Bird Morice Image 3 Surrey 1912

Description

St Michael’s Hamlet, Liverpool born Morice Bird’s fame as a cricketer in the years before the First World War rested more on his deeds as a schoolboy than on his prowess as a County or Test player. In 1907, as captain of the Harrow School team, he scored two centuries in the annual match against Eton College at Lord’s that was one of the social highlights of the year, a remarkable performance that remains unparalleled. In Harrow’s first innings he scored 100 not out in an hour and three-quarters; in the second, when fighting an uphill game, he hit up 131 in two hours and a quarter. Thanks to his fine hitting and his timely declaration, Harrow won at twenty minutes past seven by 79 runs, Bird also taking five wickets in the match with his bowling.

He played a few games for Lancashire that season, then disappeared for two years, reappearing in 1909 with Surrey. On a fairly flimsy record, he was taken by H.D.G. Leveson-Gower on the 1909-10 English tour of South Africa, where he played in all five Tests. He took his Test best 3-11 in his first Test against South Africa at Johannesburg in January 1910 and in the third Test at Cape Town in February he put on 95 for the seventh wicket with Jack Hobbs, Bird making 45, a stand that enabled England to win the match by three wickets. In the fourth Test, also at Cape Town, he scored 57 in the first innings.

Back in England, Bird played regularly for Surrey in 1910 and took over as the County’s captain from Leveson-Gower for two years from 1911, among other scores making 151 that season against Sussex at Brighton. His best season was that of 1911, when he had an aggregate of 1,404 and an average of 30. A forceful right-handed batsman, he scored 1,000 runs in 1910, 1911 and 1913, and also took useful wickets with medium pace bowling. Despite his hitting against the Australian team of 1912 in two games at The Oval when he scored 76, 68 and 112 in dazzling fashion, he appears never to have been in serious contention for a Test place until again selected for a South African tour in 1913-14 under Johnny Douglas. He made his highest Test score, 61, in the first Test at Durban in December 1913, putting on 115 for the seventh wicket with Douglas, but achieved little else in the series until he took the first three wickets in South Africa’s second innings in the final match, played at Port Elizabeth.

Bird played only a few first class matches after the First World War, and coached at Harrow School for two seasons after the War and later coached at Surrey. He was ill for several years before his death in 1933 at the age of 45.

In 192 first class matches he scored 6,938 runs at an average of 23.76 with 7 centuries and 34 half centuries and a highest score of 200. His right-arm medium pace bowling claimed 149 wickets at 25.68 apiece, twice taking 5 wickets in an innings (in the same match) with a best return of 5-48. He also took 111 catches in the first class game.

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