Edward Gerald Fleming French DSO (11 December 1883 – 17 September 1970) was an English cricketer and soldier. French was a left-handed batsman, although his bowling style is unknown. He was born in Woburn Sands, Buckinghamshire.

Gerald French
Personal information
Full name
Edward Gerald Fleming French
Born(1883-12-11)11 December 1883
Woburn Sands, Buckinghamshire, England
Died17 September 1970(1970-09-17) (aged 86)
Hove, Sussex, England
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingUnknown
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1924–1927Devon
1922–1936Marylebone Cricket Club
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 10
Batting average 5.00
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 5
Balls bowled 114
Wickets 0
Bowling average
5 wickets in innings
10 wickets in match
Best bowling
Catches/stumpings 0/–
Source: Cricinfo, 16 February 2011

He was the son of John French, 1st Earl of Ypres.[1] Educated at Sandroyd School then Wellington College where he represented the college cricket team, French served in the First World War. He was wounded and gassed in 1917, and was mentioned in dispatches twice. He gained the rank of major in the Yorkshire Regiment. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1918.

French made his first-class debut for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Scotland in 1922.[2] In 1924, he made his Minor Counties Championship debut for Devon against the Surrey Second XI. From 1924 to 1927, he represented the county in 20 Championship matches, the last of which came against the Kent Second XI.[3] Nine years later, he made his second and final first-class appearance for the Marylebone Cricket Club against Ireland at Observatory Lane, Dublin.[4]

Later, French captained and managed many non-first-class Marylebone Cricket Club teams. He wrote two books on cricket, The Corner Stone of English Cricket and It's Not Cricket, and other books including John Jorrocks and Other Characters from the Works of Robert Surtees and The Martyrdom of Admiral Byng.[5]

He was Deputy Governor of Dartmoor Prison and Governor of Newcastle Prison. He married Leila King (d. 1959), daughter of Robert King, of Natal, South Africa. The French sisters, Essex Leila Hilary French and Violet Valerie French were his daughters.[6]

He died in Hove, Sussex, on 17 September 1970.

References

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  1. ^ Fenwick, Simon (2017). Joan: Beauty, Rebel, Muse: The Remarkable Life of Joan Leigh Fermor. Pan Macmillan. p. 31. ISBN 9781509848706. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. ^ First-Class Matches played by Edward French
  3. ^ Minor Counties Championship Matches played by Edward French
  4. ^ First-Class Matches played by Edward French
  5. ^ Wisden 1971, p. 1025.
  6. ^ "Ypres, Earl of (UK, 1922 – 1988)". cracroftspeerage. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
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