Basil William Rought-Rought (15 September 1904 – 27 October 1995) was an English cricketer. Rought-Rought was a left-handed batsman. He was born at Brandon, Suffolk.

Basil Rought-Rought
Personal information
Full name
Basil William Rought-Rought
Born(1904-09-15)15 September 1904
Brandon, Suffolk, England
Died27 October 1995(1995-10-27) (aged 91)
Brandon, Suffolk, England
BattingLeft-handed
RelationsRodney Rought-Rought (brother)
Desmond Rought-Rought (brother)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1937–1938Minor Counties
1926–1948Norfolk
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 4
Runs scored 229
Batting average 28.62
100s/50s –/2
Top score 61
Balls bowled
Wickets
Bowling average
5 wickets in innings
10 wickets in match
Best bowling
Catches/stumpings 3/–
Source: Cricinfo, 15 August 2012

Rought-Rought made his debut for Norfolk against Hertfordshire in the 1926 Minor Counties Championship. He made 123 appearances in the Minor Counties Championship for Cheshire before World War II.[1] He made his debut in first-class cricket in 1933 for HDG Leveson Gower's XI against Oxford University at The Saffrons, Eastbourne, with him making a further first-class appearance in that season for the team at the same venue against Cambridge University.[2] He scored 129 runs in his two matches, which a high score of 61 against Cambridge University.[3][4] Playing minor counties cricket for Norfolk allowed Rought-Rought to be selected to play for a combined Minor Counties cricket team, with him making his debut for the team in a first-class match against the touring New Zealanders in 1937 at the Rose Brothers Ground, Gainsborough. He made a further first-class appearance for the team in 1938 against Oxford University at the University Parks.[2] In his two first-class matches for the team, he scored 100 runs, with a high score of 50 against the New Zealanders.[2][5]

He served during World War II in the Royal Norfolk Regiment, holding the rank of Lieutenant in 1940. He was captured in France in 1940, spending most of the war as a Prisoner of War. He attempted to escape captivity, but was unsuccessful on his first attempt. In 1945, he made a second attempt at escaping captivity, this time succeeding in his escape and returning to England.[6]

Following World War II, Rought-Rought returned to playing minor counties cricket for Norfolk, making sixteen further appearances, the last of which came against Buckinghamshire in 1948.[1] His brothers, Rodney and Desmond, both played first-class cricket. The three brothers all had long careers for Norfolk, where they encouraged the young Bill Edrich. He later wrote, "many a time they gave me a quiet hint or bit of advice that was invaluable, and which occurred to me many a time afterwards, in the strenuous, hard grind of a Test match".[7]

The brothers' unusual surname originated with their father, who was born Albert William Rought Whitta. His maternal grandfather William Rought left him the family hatters and furriers business in Brandon on the condition that he adopted the surname Rought. He became Albert William Rought-Rought.[8][9]

Basil Rought-Rought died at the place of his birth on 27 October 1995.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Basil Rought-Rought". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "First-Class Matches played by Basil Rought-Rought". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  3. ^ "First-class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Basil Rought-Rought". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  4. ^ "HDG Leveson-Gower's XI v Cambridge University, 1933". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Minor Counties v New Zealanders, 1937". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Brandon at War". brandonatwar.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  7. ^ Bill Edrich, Cricket Heritage, Stanley Paul, London, 1948, p. 210.
  8. ^ "William Rought Ltd., Hatters' Furriers, Brandon". National Archives. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  9. ^ "Whitta Branch". rgreen.org.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
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