in the Cambridge team in 1920 and once more played against Oxford. In the University Match, he was ineffective with the ball as the damp conditions did not suit his style of bowling.[5] At the end of the Cambridge term, Gilligan, playing as an amateur, made his Sussex debut.[2][6] The Times later commented that in 1920, Gilligan was "known as a fast but unreliable bowler, a dashing and vulnerable batsman and a mid-off without his equal in England".[5] Wisden commented on his 1920 performance: "[He] remained stationary, doing nothing out of the common either as bowler or batsman for Cambridge, and proving a decidedly expensive bowler for Sussex".[8] In all first-class cricket, he scored 624 runs at an average of 17.33 and took 81 wickets at 23.55.[9][10] Subsequently, Gilligan left Cambridge and joined Gilbert Kimpton & Co., a general produce merchant in London in which his father was a senior partner.[2]

Gilligan played for Sussex throughout the 1921 season and according to Wisden "made a distinct advance".[8] His batting record was similar to the previous season,[9] although he increased his number of wickets in the season to 90 at an average of 30.64.[10] Wisden notes that his bowling was not statistically good, but that his biggest impact came in fielding, which was "brilliant in the extreme. He was described on all hands as the best mid-off in England."[8] In 1922, Gilligan assumed the Sussex captaincy from Herbert Wilson.[2] The team's results were not impressive, but Wisden said that the team were attractive to watch and excelled in fielding, in which Gilligan led by example.[8] Gilligan later recalled that he received great support from George Cox, the senior professional in the team.[11] Personally, 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.[9][10] Based on his good form, he was selected in the prestigious Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's. Appearing for the Gentlemen, a team of amateurs, his fielding in particular impressed commentators. He was selected in a further representative match,[notes 1] when he played for the "Rest of England" against Yorkshire, the County Champions. In the latter game, he took eight wickets in total.[8] At the end of the season, Gilligan was included in the MCC team to tour South Africa and play a Test series.[notes 2][8]

On the tour of South Africa, MCC were led by Frank Mann. 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.[14] Gilligan played in two of the five Tests, the first and last.[15] His Test debut came on 23 December 1922 in a match which England lost. The team were more successful during his second appearance; he took six wickets in the match, and his batting at a crucial stage of the match—he scored 39 not out in the second innings—was vital in a victory which gave the series to England 2–1.[6][16] In total, Gilligan took nine Test wickets at 22.37,[17] and in all first-class games, captured 26 wickets at an average of 22.03.[10]

During 1923, after returning to England, Gilligan had his best season in county cricket. He 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.[9][10] With Maurice Tate,[5] whose emergence as a pace bowler was encouraged by Gilligan,[18] he established a bowling partnership which proved effective over the following two seasons.[2][5] Gilligan scored two centuries and nine times took five or more wickets in an innings.[9][10] As a result of his performances, he was named as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year. The citation noted that he was now "among the leading amateur cricketers of the day", and was likely to play for England again. It concluded: "It is not claimed for Arthur Gilligan, by even his warmest admirers, that he can be classed among great fast bowlers, but he is a very good one, combining with the right temperament and tireless energy just the extra bit of pace that to many batsmen is so distasteful."[8]

Gilligan (right) is tossing a coin at the first Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 14 June 1924. South African captain Herbie Taylor is watching

Following heavy losses to Australia in two Test series immediately following the war, the England selectors needed to appoint a new captain. Frank Mann led the team during the tour of South Africa, the team's only Tests between 1921 and 1924. According to the cricket writer Alan Gibson, Mann was slightly too old to be a realistic candidate and his batting was not quite of the required standard.[19] Other possibilities early in the season included Fender and Arthur Carr.[20] Instead, the selectors appointed Gilligan as captain for the 1924 series against South Africa, in an attempt to assess whether he possessed the playing ability to justify his selection in the role.[19] Cricket journalist E. W. Swanton writes that Gilligan was the favoured candidate of the influential Lord Harris, which may have assisted his appointment.[21] Gibson describes Gilligan at the time as "29 years old, an attractive, smiling personality".[22] Gilligan began the season very well. He and Tate, in the weeks approaching the first Test, established a reputation as the best opening bowlers in the world.[2][4] At the time, the best batting teams in England were Surrey and Middlesex; in consecutive matches, Gilligan and Tate dismissed these sides for 53 and 41, respectively. In the latter game, Gilligan took eight for 25,[4] and he and Tate bowled several county sides out for low scores.[2] In the first Test match, on Gilligan's debut as England captain, the pair bowled South Africa out for 30 runs. Gilligan took six wickets for seven runs, and Wisden reported that, "He bowled very fast and with any amount of fire.".[23] When South Africa followed-on, he took five for 83,[4] to finish the game with 11 wickets.[23] England won the second Test, like the first, by an innings; Gilligan took five wickets in the game,[6] and by the end of June had 74 wickets in all first-class matches at an average of 15.[4] At this stage, the press and public had great expectations of success for Gilligan and Tate on the forthcoming tour of Australia.[22]

