Basil Grieve

Basil Arthur Firebrace Grieve (28 May 1864 – 19 November 1917)^[1] was an English amateur cricketer who played in two retrospectively-recognised Test matches for England in 1899. Those were his only first-class appearances and he was never a member of any county team. He was born in Kilburn, Middlesex, and died in Eastbourne, Sussex.

Basil Grieve

Personal information
Full name	Basil Arthur Firebrace Grieve
Born	(1864-05-28)28 May 1864 Kilburn, Middlesex
Died	19 November 1917(1917-11-19) (aged 53) Eastbourne, Sussex
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 64)	12 March 1889 v South Africa
Last Test	26 March 1889 v South Africa
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 2 2 Runs scored 40 40 Batting average 40.00 40.00 100s/50s 0/0 0/0 Top score 14* 14* Catches/stumpings 0/– 0/–
Source: CricketArchive, 11 October 2022

Grieve was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast medium bowler with an underarm action.^[2] He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge.^[3] He became a wine merchant by trade.^[4] He played cricket at school and took part in the Eton v Harrow match at Lord's in 1883. He became a member of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1885.^[5][6]

Tour of South Africa, 1888–89

In 1888, Sir Donald Currie agreed to sponsor the first English cricket team to visit South Africa.^[7] The 15-man tour party included only nine players who were registered with county clubs and had played in first-class matches. Grieve was one of six additional players who made the numbers up. The team was called Major Warton's XI after its manager, Major R. G. Warton, another occasional player. The captain was future Hollywood actor C. Aubrey Smith, who was then the captain of Sussex County Cricket Club.^[8]

Only two matches, both against a team called the South African XI, were eleven-a-side. These were subsequently recognised as the first South Africa v England Test matches. They were played at the St George's Oval in Port Elizabeth and the Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town; England won both convincingly. Harry Altham said the standard of the England team was "about that of a weak county".^[9] Grieve took part in both matches and in three innings, twice not out, scored a total of 40 runs with a best score of 14*. He did not bowl.^[10] Grieve remained in South Africa for a time after the tour ended and is known to have travelled to Johannesburg with his colleague Monty Bowden.^[2]

References

1. "Basil Grieve". Wisden Online. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
2. "The English Cricketers in South Africa", Cricket, issue 204, 25 April 1889, p. 71.
3. "Grieve, Basil Arthur Firebrace (GRV883BA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
4. "Wills and Bequests". Daily Telegraph. No. 19718. London. 24 June 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
5. "Other Deaths in 1917". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 1918. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
6. Martin-Jenkins, Christopher (1996). World Cricketers: A Biographical Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 250. ISBN 978-0-19-210005-4.
7. "The English team for the Cape", Cricket, issue 198, 29 November 1888, p. 449.
8. "The English team in South Africa", Cricket, issue 200, 25 April 1889, p. 1.
9. Altham, H. S. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914). London: George Allen & Unwin. p. 294.
10. Hayes, Dean (2006). England: The Cricket Facts. London: Michael O'Mara Books. p. 144. ISBN 978-18-43172-15-4.

External links

• Basil Grieve at ESPNcricinfo