List of cricketers in Wills' Cigarettes Cricketers, 1928

The Wills' 1928 cricketers was a set of trading cards issued by the Imperial Tobacco Co. under its W.D. & H.O. Wills brand. It consisted of a series of 50 collectable cigarette cards to commemorate leading first-class cricketers who had played county cricket in the 1927 English cricket season; and including nine who had toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the Marylebone Cricket Club team.^[1][2] This set is now a collectible and, in mint condition, has an estimated value (2017) of £90.^[3]

1928 Cricketers

Header on cards back
Type	Illustrated cigarette card
Company	Imperial Tobacco Co.
Country	United Kingdom
Availability	1928–1928
Features	Cricket players

Overview

47 of the players chosen for the series, including the three who played for Glamorgan, were English. The three exceptions were the Australian Test fast bowler Ted McDonald; the Indian-born batsman Duleepsinhji, though he later played for England; and Douglas Jardine, who was born in India of Scottish parents. One player, Roy Kilner, had died in April 1928 just a few weeks before publication. All of the seventeen county clubs then taking part in the County Championship are represented in the series. Most of the players in the series were veterans in 1928, only ten being under 30. The oldest player was Wilfred Rhodes, aged 50; the youngest was Duleepsinhji, aged 22.

Each card has a 1–50 series number determined alphabetically by surname. All players are named on the front and back of the card by initials preceding surname. Players who had amateur status are prefixed "Mr." (e.g., Mr. A. P. F. Chapman) or, in two cases, "Hon." (e.g., Hon. F. S. G. Calthorpe). There is an artist's impression of each player on the front of the card; seventeen are portraits and 33 depict the player in action.^[1]

Series information

Key

Mr. F. T. Mann displayed on the #31 card

• # – card number in series (i.e., 1–50)
• Player – the name is that given on the front and back of the card, except in the cases of Nobby Clark and Ted McDonald where significant errors have occurred
  • Player's name in bold – the player took part in Test cricket during his career (with the exception of McDonald, who was Australian, all the Test players represented England)
• Club – generally, the first-class club(s) whom the player represented in 1927 and was expected to represent in 1928
• Age – the player's age at 28 April 1928, the opening day of the first-class season; Roy Kilner's age is at 5 April 1928, the date of his death
• Type – an amalgam of initialisms (see below) which describe the player's style of batting and bowling (some players are specialist batsmen); and (if appropriate) wicketkeeper
• RHB – right-handed batsman
• LHB – left-handed batsman
• WK – wicketkeeper
• RF – right-arm fast bowler
• LF – left-arm fast bowler
• RFM – right-arm fast medium bowler
• LFM – left-arm fast bowler
• RM – right-arm medium pace bowler
• LM – left-arm medium pace bowler
• LB – right-arm leg break bowler
• OB – right-arm off break bowler
• SLA – orthodox slow left-arm spin bowler
• picture – confirms the card picture as a portrait or states the type of action being depicted
• notes – includes a summary of the "pen picture" on the back of the card
• WY ccyy – year in which the player was elected a Wisden Cricketer of the Year (i.e., the year of the Wisden issue)