At the beginning of July, Gilligan played for the Gentlemen against the Players at the Oval. In the first innings, he was struck heavily over his heart by a delivery from Frederick Pearson;[24][25] it was obvious that he was hurt, and he was out shortly afterwards.[notes 3][4][24] Although the Gentlemen v Players match at the Oval was less prestigious than its Lord's counterpart, and generally mattered less to participants, Gilligan chose to bat the next day despite his injury and scored a century batting at number 10.[22][26] Even so, the Gentlemen lost the game by six wickets.[6] Gilligan was never again as effective a cricketer, and he later conceded that batting in the second innings was a mistake.[4][22] It is likely that the strain of the innings did as much harm as the original blow,[2] although Gibson later wrote that Gilligan's subsequent long life suggests that he was not too badly hurt, and that it is unlikely too much damage was done. Nevertheless, Gibson concludes "there is no doubt that he was badly shaken up, and whatever the reason, the magic departed".[22]

Gilligan played in the next Test match, without much success, and for the Gentlemen at Lord's.[6] The effects of the injury then forced him to rest in the following weeks, and he missed the fourth Test.[5][22] When he returned for the final Test, he did not take any wickets and finished the Test series with 17 wickets at an average of 18.94,[6][17] placing him second in the England bowling averages behind Tate.[22] He batted just three times in the series, scoring 77 runs at 25.66.[27] England won the series 3–0, and although South Africa had not proved to be a strong team, several England players—including Gilligan—had impressed commentators.[22] Gilligan continued to take wickets in the latter stages of the season, but was less successful than before his injury.[6] At the end of the season, he had 103 wickets at 19.36 and 864 runs at 21.07.[9][10]

By mid-July, Gilligan had been named as captain of the MCC team to tour Australia at the end of the English cricket season and was expected to be one of the leading bowlers.[28] He had, however, faced some criticism of his captaincy. After being underused in the first Test, Cec Parkin wrote an article highly critical of Gilligan which appeared in the press; Parkin never played for England again.[26] Additionally, while Gilligan was generally popular for his cheerful and friendly approach, the press judged Fender to be the better captain. However, the cricket authorities at Lord's disapproved of Fender's unconventional tactics and approach.[29] Journalists later revealed that, at some point in the season, the selectors had first asked Frank Mann to captain, but he was unable to accept the invitation.[30]

At the peak of his career, Gilligan was a fast bowler. He 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. According to his Wisden obituary, he "regarded it as a cardinal sin to bowl short".[4] Following his injury, he could not reach his former speed and was reduced to medium pace. In this style, he continued to have some success at county level.[5] His batting was based mainly around driving the ball.[5] He batted low in the order, and tried to score quickly, particularly against fast bowling. Several of his centuries were scored against the most successful teams, and often in difficult situations.[4] He excelled as a fielder; his Wisden obituary stated: "At mid-off he has had few rivals".[4]

As a captain, Gilligan was not tactically sophisticated but was adept at inspiring his players.[4] His Sussex teams were not consistent but became attractive to watch;[5] under Gilligan's direction the team ranked among the best fielding sides in England. The off side fielders were nicknamed the "ring of iron".[61] His Wisden obituary stated: "In two or three seasons by his insistence on fielding and on attacking cricket and by his own superb example he raised Sussex from being nothing in particular to one of the biggest draws in England."[4] According to The Times, Gilligan's captaincy laid the foundations for the county's relative success in the 1930s.[5] In the official history of Sussex, writer Christopher Lee suggests: "The ten years from 1920 to the end of Gilligan's captaincy in 1930 saw the blooding of some of the most famous names in Sussex and England cricket. Gilligan himself was a mixture of amateur brilliance and professional thoroughness which inevitably brought about criticism."[25]

Gilligan also extensively coached and lectured around the county, spending time in the English winters raising the team's profile.[5] He 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.[62] Percy Fender believed that Gilligan allowed the team's professionals a greater say in Sussex's affairs than previously permitted. Fender wrote that Gilligan's teams enjoyed playing under him and that he was one of the most popular captains in county cricket.[61] Cricket writer R. C. Robertson-Glasgow said: "With him there was no sharpnesses, no petty restraints, no mathematical cricket. He won or lost plumb straight".[63] Swanton wrote that "Gilligan was essentially a friendly man, hail-fellow-well-met, and it is hard to think that in the world of sport he ever made an enemy."[64]

