Druitt the Cricketer

[Sam Flynn]

Good grief, Mark - and I suppose the 17th man

...whose name must have been "Louis".

[Chris George]

I would say that Mark is correct in that Col. Druitt is Montie's brother Edward, who was an avid cricketer.

Thanks, Andy. It seems then that he was the Lt. Col. Edward Druitt, Royal Engineers, who was later a railways inspector, correct? I found a photograph of him at Major Edward Druitt of the Royal Engineers, ca. 1889

Chris

[aspallek]

Quite right, Chris. He was pretty well disinherited by the family, if I remember correctly, not out of spite but because he chose a military career and further financial support was considered unnecessary.

Thanks for the photo. I don't remember ever having seen it. There is a photo of him as an older man, I believe, in Leighton. Not too much of a resemblance to Montie, is there?

[Chris George]

Quite right, Chris. He was pretty well disinherited by the family, if I remember correctly, not out of spite but because he chose a military career and further financial support was considered unnecessary.

Thanks for the photo. I don't remember ever having seen it. There is a photo of him as an older man, I believe, in Leighton. Not too much of a resemblance to Montie, is there?

Hi Andy

Actually I thought there was a family resemblance between Monty and his younger brother. Or maybe it's the moustache and the high forehead that make them seem similar to me.

Chris

[aspallek]

The shape of the face is the same but the eyes look very different to me. Of course, Edward is wearing his hair differently and then there is the mustache. Actually, I think Edward looks more like his eldest brother, William Harvey.

[m_w_r]

Col. Druitt is Montie's brother Edward, who was an avid cricketer.

Hi everyone -

In fact, Edward seems, like his brother, to have been interested in a range of sports. Here is an extract from the Times, 15 November 1880, in which Eddie is playing in goal for the Royal Engineers in a first round FA Cup tie.



Both of the Engineers' inside-forwards, Wingfield-Stratford and Von Donop, played for England; both were also in the 1875 cup-winning side.

With regard to the report posted, the Engineers won the replay against Remnants 1-0, and went on to reach the fourth round of the competition, where they lost 2-1 to the eventual cup-winners, Old Carthusians. Nil-nil draws seem to have been the exception rather than the norm in that year's first round, however; other more remarkable scorelines included the following:

Brentwood 0 - 10 Old Etonians
Darwen 8 - 0 Brigg
Mosquitoes 1 - 8 Upton Park
Old Carthusians 7 - 0 Saffron Walden
Spilsby 0 - 7 Stafford Road
St Peters 1 - 8 Hendon

and, most wonderful of all,

Clapham Rovers 15 - 0 Finchley.

Regards,

Mark

[Johnr]

,
Montague Druitt would certainly have known Lord Wimborne, according to John Leighton's book on Druitt ( page 102), MJD frequently played cricket at the grounds in Canford Manor.
The other name which interests me is "General Thring", mentioned by Jeff on the "Royal Visit" Druitt thread. There is a Thring (I think an " E.Thring ") who figures in MJDs circle. I think he was a fellow bowler in some of ....(demonstrating the immediacy of these boards, I have just consulted the cricket score cards at the end of Leighton's book and yes, another member of the Incogniti was an "A.T.Thring" that was in July, 1883).
From memory, a certain bowler named Thring figured in a cricket match detailed on another Druitt thread recently.
Ahah, I've found an "Arthur T. Thring" who gained a 2nd Class pass in Classical Moderns at New College in 1880, and "2cl" in 1883.
Another, "Christopher B. Thring ", went to Winchester in the Short Half Term 1870. And graduated at New College in 2cl Mod in 1878 and 3 Jur in 1880.
JOHN RUFFELS.

[Johnr]

The other cricketing Thring is mentioned in Andy Spallek's first post on this thred. Curiously, no initial. But he bowled MJD who was caught out by someone else.
Thart was in a Marylebone versus Wiltshire game in August 1885. Confusingly,
MJD played for the former, Thring for the latter. JOHN RUFFELS.

[m_w_r]

Cricketing Thrings

Hi John -

These are the Thrings in the database at cricketarchive.com:

Charles Henry Meredith Thring (1861-1939):

• Wiltshire (1885)
  Marylebone Cricket Club (1889-1895)
  Marlborough Blues (1892)
  Bedfordshire (1894-1896)

Lionel Charles Reginald Thring (1863-1934):

• Wiltshire (1882-1885)
  Bedfordshire (1891-1896)

Llewellyn C W Thring (1867-?):

• WH Laverton's XI (1889)
  Bedfordshire (1894-1895)

Theodore Thring (1816-1891):

• Marylebone Cricket Club (1840)

T G Thring (?-?):

• Worcestershire (1881)

Edit: cricketarchive.com informs me that it was CHM Thring who took Monty's wicket at Trowbridge in 1885 (see post #1).

Regards,

Mark

[Johnr]

Thanks Mark,
Excellent stuff.
Thrings aint wot they used ter be......Now you can call up their details almost immediately!
One day we hard working ferrets will be definitely Old Hat. No-one will understand the creak of a microfilm reader- or its rattle- or its contankerousness. JOHN RUFFELS.

[aspallek]

Just a note to say that I found an account of the MCC playing a two day match at Portsmouth August 31-Sept 1 1888. However, Montague Druitt did not participate so no alibi there.

[c.d.]

Wasn't someone supposed to be coming out with relaible information concerning Druitt's matches that virtually clears him or did I misinterpret that? What's the story with that?

c.d.

[Magpie]

Just a note to say that I found an account of the MCC playing a two day match at Portsmouth August 31-Sept 1 1888. However, Montague Druitt did not participate so no alibi there.

Hi Andy.

Druitt wouldn't have done--he was no longer a member of the MCC by 1888, although his brother was.

[Sam Flynn]

Druitt wouldn't have [participated in the MCC match at Portsmouth on 31st Aug/1st Sept 1888] -- he was no longer a member of the MCC by 1888.

Hi Mags,

Being an avid cricketer, though, that might not have stopped him from being a keen follower of the team. It would be speculative to suggest that he was there as a spectator and socialising with the "chaps" between innings, but that sort of thing did, and still does, go on - so it's not inconceivable. When the weather's nice, watching a game of cricket by the sea sounds like my idea of a good time, anyway

[Magpie]

Good point, Sam.

I was just pointing out that Druitt wouldn't have played for the MCC in 1888