Henry Bethune (cricketer)

Henry Beauclerk Bethune (16 November 1844 – 16 April 1912) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

The third son of Charles Goodwin Bethune, a Sussex landowner, and his wife Ann Isabella Mary, he was born and grew up on the family estate of Denne Park in Horsham. Bethune purchased a commission in the British Army in November 1865, joining the 37th Foot as an ensign.[1] He purchased the rank of lieutenant in April 1868,[2] and was appointed an instructor of musketry in April 1869.[3] He was promoted, without purchase, to captain in June 1879 and was seconded for service as an instructor at Sandhurst.[4] He retired from active service, in what was by then the Royal Hampshire Regiment, in November 1884.[5]

Having played cricket at both club and services level, Bethune made his debut in first-class cricket for Hampshire against Somerset at Taunton in 1885.[6] With Hampshire losing their first-class status following that season, he continued to play minor matches for the county until it regained its first-class status in 1894. Following the restoration of their first-class status, Bethune made a second first-class appearance for Hampshire against Lancashire at Southampton in the 1897 County Championship.[6] It was in this match that he took his only first-class wicket, when he dismissed Arthur Paul.[7] In club cricket, Bethune was known to have played several long innings, including a score of 219 for the Corinthians against the United Services in 1890. He had been a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club since 1888.[8] He died, unmarried, at Horsham in April 1912.[9] His cousin, George Maximilian Bethune, was also a first-class cricketer.