Jack Crawford (cricketer) - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Crawford was born on 1 December 1886 at Cane Hill, Surrey. His father, the Rev John Charles Crawford, and uncle, Frank Crawford, played first-class cricket for Kent; his brothers Vivian and Reginald were also first-class cricketers. Consequently, Crawford grew up in a cricketing environment. He first attended school in Eastbourne, then went to St Winifred's School in Henley-on-Thames and scored in total 2,093 runs and took 366 wickets during his two years in the cricket team.

In 1902, he moved to Repton School and, despite strong competition for places, Crawford was chosen for the school cricket team in his first year and steadily improved as a cricketer. He remained in the eleven each season until leaving Repton in 1905. Cricket historian Benny Green notes that over the next four years, his prolific achievements "created ... chaos among schoolboy cricketers." In an overview of public school cricket, Gerald Brodribb described him as "probably the best ever" schoolboy cricketer.

By 1904, Crawford dominated the Repton team. He scored 759 runs and his 75 wickets were more than the combined total of all the other bowlers in the team. He was particularly effective in the school's most important fixtures, taking 25 wickets in the two games against rival schools, Malvern College and Uppingham School. The report in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him as the best schoolboy bowler and possibly the best amateur bowler in England that year: Crawford usually bowled medium-paced off spin, although he could vary the speed of his delivery from slow to fast.

During the school's summer holidays in August 1904, Crawford was chosen, aged 17, to play for Surrey, making his first-class debut against Kent. Taking three wickets and top-scoring in Surrey's first innings with 54, Crawford was successful enough to retain his place for another seven games. Against Gloucestershire, he and Harold McDonell bowled throughout both innings; Crawford took seven wickets for 43 runs in the second innings to give him ten wickets in the match, which was won by Surrey. In total during the 1904 season, Crawford took 44 first-class wickets at an average of 16.93 to come top of the county's bowling averages; in addition, he scored 229 runs at an average of 16.35.

Although hampered by injuries during the 1905 season for Repton, Crawford scored 766 runs, with a batting average of 85 and took 55 wickets, during the five matches in which he was fit to bowl, at an average under 13. Once again, he excelled in the two crucial fixtures against Uppingham and Malvern; in the first he scored 163 runs and took ten wickets for 75, then scored 139 and took ten for 147 in the second. Crawford also assumed the captaincy; his team was undefeated in the season. The Wisden reporter described Crawford as one of the best three schoolboy cricketers in the previous 40 years, only matched by A. G. Steel and Stanley Jackson. Crawford left the school at the end of the season; in four years, he scored 2,098 runs and took 244 wickets.

After the school season, Crawford returned to play for Surrey. In his second game, he took seven for 90 against Yorkshire and in his third, he scored his maiden first-class century—119 not out against Derbyshire. Later, he took eight for 24 against Northamptonshire and scored 142 not out against Leicestershire. At the end of the season, he played in several representative games for teams representing the South of England and played for the Rest of England against the County Champions Yorkshire. Crawford finished second in Surrey's batting averages and in all first-class games scored 543 runs at an average of 33.93 and took 47 wickets at an average of 18.46.