Pougher Dick Image 1 Leicestershire 1895

Description

Humberstone, Leicester born right-arm fast-medium bowler Dick Pougher was an excellent all-round cricketer who played for Leicestershire making his County debut in 1886. He bowled with a high delivery and a break-back, combined with skilful variation of pace. In his debut season he took match figures of 13-54, including 6-10 in one innings, against Surrey at Leicester and then took 7-8 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. From 1887 until 1909 he was a member of the M.C.C. groundstaff at Lord’s, and he took part in two tours overseas, visiting Australia with Arthur Shrewsbury’s Team in 1887-88 and South Africa under the captaincy of Mr. W.W. Read’s in 1891-2.

In 1887 he took a hat-trick for Marylebone Cricket Club (M.C.C.) against Cambridge University at Lord’s and 8-81 against Essex at Leicester. Selected to tour with Arthur Shrewsbury’s team that winter, he took 6-14 against Queensland at Brisbane.

In 1888 he continued his notable feats. These included 10-71 against The Australians at Leicester as the County won the match by 30 runs, 6-15 against Derbyshire at Leicester, 6-13 against Essex at Leyton and 13-104 against Surrey at Leicester. In 1890 he took 8-115 against Warwickshire at Leicester 13-41, including 8-18, for Leicestershire against The M.C.C. at Lord’s. After taking a hat-trick in the same match, returning 8-52 the following year, he went to South Africa on the winter tour and made his Test match debut against South Africa in Cape Town in March 1892, taking 3-26 in his only innings with the ball and making 17 in his only innings with the bat as England won by an innings and 189 runs. The match proved his only Test match appearance for England.

He continued to produce a string of notable performances with the ball, including 8-48 against Essex at Leyton in 1892, the next season taking 5-15 against Surrey at Leicester, 13-86 against Hampshire at Leicester and 14-84 in the return fixture at Southampton. In 1894 he took 7-17 against The South Africans at Leicester, 14-89 in the match including 8-60 against Essex at Leyton, and 8-40 against Surrey at Leicester. In 1895 he took 9-34 for an England XI against Surrey at The Oval, and 8-85 against Yorkshire at Leicester, playing the following year for  Earl de la Warr’s XI against The Australians.

His greatest moment came when he took five Australian wickets for no runs in fifteen balls with his deceptive off spin for M.C.C. at Lord’s in June 1896. The tourists were bundled out for a humiliating 18. Unfamiliar with Pougher’s bowling they failed to realise that he kept the ball lower and turned it less than seemed possible with his strong finger and wrist action. He took 8-151 for M.C.C. against Worcestershire at Lord’s in 1900.

In games of less note he took 11-18 for R. G. Barlow’s XI v. XXII of Blackpool and District in 1889, and (in conjunction with F. Martin, of Kent) claimed eight wickets in nine balls for Mr. W. W. Read’s Team v. XXII of the Country Clubs at Cape Town in 1891-2, each player taking four in succession. In a twelve-a-side match at Streatham in July, 1892, whilst playing for M.C.C. v. Streatham he took all eleven wickets for 37 runs.

A very capable batsman, in 163 first class matches he scored 4,555 runs at an average of 18.59, with 5 centuries and 13 half centuries and a highest score of 114 against Derbyshire at Derby in 1896. With his bowling he took 535 first class wickets at 19.02 apiece, with 7 ten wicket matches and 31 five wicket innings, also taking 98 catches.

Pougher was awarded a benefit by Leicestershire against Yorkshire at Leicester in 1900 before retiring in 1901, and later The M.C.C. also gave him a benefit with the Middlesex against Kent match at Lord’s in 1910.

After retirement he took up umpiring and stood in 49 first class matches. All but two of these were between 1903 and 1909 – the exceptions were one match in Australia in 1888-89 and Leicestershire’s game against The West Indians in 1923. He also officiated in Yorkshire’s game against Kent in July 1904, but this match is not included in the total, as he and fellow umpire William Shrewsbury (brother of Arthur) declared the match void after the first day because of illegal changes made to the pitch.

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