Herbert Strudwick
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 England (Eng) |
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| Batting style | Right-handed batsman (RHB) | |
| Bowling type | Unknown | |
| Tests | First-class | |
| Matches | 28 | 674 |
| Runs scored | 230 | 6,445 |
| Batting average | 7.93 | 10.88 |
| 100s/50s | 0/0 | 0/9 |
| Top score | 24 | 93 |
| Balls bowled | 0 | 138 |
| Wickets | 0 | 1 |
| Bowling average | N/A | 102.00 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 0 | 0 |
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | 0 |
| Best bowling | N/A | 1/93 |
| Catches/stumpings | 61/12 | 1237/258 |
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Test debut: January 1, 1910 |
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Herbert ("Bert") Strudwick (born January 28, 1880, Mitcham, Surrey, England; died February 14, 1970 in Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex) was one of the best, and certainly the most popular, wicket-keepers in the history of cricket. During his career, his record of 1493 dismissals is the third-highest by any wicket-keeper in the history of first-class cricket. Quick-footed and short, Strudwick was also a courageous wicket-keeper who, as he testified long after he stopped playing, took many knocks on unprotected parts of his body from the very fast pitches that prevailed throughout his career when the weather was dry - especially as he would stand up even to the fastest bowling.
Not much of a batsman, he nonetheless twice added over 100 for the last wicket with Bill Hitch (one of only four pairs with more than one tenth-wicket century stand in first-class cricket).
Born in Mitcham, for which he retained great affection throughout his life, Strudwick took to wicket-keeping, apparently on the advice of a local lady ("Miss Wilson"), at the age of ten. He first played for Surrey in a few games in 1902, but created a sensation in his first full season the following year, when he dismissed a record 91 batsmen (71 catches and 20 stumpings) - a feat made more remarkable by the decline of Surrey's top fast bowlers Tom Richardson and William Lockwood and the exceptionally wet weather of that summer. From that time on, Strudwick became regarded as the natural successor to Dick Lilley as England's Test wicket-keeper, and he toured Australian in 1903/1904 without playing a Test.
Continuing his good form, Strudwick maintained his place among the top wicket-keepers right through the 1900s and played his first Test in 1909/1910 against South Africa. In 1911, though overshadowed in county cricket by Kent veteran Fred Huish, Studwick was chosen as the first-choice wicket-keeper to Australia because of his relative youth and did not disappoint, taking the wonderful bowling of Frank Foster and Sydney Barnes with exceptional skill. His skill was seen to even greater effect taking Barnes on the matting wickets of South Africa in 1914: with Barnes' bowling bouncing and turning in a remarkable way, Strudwick was still able to easily take just about every ball that was bowled. In the following season, Strudwick's skill was an essential part of Surrey's success in winning the County Championship for the only time during his career.
After World War I halted county cricket, Strudwick re-established himself in the England side until he retired in 1927 - though he was dropped to improve the batting during the disastrous 1921 series against Armstrong's Australian. Despite his age, Strudwick never showed the slightest sign of losing his effectiveness: indeed there is not doubt that without his skill at catching and stumping Surrey would not have been able to win so many matches with the bowling they had available. Surrey's bowling had none of the class of the time when Lohmann, Richardson and Lockwood played, and only their superb fielding prevented even weak opponents from making long scores on usually extremely true Oval pitches.
After his playing days he became a respected coach and for many years was the Surrey scorer.
In his later years Strudwick, renowned for his abstinence from tobacco and alcohol at a time when the health of sportsmen was not taken seriously, wrote many articles about the game in Wisden. The most famous of these is From Dr. Grace to Peter May in the 1959 Wisden, which outlines how Strudwick saw the game both during his career and as a spectator after retiring. It is an excellent look at how the game changed over the years Strudwick played.
