Bickmore Eric Image 1 Kent 1921

Description

Tonbridge, Kent born right-handed batsman Arthur Frederick “Eric” Bickmore was educated at Clifton College  where he was in the Cricket XI for four years and captain in his final year at school. Bickmore enlisted in January 1917 in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) as a Private. He was allocated to the Army Reserve and applied for the Officer Cadet School. He was mobilised in December 1917 and commissioned as a temporary 2nd Lieutenant in the RFA in June 1918.

He was posted to the 52nd Division in France in August 1918, joining the Divisional Ammunition Column taking loads of ammunition towards the front line. He served during the Hundred Days Offensive and the Advance to the Hindenburg Line until the Armistice in November 1918. He left the army at the end of January 1919 with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

Bickmore played as an amateur in 64 first class cricket matches between 1919 and 1929, making his County Championship debut for Kent against Essex at Leyton in June 1919. He was a right-handed opening batsman who scored 2,254 runs, including 2 centuries and 12 half centuries at an average of 23.23, and he appeared in two University matches for Oxford. He played 48 matches for Kent. Wisden’s obituary of Bickmore said that “he was one of the great outfields of his day and was equally good at short-leg”, taking 41 catches in those games.

Bickmore was awarded his Kent County cap in 1920 before going up to Magdalen College, Oxford, and winning a cricket Blue. He graduated after two years, completing a special, shortened War degree and became a school teacher, becoming joint Headteacher of Yardley Court with his brother Maurice. This restricted his cricketing appearances and he played only a few matches after the 1923 season. His last first class appearance was in 1929 against Warwickshire at Tunbridge Wells.

He remained Head of Yardley Court until his retirement in the 1970’s, for a time alongside his son John. Amongst his pupils was Bob Woolmer who went on to play for Kent and England. Woolmer recalled that Bickmore “drummed into his charges that the umpire’s decision was final.”

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