Richard Ashley (cricketer)

Richard Ashley (27 October 1902 – 7 August 1974) was a first-class cricketer who played two matches for Somerset County Cricket Club in 1932. He also appeared in two first-class matches in India in the late 1930s, playing for Mysore in the Ranji Trophy and for the Europeans (India) in the Bombay Pentangular Tournament. He was a right-handed batsman and a fast-medium bowler, though it is not known whether he bowled with his right or left hand. A 2017 book states that he was born in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, and died in Bognor Regis, West Sussex; previously it had been thought that he was born at Axbridge and died at Selsey.[1]

Richard Ashley
Personal information
Full nameRichard Ashley
Born(1902-10-27)27 October 1902
Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England
Died7 August 1974(1974-08-07) (aged 71)
Bognor Regis, Sussex, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingUnknown-arm fast-medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1932Somerset
1937–38Mysore
1938–40Europeans (India)
First-class debut1 June 1932 Somerset v Leicestershire
Last First-class15 November 1939 Europeans (India) v Hindus
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 4
Runs scored 61
Batting average 10.16
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 17
Balls bowled 307
Wickets 8
Bowling average 22.50
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 3/26
Catches/stumpings 1/–
Source: CricketArchive, 24 November 2009

Life and military career

The son of a surgeon who later became a medical school inspector, Ashley was educated at Clifton College and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and joined the Wiltshire Regiment as a lieutenant in 1925.[1] He served as aide-de-camp to Sir Charles Innes, governor of Burma, before returning to England in 1930 where his batting and pace bowling in regimental cricket got him noticed by Somerset.[1] He later served in Palestine and before and during the Second World War he was in India, where he was commander of the 7th Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment. After the War, he held posts in England and Germany before he retired in 1956 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.[1]

Cricket career

Ashley made his first-class debut for Somerset in June 1932, making 9 runs in his solitary innings and claiming bowling figures of 1/0 off two overs as Somerset drew with Leicestershire.[2] He appeared again at the end of the same month, making 16 runs and not bowling in the innings and 74 run victory over Essex at Leyton.[3]

He played two first-class matches in India: in 1937–38 he captained Mysore against Madras in the Ranji Trophy and in 1939–40 he captained the Europeans team to a heavy defeat by the Hindus in the Bombay Pentangular Tournament.[4]

References
  1. Stephen Hill and Barry Phillips. Somerset Cricketers, 1919–1939 (2017 ed.). Halsgrove. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-0-85704-306-1.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  2. "Leicestershire v Somerset". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  3. "Essex v Somerset". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 November 2009.
  4. "First-class Matches Played by Richard Ashley". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 December 2017.


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