Charles James Knott (26 November 1914 – 27 February 2003) was an English first-class cricketer. Knott was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off-break and right-arm medium pace.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Charles James Knott | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 26 November 1914 Southampton, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 27 February 2003 (aged 88) Southampton, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off-break Right-arm medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1938–1954 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1951–1957 | Marylebone Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 21 February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
editKnott was born in Southampton in November 1914.[1] He was educated at Taunton's School,[1] where he developed first as a footballer before turning to cricket. On leaving school he went into his father's fishmonger's business; his father, Charles Knott senior, was an important figure in Southampton during the 1930s, having built the Banister Court Stadium for greyhound racing and motor-cycle racing alongside the county cricket ground. Within a year or so of going into the business, Charles junior was in charge of the fishmonger's.[1] Despite his work for the family business, he found time for cricket on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons, and soon began to turn in excellent performances bowling medium-pace for Deanery Cricket Club in the Southampton League. He also helped Phil Mead's son to operate the scoreboard at the county cricket ground.[1]
Cricket career
editPre-war beginning
editFollowing strong performances as a medium pace bowler in club cricket,[2] Knott received a phone call from Hampshire in July 1938 inviting him to play against Kent at Canterbury in the County Championship.[1] He got off to a promising start, dismissing Arthur Fagg to claim his maiden first-class wicket, and had it not been for a series of dropped catches off his bowling, Knott may well have ended with better bowling figures than 1 for 92.[1] Knott made nine first-class appearances during his debut season,[3] but took just one wicket in his first two matches, which prompted him to cut the pace at which he delivered the ball and add off spin to it.[2][1] His change of bowling style bought him immediate success upon its introduction in his third match on a turning pitch against Gloucestershire,[4] with Knott taking figures of 5 for 51.[2] He ended his debut season with 21 wickets at an average of 31.33.[5] The following season, he made seven first-class appearances,[3] taking 35 wickets at an average of 23.31.[5] Against Surrey at Portsmouth, he took figures of 8 for 85.[6] He gained his county cap at the end of the 1939, but with the outbreak of the Second World War, it would be seven years before he would wear it on a cricket field.[6]
Knott was called-up for service twice during the war, but was invalided from active service by stomach ulcers;[4] the condition necessitated Knott to drink a glass of milk at the end of each day.[1] He appeared in exhibition cricket matches during the war, playing for a British Empire XI.[1] He spent the war working at the family's fish stall in the city's market.[7]
Post-war playing career
editKnott returned to play for Hampshire upon the resumption of first-class cricket in 1946. Making 25 first-class appearances throughout the season,[3] he took 121 wickets at an average of 18.47, a tally which included twelve five wicket hauls and ten-wickets in a match on three occasions.[5] His most notable performance during the 1946 came against the touring Indians, when he took match figures of 10 for 100.[4][8] His performances established him as the leading off-spinner in county cricket, and drew the attention of the England selectors,[1] who played Knott in the England vs The Rest match at Canterbury that season.[3] However, he was overlooked for England's winter Ashes tour to Australia in favour of leg spinner Peter Smith, who was adjudged to be a better batsman.[1] The 1946 season marked Knott's first appearance in the Gentlemen v Players fixture,[3] with him representing the Gentlemen. By the 1947 season, Knott had been appointed vice-captain to Desmond Eagar.[9] He was beset by injury in 1947,[1] making just thirteen first-class appearances as a result.[3] With emergence of Jim Laker, coupled with his injury problems, Knott fell out of the reckoning for a Test cap.[1]
