W. READ (England & Surrey) 1855–1906: The Legend Who Redefined English Cricket
The appointment of Charles W. Alcock as full-time secretary to the Surrey Cricket Club in 1872 provided the catalyst the team desperately needed. While 1869 had yielded just three victories, and 1871 produced only one win, morale at the Oval was understandably at rock bottom. However, the arrival of the new secretary—a position he would hold with distinction for the next three decades—marked a major turning point. Surrey suffered merely five defeats across fifteen fixtures that season, a campaign highlighted by a commanding five-wicket victory over the M.C.C. at Lords. At one juncture, the M.C.C.’s first innings read a dismal 0-7-0; surely one of their finest triumphs ever. A second sign of good fortune for Surrey emerged in the form of a well-built seventeen-year-old, who made his debut in 1873. Against formidable opposition from Yorkshire, the youngster managed to score three and fourteen, but in the subsequent game against Kent, batting at number three, he posted an impressive 39. Haygarth, in his M.C.C. Scores and Biographies for 1873, included this prophetic note regarding the fresh talent: “… bidding fair, if he continues the game, to arrive at the top of the tree.” Such profound words were fully realized years later, for the lad’s name was Walter Read.
W. Read born in Reigate in 1855. Thus, Walter Read initially followed in his father’s footsteps as a schoolteacher, assisting the latter at Reigate School. Typically Victorian, the headmaster maintained a strict disciplinary approach toward his son, restricting Walter to playing only during the summer holidays for Surrey. For the subsequent eight years, these sporadic appearances only whetted Surrey supporters’ appetites to witness more of this dynamic stroke-maker. Such an occasion arose through an open-ended partnership with Read and Jupp of 206 against Yorkshire at the Oval in 1877. Having restricted the opposition to 159, Surrey were thwarted by rain, with the abandonment coming after Jupp had successfully contributed 87 and Read 140. That same year, Walter Read made his inaugural appearance for the Gents at Princes Ground. Although overshadowed by W. G. Grace’s 134, Read’s 72 deeply impressed everyone, especially against the premier bowling of Hill, Emmett,Ulyett, Southerton, and Mycroft. The young prospect must have gleaned tremendous pleasure and know-how from such an extended partnership with the celebrated doctor, though five years passed before Walter represented the Gents again.
WALLA WALLA
When Walter Read was appointed assistant secretary to C. W. Alcock in 1881, Surrey secured the dependable services of their new administrator, who rarely missed a game over the next sixteen years. To distinguish Walter Read from Maurice Read, the Surrey professional, supporters nicknamed the former “Walla Walla,” which soon abbreviated to “W.W.” Their new idol stood just shy of six feet tall, tipping the scales at roughly 14 stones, possessing a broad-shouldered physique paired with a cheerful, reserved demeanor. On occasion, he could be quite argumentative, but his fighting spirit on the pitch never wavered from the tenets of fairness. Surrey’s devoted followers loved watching him settle into his upright stance, the launching pad for his thunderous strokes off the back foot, tremendous square cuts, and drives between cover and point—perhaps his most renowned shot, the pull. Batsmen like Ranji, Trumper, and Hirst would later adopt this stroke as recognized pioneers. In its early days, the shot was considered somewhat “agricultural,” yet with sharp eye-sight, it must have seemed entirely out of place within “W.W.’s” conventionally batted technique.
PRINCELY COACH
C. B. Fry, in his book Life Worth Living, recounts how Ranji mentioned to him that Walter Read actually demonstrated to the Prince how to pull in the nets. “C.B.” quickly added that Ranji possessed far too many safer strokes to indulge in such risks regularly. In his book Recollections and Reminiscences, Lord Hawke recalls that “W.W.” never turned down an opportunity to gamble with the stroke. It occurred at Bramall Lane when Lord Hawke dropped the Surrey “crack,” as he was known, after attempting to pull Tom Emmett. The Yorkshire crowd gave the fielder a terrible “stick,” but Emmett simply asked the downcast Lord Hawke to move “a little more west, Sir”. The very next ball was struck powerfully to the exact spot where the distraught Lord Hawke executed a brilliantly one-handed catch, and could do no wrong at Sheffield for a considerable time afterward.
ENGLAND BACK ON TOP
Following his swift progression to regular playing status, it came as no surprise when “W.W.” was selected to tour Australia with the Hon. Ivor Bligh’s team of 1882-83. This exceptionally strong side was tasked with recovering “The Ashes” and restoring English cricket to supremacy. In the second Test at Melbourne, Bates delivered his slow-medium off-cutters masterfully for match figures of 14 for 102. His 7 for 28 in the first innings featured a hat-trick with the wickets of McDonnell, Giffen, and Bonnor. Upon the dismissal of the second victim, during mid-wicket discussions, Bonnor—who must be remembered as one of the game’s toughest hitters—was urged by Walter Read, the brave fielder, to creep slowly in from short mid-on. The Australian batsman, mesmerized like a rabbit by a stoat, gently tapped the ball into “W.W.’s” waiting hands. England triumphed by 27 runs. When the visitors traveled to play eighteen of Maryborough in Queensland, they formed one of the earliest touring sides to visit the northern state. Local enthusiasm was unbridled, to the extent that the authorities offered a plot of land as a prize for the tourist achieving the highest individual score. Walter Read secured it by becoming a Queensland freeholder with 66!
