Oswald Norris

Oswald Thomas Norris CBE (1 July 1883 – 22 March 1973) was an English first-class cricketer and a wine and spirits merchant.

Norris was born in July 1883 at Chipstead, Surrey. He was educated at Charterhouse School,[1] before going up to Oriel College, Oxford.[2] While studying at Oxford, he played first-class cricket for Oxford University in 1904 and 1905, making eleven appearances.[3] In his eleven matches, he scored a total of 413 runs at an average of 20.65, with high score of 87 which was one of three half centuries he made.[4] With his right-arm slow bowling, he took 4 wickets with best figures of 2 for 109.[5]

After graduating from Oxford, he went into business as a wine and spirits merchant, forming the partnership Portal, Dingwall and Norris in July 1910.[6] He served in the First World War with the Royal Army Service Corps, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in October 1916.[7] Following the war, he resumed his business as a wine and spirits merchant. In 1926, he invested in the port house Fonseca.[8] He was the chairman of council for the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs, for which he was honoured with an CBE in the 1957 New Year Honours.[9] Norris died in March 1973 at Pease Pottage, Sussex.[1] His grandson Anthony Allom was also a first-class cricketer, while his son-in-law, Maurice Allom, played Test cricket.