Checklist

#	Player	Club	Age	Type	Picture	Notes
1	W. E. Astill	Leicestershire	40	RHB/OB	portrait	WY 1933. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team.[2] Wills says that Astill had been Leicestershire's best batsman since the end of the war, describing him as "sound and steady", noted for hitting hard in front of the wicket.[4]
2	W. E. Bates	Glamorgan	44	RHB/SLA	batting	[5]
3	G. Brown	Hampshire	40	LHB/WK	portrait	[6]
4	Hon. F. S. G. Calthorpe	Warwickshire	35	RHB/RM	batting	[7]
5	Mr. A. P. F. Chapman	Kent	27	LHB/LM/SLA	batting	WY 1919.[8]
6	E. W. Clark	Northamptonshire	25	LHB/LF	portrait	On the Wills card, Clark's initials are given as "E. C.", but that is a publication error. His full name was Edward Winchester Clark and he was universally known as Nobby Clark.[9][10]
7	A. E. Dipper	Gloucestershire	42	RHB/RM	batting	[11]
8	Mr. J. W. H. T. Douglas	Essex	45	RHB/RFM	bowling	WY 1915.[12]
9	G. Duckworth	Lancashire	26	RHB/WK	portrait	WY 1929.[13]
10	K. S. Duleepsinhji	Cambridge University & Sussex	22	RHB/LB	portrait	WY 1930. Like his uncle, Ranjitsinhji, Duleepsinhji was usually called "Kumar Sri" and given the initials "K. S." on scorecards. This is actually incorrect usage because "Kumar" and "Sri" are both honorary titles. On the Wills card, "K. S. Duleepsinhji" is the style used.[14]
11	Mr. G. F. Earle	Somerset	36	RHB/RF	portrait	[15]
12	Mr. P. G. H. Fender	Surrey	35	RHB/RM/LB	batting	WY 1915.[16]
13	A. P. Freeman	Kent	39	RHB/LB	bowling	WY 1923. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2][17]
14	G. Geary	Leicestershire	34	RHB/RFM	fielding	WY 1927. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2][18]
15	Mr. A. E. R. Gilligan	Sussex	33	RHB/RF	batting	WY 1924.[19]
16	G. Gunn	Nottinghamshire	48	RHB/RM	batting	WY 1914.[20]
17	C. Hallows	Lancashire	33	LHB/SLA	batting	WY 1928.[21]
18	W. R. Hammond	Gloucestershire	24	RHB/RFM	batting	WY 1928. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2][22]
19	H. T. W. Hardinge	Kent	42	RHB/SLA	batting	WY 1915.[23]
20	J. W. Hearne	Middlesex	37	RHB/LB	batting	WY 1912.[24]
21	E. Hendren	Middlesex	39	RHB/OB	batting	WY 1920. Named "E. Hendren" on the Wills card, his full name was Elias Henry Hendren. He was universally known as "Patsy" Hendren.[25]
22	J. B. Hobbs	Surrey	45	RHB/RM	batting	WY 1909 & 1926.[26]
23	P. Holmes	Yorkshire	41	RHB/RM	batting	WY 1920. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2][27]
24	Mr. G. R. Jackson	Derbyshire	31	LHB	portrait	[28]
25	Mr. D. R. Jardine	Surrey	27	RHB/LB	batting	WY 1928.[29]
26	Mr. V. W. C. Jupp	Northamptonshire	37	RHB/RM/OB	batting	WY 1928.[30]
27	The Late R. Kilner	Yorkshire	37	LHB/SLA	bowling	WY 1924. Roy Kilner died on 5 April 1928, a few weeks before publication.[31]
28	H. Larwood	Nottinghamshire	23	RHB/RF	portrait	WY 1927.[32]
29	B. Lilley	Nottinghamshire	34	RHB/WK	portrait	[33]
30	E. A. McDonald	Lancashire	37	RHB/RF	bowling	WY 1922. On the Wills card, McDonald's name is incorrectly spelled "Macdonald".[34]
31	Mr. F. T. Mann	Middlesex	40	RHB	batting	[35]
32	C. P. Mead	Hampshire	41	LHB/SLA	portrait	WY 1912.[36]
33	J. Mercer	Glamorgan	35	RHB/RFM	portrait	WY 1927.[37]
34	C. W. L. Parker	Gloucestershire	45	RHB/SLA	portrait	WY 1923.[38]
35	W. Rhodes	Yorkshire	50	RHB/SLA	bowling	WY 1899.[39]
36	F. Root	Worcestershire	38	RHB/RFM	portrait	[40]
37	A. C. Russell	Essex	41	RHB/RM	batting	WY 1923. During his career, Russell was always known as Albert Charles Russell but his real name, discovered much later, was Charles Albert George Russell. Even so, he was universally known as "Jack" Russell.[41]
38	F. Ryan	Glamorgan	39	LHB/SLA	portrait	Named "F. Ryan" on the Wills card, his full name was Francis Peter Ryan. Although Ryan was English, he was born in India.[42]
39	A. Sandham	Surrey	37	RHB	batting	WY 1923.[43]
40	E. J. Smith	Warwickshire	42	RHB/WK	keeping wicket	This is the only picture in the series with landscape format page orientation.[44]
41	Mr. G. T. S. Stevens	Middlesex	27	RHB/LB	batting	Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2][45]
42	H. Sutcliffe	Yorkshire	33	RHB/RM	batting	WY 1920. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2][46]
43	M. W. Tate	Sussex	32	RHB/RFM	bowling	WY 1924.[47]
44	Hon. L. H. Tennyson	Hampshire	38	RHB/RF	portrait	WY 1914.[48]
45	L. Townsend	Derbyshire	24	RHB/RM/OB	portrait	WY 1934. Named "L. Townsend" on the Wills card, his full name was Leslie Fletcher Townsend.[49]
46	E. Tyldesley	Lancashire	39	RHB/RM	batting	WY 1920. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2] Named "E. Tyldesley" on the Wills card, his full name was George Ernest Tyldesley.[50]
47	Mr. J. C. White	Somerset	37	RHB/SLA	bowling	WY 1929.[51]
48	W. Whysall	Nottinghamshire	40	RHB/RM	batting	WY 1925. Named "W. Whysall" on the Wills card, his full name was William Wilfrid Whysall. He was widely known by his nickname "Dodger".[52]
49	F. E. Woolley	Kent	40	LHB/LM/SLA	batting	WY 1911.[53]
50	Mr. R. E. S. Wyatt	Warwickshire	26	RHB/RM	portrait	WY 1930. Toured South Africa in 1927–28 with the MCC team.[2] Wills describes Wyatt as "probably Warwickshire's best all-rounder" and as "a polished batsman of sound defence".[54]