Knott overcame his injury struggles ahead of the 1948 season, in which he made 23 first-class appearances.[3] He took a hundred wickets in a season for the second time, with 101 at an average of 24.89, whilst claiming seven five wicket hauls.[5] One of his most noteworthy performances in 1948 came against the touring Australians in June, when he took 5 for 57 to help dismiss the tourists for 117.[1] In August, he took his career best figures to date, with 8 for 79 against Nottinghamshire.[10] In the proceeding season he once again took 101 wickets, this time at an average of 26.90, whilst taking six five wicket hauls.[5] In July and August 1949, he deputised as captain in place of the injured Eagar in three matches.[11][12] During the 1950 season Knott once again passed a hundred wickets for the season, taking 111 from 30 matches at an average of 23.19, with seven five wicket hauls.[5] Playing his second match for the Gentlemen against the Players in 1950, he took a hat-trick when the Players were only 36 runs from victory, which steered the match toward a draw.[4] Having taken over a hundred wickets for the fourth time in five seasons, talk of his inclusion in the England team once again began, but his inclusion was not forthcoming,[13] which Wisden proffered was again due to what was perceived as his inferior batting and fielding when compared to his contemporaries.[4]
The 1951 season was the first time since 1947 that Knott did not take a hundred wickets in a season, claiming 80 from 25 matches at an average of 23.47.[5] In June, he took what would become his career-best figures of 8 for 26 against Cambridge University.[14] At the beginning of the season, Knott made two appearances for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Yorkshire and Surrey.[3] As his career progressed, he found himself becoming more heavily involved in the running of the fishmongers business and the Banister Court Stadium, which impacted his availability and performances.[1] As a result he made just five first-class appearances in 1952,[3] a year in which speculation began that he could replace Eagar, who was rumoured to be returning to his native Gloucester, as captain; ultimately, Eagar would remain Hampshire captain until 1957.[15] Following a strong start to the 1953 season, in which he had successfully taken advantage of the good spin-bowling conditions which were on offer,[16] Knott stood on the ball during a match against Leicestershire in mid-May, injuring his foot and ruling him out for five weeks.[17] He returned later in the season, making four appearances in July and August,[3] and ended the season with 38 wickets at an average of 13.71.[5] His final season came in 1954, in which he made three appearances in the County Championship; his final appearance was a mirror of his debut, with the opponents being Kent.[3] His final first-class match in 1957, for the MCC against Scotland at Aberdeen.[3]
Role as an administrator
editSpeedway
editPersonal life and death
editFollowing the opening of Hampshire's new home at the Rose Bowl in 2001, Knott would attend matches at the venue when his health allowed.[7] Knott died at Southampton, Hampshire on 27 February 2003.[1] His funeral took place at Highfield Church.[7] He was survived by his wife, Iris, and their two daughters.[18] A housing estate near the old county ground at Southampton, built on the site of the speedway stadium, was named "Charles Knott Gardens", in tribute to both father and son.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Charles Knott". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 March 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Allen, Dave. "Born On This Day: 26th November". www.utilitabowl.com. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "First-Class Matches played by Charlie Knott". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Wisden – Obituaries index: K–0". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "First-Class Bowling in Each Season by Charlie Knott". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Charles Knott". The Times. No. 67707. London. 11 March 2003. p. 33. Retrieved 24 July 2024 – via Gale.
- ^ a b c "Tributes paid to man known as Mr Cricket". Daily Echo. Southampton. 1 March 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
- ^ "Hampshire v Indians, India in British Isles 1946". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Mr. J. Walsh Retires as Captain alter 15 Years". New Milton Advertiser. 5 April 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 25 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Nottinghamshire v Hampshire, County Championship 1948". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "CJ Knott as captain in first-class matches where team is Hampshire". CricketArchive. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ^ "Hampshire's disastrous start". Portsmouth Evening News. 23 July 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 26 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Our Test team should be". Portsmouth Evening News. 23 May 1949. p. 9. Retrieved 26 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Hampshire v Cambridge University, University Match 1951". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Surridge fury is Kent's woe". Sunday Mirror. London. 13 July 1952. p. 14. Retrieved 27 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Cricket". Bristol Evening Post. 16 May 1953. p. 20. Retrieved 27 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Bad news for Hants". Portsmouth Evening News. 18 May 1953. p. 12. Retrieved 27 July 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Tribute to speedway 'guardian'". Dorset Echo. Weymouth. 5 March 2003. Retrieved 27 July 2024.