Lionel Maury Ross Deas (8 February 1872 – 8 January 1913) was an English first-class cricketer and an officer in both the British Army and the British Indian Army.

Lionel Deas
Personal information
Full name
Lionel Maury Ross Deas
Born8 February 1872
Macclesfield, Derbyshire, England
Died8 January 1913(1913-01-08) (aged 40)
Budleigh Salterton, Devon, England
BattingUnknown
BowlingUnknown
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1895/96–1906/07Europeans
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 9
Runs scored 86
Batting average 6.61
100s/50s –/–
Top score 31
Balls bowled 1,978
Wickets 46
Bowling average 14.45
5 wickets in innings 4
10 wickets in match 1
Best bowling 8/91
Catches/stumpings 15/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 20 November 2021

The son of Peter Maury Deas, a doctor, he was born at Macclesfield in February 1872.[1] He attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, graduating into the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry as a second lieutenant in May 1892.[2] Promotion to lieutenant followed in October 1893,[3] Soon after he served in British India and was seconded to the Indian Staff Corps in September 1896.[4] While in British India he played first-class cricket for the Europeans cricket team between 1895 and 1906, making nine appearances.[5] A skilled bowler, he took 46 wickets in his nine first-class matches at an average of 14.45. He took a five wicket haul on four occasions and took ten wickets in a match once, with his best innings bowling figures being 8 for 91.[6] He notably dismissed the Test cricketer Ranjitsinhji for ducks in both innings in a minor match while playing for Pune Gymkhana on a pitch described as "soaked by heavy rain".[7][8]

Deas saw action during the Boxer Rebellion with the Indian Supply and Transport Corps, during which he was mentioned in dispatches in May 1901 for his command of a Commissariat Depot at Tungchou.[9] He participated in the American–led China Relief Expedition during the conflict, for which he was made a member of the Military Order of the Dragon.[10] Holding the rank of captain by 1902, he was appointed a special service officer in the British Indian Army in October of that year.[11] He was made a brevet major in September 1904 in recognition of his service in the Somaliland campaign against the Dervishes led by Diiriye Guure.[12] later gaining the rank in full in May 1910.[13] Deas later returned to England, where he died in Devon at Budleigh Salterton in January 1913.[14]

References

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  1. ^ Lodge, Edmund (1907). The Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage & Companionage of the British Empire. Paul Barbey Press. p. 1522.
  2. ^ "No. 26288". The London Gazette. 17 May 1892. p. 2906.
  3. ^ "No. 26462". The London Gazette. 28 November 1893. p. 6988.
  4. ^ "No. 26815". The London Gazette. 19 January 1897. p. 341.
  5. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Lionel Deas". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  6. ^ "First-Class Bowling For Each Team by Lionel Deas". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  7. ^ Sen, Ronojoy (2015). Nation at Play: A History of Sport in India. Columbia University Press. p. 84. ISBN 9780231539937.
  8. ^ Rodrigues, Mario (2015). Batting for the Empire: A Political Biography of Ranjitsinhji. Penguin Books. p. 231. ISBN 9780143029519.
  9. ^ "No. 27313". The London Gazette. 14 May 1901. p. 3280.
  10. ^ Military Order of the Dragon, 1900-1911. Press of B. S. Adams. 1912. p. 61. ISBN 9780143029519.
  11. ^ "No. 27603". The London Gazette. 6 October 1903. p. 6091.
  12. ^ "No. 27711". The London Gazette. 6 September 1904. p. 5776.
  13. ^ "No. 28392". The London Gazette. 5 July 1910. p. 4781.
  14. ^ Obituaries. Army and Navy Gazette. 18 January 1913. p. 21
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