Bibliography

• Wills, W. D. & H. O. (1928). Wills' Cigarettes Cricketers, 1928 – a series of 50. Imperial Tobacco Co. (GB & Ireland) Ltd.

References

1. Wills, card nos 1–50.
2. MCC tour of South Africa in 1927–28
3. The London Cigarette Card Co. Ltd – Cricketers 1st Series 1928
4. Wills, card no. 1.
5. Wills, card no. 2.
6. Wills, card no. 3.
7. Wills, card no. 4.
8. Wills, card no. 5.
9. CricketArchive – confirmation of "Nobby" as universally used name.
10. Wills, card no. 6.
11. Wills, card no. 7.
12. Wills, card no. 8.
13. Wills, card no. 9.
14. Wills, card no. 10.
15. Wills, card no. 11.
16. Wills, card no. 12.
17. Wills, card no. 13.
18. Wills, card no. 14.
19. Wills, card no. 15.
20. Wills, card no. 16.
21. Wills, card no. 17.
22. Wills, card no. 18.
23. Wills, card no. 19.
24. Wills, card no. 20.
25. Wills, card no. 21.
26. Wills, card no. 22.
27. Wills, card no. 23.
28. Wills, card no. 24.
29. Wills, card no. 25.
30. Wills, card no. 26.
31. Wills, card no. 27.
32. Wills, card no. 28.
33. Wills, card no. 29.
34. Wills, card no. 30.
35. Wills, card no. 31.
36. Wills, card no. 32.
37. Wills, card no. 33.
38. Wills, card no. 34.
39. Wills, card no. 35.
40. Wills, card no. 36.
41. Wills, card no. 37.
42. Wills, card no. 38.
43. Wills, card no. 39.
44. Wills, card no. 40.
45. Wills, card no. 41.
46. Wills, card no. 42.
47. Wills, card no. 43.
48. Wills, card no. 44.
49. Wills, card no. 45.
50. Wills, card no. 46.
51. Wills, card no. 47.
52. Wills, card no. 48.
53. Wills, card no. 49.
54. Wills, card no. 50.

External links

• Media related to Wills's cricketers 1928 cards at Wikimedia Commons