John William Jackson Steele MBE (30 July 1905 — 29 March 1990) was an English first-class cricketer and military chaplain.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John William Jackson Steele | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 July 1905 Wistaston, Cheshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 29 March 1990 (aged 84) Powderham, Devon, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1938–1939 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 23 December 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Steele was born in July 1905 at Wistaston, Cheshire. He undertook his religious studies at St Aidan's College, being ordained at Chester Cathedral in February 1929.[1] He joined the Royal Army Chaplains' Department in July 1931, being granted the rank of Chaplain to the Forces 4th Class.[2] While based as a chaplain in Winchester,[3] Steele made his debut in first-class cricket for Hampshire against Gloucestershire at Portsmouth in the 1938 County Championship.[4] His debut was somewhat successful, with Steele scoring 73 runs across two innings and taking match figures of 7 for 144. His maiden season in county cricket saw him play thirteen matches and take 39 wickets at an average of 24.87, with one five wicket haul.[3] Steele also made a single first-class appearance for the British Army cricket team against Oxford University in 1938, before making a further appearance for the Army against Cambridge University in 1939.[4] He made a further five appearances for Hampshire in the 1939 County Championship,[4] taking 18 wickets with best figures of 6 for 62 against Warwickshire, which was one of two five wicket hauls he took in 1939.[3] Despite a strong start to the 1939 season, it was noted by Wisden that he "went lame" and could no longer play.[3] In seventeen first-class appearances for Hampshire, he took 57 wickets at an average of 26.64;[5] as a lower order batsman, he scored 406 runs at a batting average of 16.91, with a highest score of 44.[6]
Steele served in the Second World War as a chaplain, during which he was made an OBE in September 1943 and an MBE in October 1945, the latter in recognition of gallantry and distinguished service in North-West Europe.[7][8] Steele died in March 1990 at Powderham, Devon.[3]
References edit
- ^ "Ordination". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 25 February 1929. p. 13. Retrieved 30 June 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "No. 33731". The London Gazette. 30 June 1931. p. 4247.
- ^ a b c d e "Wisden - Obituaries in 1990". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "First-Class Matches played by John Steele". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "First-Class Bowling For Each Team by John Steele". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by John Steele". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "No. 36180". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 September 1943. p. 4214.
- ^ "No. 37302". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 October 1945. p. 4990.