Driffield Lancelot Image 1 Northamptonshire 1907

Description

Old, Northamptonshire born left-hand batsman and slow left-arm orthodox Lancelot Driffield was educated at St John’s School, Leatherhead, and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, where he was a football Blue between 1900 and 1902, and a cricket Blue in 1902. He made his first class debut in 1900 and having played for Cambridge University, he played for Northamptonshire in County cricket until 1908.

Driffield was a member of the Northants team that was famously dismissed for the lowest ever score in County Championship cricket, bowled out for 12 in 11.3 overs against Gloucestershire at Gloucester in 1907, for whom George Dennett recorded figures of 8-9, in reply to Gloucestershire’s first innings 60 all out.

He was also heavily involved as Colin Blythe of Kent took 17 wickets in a single day in June 1907 including all 10 Northants first innings wickets. In that match, Driffield having taken 4-50 in Kent’s first innings of 254, Blythe had reduced Northants to 4-7 before Driffield and George Vials came together in a last man stand at 26-9. They put on 34 in 12 overs before Driffield was bowled by Blythe for 10, as Blythe took all 10 Northants wickets for 30 runs. In the second innings Blythe managed 7-18 as Northants were shot out for 39 and a defeat by an innings and 155 runs.

In 61 first class matches, he scored 3 half centuries with a highest score of 56 at an average of 10.77. With his spin bowling, he took 137 wickets at an average of 29.94, within which he managed 6 five wicket innings hauls and once took 10 wickets or more in a match, with a best bowling performance of a rather stunning 7-7.