Douglas James Image 2 Middlesex 1896

Description

Norwood Green, Middlesex born James Douglas was educated at Dulwich College, and he was in the Dulwich Cricket XI for five years from 1885. In 1889, when captain, he hit 166 against Brighton College, finishing the season with a batting average of 58.66. From Dulwich he went up to Selwyn College, Cambridge University, where he won three Blues for cricket as a right-handed batsman and a slow left-arm bowler between 1892 and 1894. He made his first class debut in 1892, and first played for Middlesex in 1893. Described as an all-round cricketer “considerably above the average”, he made 119 for Cambridge University against Sussex in 1895.

He became a master at Dulwich College and later had his own school at Godalming, Surrey, The Hillside School, in 1905. From 1893 till 1913 he assisted Middlesex during the school summer holidays, opening the batting first as partner to A.E. Stoddart and later to Pelham Warner. In 1896 he and Stoddart shared in three three figure opening stands in a fortnight – 178 against Yorkshire at Bradford, 158 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, and 166 against Kent at Lord’s. His highest innings for Middlesex was 204 against Gloucestershire at Bristol in 1903. Four years later at Taunton, when scoring 180 against Somerset, he helped in three big partnerships – 110 in 50 minutes with Warner for the first wicket, 103 in 55 minutes with H.A. Milton for the second, and 155 in 65 minutes with Frank Tarrant for the third.

He was a member of the Gentlemen’s team who beat The Players by an innings and 39 runs at Lord’s in 1894, when F.S. Jackson and Sammy Woods, bowling unchanged in both innings, gained match figures of 12-77 and 6-124 respectively.

In all first class cricket, Douglas scored 9,099 runs at an average of 29.67 in 107 first class matches between 1892 and 1913, scoring 15 centuries and 36 half centuries. He took 58 wickets with his bowling at an average of 29.86 a piece, and twice took five wickets in an innings, with a best return of 5-45. He also took 179 catches in the first class game.

During the First World War he served as a lieutenant in the Middlesex Regiment.

His brothers A.P., Robert and Sholto also played first class cricket, as did his brother-in-law RH Juckes. Of his brothers, Robert was the most successful, playing 75 matches at the level for Surrey, Middlesex and Cambridge University.