Frank Hopkins (cricketer)

Frank Hopkins
Personal information
Full name
Frank Jesse Hopkins
Born(1875-06-30)30 June 1875
Kings Norton, Worcestershire, England
Died15 January 1930(1930-01-15) (aged 54)
Southampton, Hampshire, England
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingLeft-arm medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1898–1903Warwickshire
1906–1911Hampshire
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 14
Runs scored 44
Batting average 2.75
100s/50s –/–
Top score 13
Balls bowled 1,562
Wickets 29
Bowling average 32.41
5 wickets in innings 1
10 wickets in match –
Best bowling 5/10
Catches/stumpings 3/–
Source: Cricinfo, 1 February 2010

Frank Jesse Hopkins (30 June 1875 – 15 January 1930) was an English first-class cricketer and groundskeeper.

Hopkins was born in June 1875 at Kings Norton, Worcestershire. He made his debut in first-class cricket for Warwickshire against Lancashire at Liverpool in the 1898 County Championship.[1] His initial matches aroused suspicion around his bowling action, with the Lancashire Evening Post reporting that his deliveries were regarded as suspicious on debut. The Leeds Mercury similarly noted this, reporting how other players realised that his bowling action was open to serious question.[2] This suspicion culminated in him being called for throwing by umpire Valentine Titchmarsh in his sixth match of 1898 against Kent at Tonbridge.[3] Soon after, he was dropped from the team and played only three further matches for Warwickshire in 1898. The nine matches he did play in saw Hopkins take 24 wickets average of 29.91, with best figures of 5 for 10 against Kent in his second match.[4] Hopkins did not play for Warwickshire in 1899, featuring only twice more against Essex in the 1900 County Championship and Surrey in the 1903 County Championship.[1]

In 1904, he became engaged as head groundsman at the County Ground in Southampton.[5] Whilst engaged at Southampton, he made two appearances in first-class cricket for Hampshire against Surrey in the 1906 County Championship, and Yorkshire in the 1911 County Championship.[1] During his time at Hampshire, he became one of the most renowned groundsmen in the country,[5] and prior to the First World War, he turned down the opportunity to become the head groundsman at Lord's.[6] During the war, he helped to organise exhibition matches against both British and overseas armed forces sides to raise money for the Red Cross Fund.[7] He celebrated 18 years service with Hampshire in 1922, for which he was recognised with a testimonial during a home match at Southampton against Nottinghamshire.[8][9] In later life, Hopkins suffered from ill-health, spending part of 1923 recovering from a serious illness.[10] Hopkins died at Southampton in January 1930, following a six-week illness.[11] He was laid to rest at Hollybrook Cemetery, with his funeral attended by many cricketers.[12]

  1. ^ a b c "First-Class Matches played by Frank Hopkins". CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Kent v Warwickshire". Leeds Mercury. 27 June 1898. p. 7. Retrieved 16 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ "Frank Hopkins". www.oldebor.wordpress.com. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  4. ^ "First-Class Bowling For Each Team by Frank Hopkins". CricketArchive. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Wisden - Obituaries in 1930". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  6. ^ "A to Z (H14)". www.hampshirecrickethistory.wordpress.com. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Cricket". Hampshire Observer and Basingstoke News. Basingstoke. 18 September 1915. p. 2. Retrieved 16 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ Walter, Simon (3 May 2012). "The ups and downs of Hampshire's groundsman". Daily Echo. Southampton. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Today's match". Hampshire Advertiser. Southampton. 1 July 1922. p. 11. Retrieved 16 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ^ "Jesse Hopkins". Hampshire Advertiser. Southampton. 1 December 1923. p. 5. Retrieved 16 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Groundsman's death". Portsmouth Evening News. 16 January 1930. p. 14. Retrieved 16 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ^ "The late Jesse Hopkin's". Hampshire Advertiser. Southampton. 25 January 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 16 August 2023 – via British Newspaper Archive.