SURREY REVIVAL
Back home, “W.W.” spearheaded Surrey’s renaissance, a revival that served as a buildup to the County Championship, albeit a little later. His value to the team, aside from his exceptional batting expertise, was evident in his consistent fielding at point, occasional lob-bowling to break a partnership even in a Test match, and a wicketkeeping capability of high quality to fill an emergency. In “W.W.’s” inaugural full season, 1881, he kept wicket against Yorkshire at Huddersfield, and didn’t let a bye through in a total of 388. Later, at the 1891 Scarborough Festival, for the Gentlemen of England versus Sherwin’s Notts XI, he completed the hat-trick with his lobs. Walter Read truly established his stall in 1881 with highlights like his 160 against Kent at Maidstone, which included three sixes and 29 fours. Surrey emerged as the first team to accumulate a total exceeding 500 against a team of touring Australians. This feat occurred in 1886, with W.W. contributing a notable 80, alongside Maurice Read’s 186 and Bobby Abel’s 144. Surrey’s 501 proved sufficient to secure an innings and 209 runs victory.
The year 1887 proved unforgettable. Walter Read, now captain, brought the Championship back to the Oval after a 14-year hiatus, and it remained there for nine of the subsequent 12 years. John Shuter had been a popular captain before this, and alongside W.W. Read, Bobby Abel, and George Lohmann, served as the cornerstone of Surrey’s rise to the title. That same year, “W.W.” registered 247 and 244 not out in successive encounters against Cambridge University and Lancashire. Inevitably, Surrey’s premier batsman found himself bound for Australia once more at the conclusion of the season. Under the leadership of Lord Hawke, the party was managed by G. F. Vernon, and W.W. Read dominated the batting with three centuries from his 610 runs across eight games; he topped the averages with 55.45. Unfortunately, another team, led by Lillywhite, Shaw, and Shrewsbury, toured concurrently, and upon being asked to reconsider before embarking, the three professionals declined, causing friction on both sides. At the tour’s conclusion, the teams combined under Walter Read’s leadership to battle Australia at Sydney by 126 runs. “W.W.” returned to England in 1888, and that summer proved equally exceptional for him. If Oxford University were quietly smirking over Cambridge’s onslaught from Walter Read’s bat the previous season, they faced a rude awakening. From a Surrey total of 650 at the Oval, he amassed his highest score of 338, featuring 46 fours. When the Gentlemen of England met the Australians at Lords, W.G. Grace’s 165 and Walter Read’s 109 in a total of 490 were certainly worth witnessing. Turner and Ferris had bowled out most of the county sides, but this partnership proved overwhelming.
POPULAR SKIPPER
During the winter of 1891/2, Walter Read captained a side to South Africa, which proved overly formidable for the opposition. The singular Test match was secured by an innings and 189 runs, with Ferris (the Australian now playing for Gloucestershire) capturing 13 for 91, and Surrey’s wicketkeeper, H. Wood, registering 134, his sole first-class hundred. “W.W.” proved a remarkably popular skipper, respected by all his fellow players. In his home Tests, Walter Read compiled useful scores, though none to catch the eye—except in 1884, at the Oval. Despite feeling unwell, “W.W.” was disgruntled with Lord Harris for placing him at number ten, and the Australians were less than pleased when he proceeded to smash 117 in slightly over two hours; the score was 8 for 181 when he stepped in. In an innings noted for its magnificent leg-side striking, Spofforth missed a half-chance of caught and bowled when Walter Read was on 23, and many considered it the finest display of on-side play since the era of George Parr. During the Tests of 1888, the Athletic News asked its readers to select “A Model England Team,” and W. G. Grace and W. W. Read were the sole unanimous choices.
Following the five-year gap between his initial and secondary games for the Gents, “W.W.” played regularly another 22 times until 1896. He compiled over 1,100 runs, which included eight half-centuries, and reached the 40s on three alternative occasions. It was Walter Read’s turn, in 1884, to partake in a hat-trick performed by Richard Barlow, at the Oval—W. G. Grace and John Shuter were the other two. Immediately afterward, at Lords, “W.W.” put on 163 for the fifth wicket with Lord Harris, in less than two and a half hours (Harris 85, Read 67).
The subsequent year witnessed Walter Read post his highest score in the Gents v Players fixture. An absorbing partnership with Grace of 135 for the third wicket, in the second innings, ultimately left the onlookers disappointed, but “W.W.” proceeded to make his benefit match. The season of 1897 was W.W. Read’s, and the former’s final game was against the old foe, Yorkshire. W.W. compiled 46 centuries in significant games, together with one treble and three double centuries. He scored over 1,000 runs a season on nine occasions, and well above 22,000 in first-class games.
ALL-ROUND SPORTSMAN
Apart from his cricketing prowess, Walter Read’s athletic capabilities spanned other facets. His accomplished feats as a skater and walker vied with those moments of outstanding skill on the football field or the billiard table. Many a winter’s afternoon he tramped copse and stubble to practice his expertise with a gun, and frequently in the company of Ranji and C. B. Fry. Such friendships were commonplace with “W.W.” and his death in 1906, at Addiscombe, at the tragically early age of 51 years, devastated his numerous acquaintances and admirers. The late nineteenth-century equivalent to Peter May had passed away, but supporters’ adulation for him persisted, and could be aptly remembered from a cockney verse by ‘The Man On The Spot’, for an edition of the Sporting Life, at the time of Walter Read’s heyday:
“See him make his boundary hits,
He ain’t the sort to play for nuts:
Hook ’em here and carves ’em there,
Bangs ’em off and hits ’em square;
And when I shed my little bob,
I like to see him on the job.”
W. Read: The Legend Who Redefined English Cricket 1855–1906