Gilligan married his first wife, Cecilia Mary Matthews, in April 1921,[2] but she successfully filed for divorce in October 1933 on the grounds of her husband's infidelity.[65] He married again in 1934; he met his second wife, Katharine Margaret Fox, on a skiing trip.[2]

Following his retirement from cricket, Gilligan began to work in journalism.[2] He wrote several cricket books, including a history of Sussex cricket in 1932.[66] He became one of the first radio cricket commentators,[2] broadcasting in Australia on the 1932–33 Ashes series and covering subsequent visits of MCC teams to Australia for the Australian Broadcasting Commission.[45] A popular and respected commentator, he established an on-air partnership with former Australian batman Vic Richardson.[4][31] In Gilligan's obituary, Wisden observed "Gilligan was, as may be imagined, a master of the diplomatic comment if any tiresome incident occurred".[4] He was also a member of the BBC radio commentary team for Tests between 1947 and 1954.[67] In 1955, he wrote a book, The Urn Returns, about the 1954–55 Ashes series, won by England. In England, he wrote about cricket for the News Chronicle.[2] During the Second World War, Gilligan served in the Royal Air Force as a welfare officer; he was commissioned a pilot officer and rose to the rank of squadron leader.[68][69]

When his cricket career ended, Gilligan maintained his connection with Sussex,[4][70] of which he was later made an Honorary Life Member. He served as chairman, patron and president of the county and assisted many local clubs in the area.[5] He gained a good reputation as a speaker and lecturer,[2] and also developed an interest in golf in later years:[4] 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.[4][66]

An Honorary Life Member of the MCC, Gilligan served as MCC president from 1967 to 1968.[5][66] During his tenure, the MCC was involved in controversy over the non-selection of Basil D'Oliveira to tour South Africa. The South African government did not want D'Oliveira in the England team on the grounds of his colour.[71] Gilligan, in his capacity as MCC president, was aware of this having seen a private letter which communicated the explicit threat from the South African prime minister B. J. Vorster that the forthcoming tour would be cancelled if D'Oliveira were selected. However, he and the others who saw the letter, G. O. B. Allen and Billy Griffith, respectively the MCC treasurer and secretary, kept this information to themselves.[72] When the English selectors met to choose the team, Gilligan, Allen and Griffith were present to represent the MCC.[73] A BBC programme in 2004 claimed that Gilligan pressured the selectors to leave out D'Oliveira,[74] but D'Oliveira's biographer Peter Oborne suggests that Allen carried far more influence at the meeting. He writes of Gilligan's part in the affair: "It would be wrong to make too much of Gilligan's embarrassing past. Given that presidents are appointed for only a year, it was a very strong president indeed who could impose his personality on the permanent MCC secretariat of Griffith and Allen, and Gilligan was not a strong president."[73] Initially D'Oliveira was left out of the team, but when a player withdrew with an injury, the selectors added him as a replacement; the South African government barred D'Oliveira from taking part and the MCC cancelled the tour.[74][75]

In 1971, a stand named after Gilligan was opened at Hove Cricket Ground,[2] but this was demolished in 2010 as part of a redevelopment.[76] Gilligan died in Pulborough, Sussex, on 5 September 1976, aged 81.[2]

• Bose, Mihir (2006). The magic of Indian cricket : cricket and society in India. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-35691-6.
• Gibson, Alan (1979). The Cricket Captains of England. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-29779-5.
• Lee, Christopher (1989). From the Sea End: The Official History of Sussex County Cricket Club. London: Partridge Press. ISBN 978-1-85225-083-6.
• Marshall, Michael (1987). Gentlemen and Players: Conversations with Cricketers. London: Grafton Books. ISBN 978-0-246-11874-5.
• McKinstry, Leo (2011). Jack Hobbs: England's Greatest Cricketer. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 978-0-224-08329-4.
• Moore, Andrew (May 1991). "The 'Fascist' cricket tour of 1924–25". Sporting Traditions. 7 (2): 164–174. ISSN 0813-2577.
• Oborne, Peter (2004). Basil D'Oliveira. Cricket and Conspiracy: The Untold Story. London: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-72572-9.
• Pawle, Gerald (1985). R. E. S. Wyatt – Fighting Cricketer. London: George Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-0-04-796102-1.
• Streeton, Richard (1981). P. G. H. Fender: A Biography. London: Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-11635-5.
• Swanton, E. W. (1999). Cricketers of My Time. London: André Deutsch. ISBN 978-0-233-99746-9.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arthur Gilligan.

• Noble, Monty (1925). Gilligan's men; a critical review of the M.C.C. tour of Australia, 1924–25. London: Chapman and Hall. OCLC 38505503.