Howard Francis

Howard Henry Francis (26 May 1868 – 7 January 1936) was a South African cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1899.

Francis was born in Clifton, Bristol, England. A batsman, he played for Gloucestershire from 1890 to 1894 before moving to South Africa in 1895. There he played for Western Province from 1895–96 to 1902–03. His highest first-class score was 55 for Gloucestershire against Middlesex at Clifton in 1894, when he and Jack Board added 137 for the ninth wicket out of a team total of 225.[1]

Francis was the top-scorer on either side when Lord Hawke's XI played the first match of their tour in 1898–99 against a Western Province XIII, scoring 45 in the first innings batting at number three.[2] Three weeks later he also top-scored, with 33, in the first innings for Cape Colony against Lord Hawke's XI in the first first-class match of the tour.[3] He played for South Africa in the two Test matches that followed, but was unsuccessful. However, he top-scored batting at number three in South Africa's second innings in the First Test, scoring 29 out of a team total of 99.[4]

Francis was also a footballer, playing for Clifton until he moved to South Africa.[5]