John Copleston (cricketer)

John Copleston
Personal information
Full name
John Henry Copleston
Born8 August 1841
Lamyatt, Somerset, England
Died22 November 1918(1918-11-22) (aged 77)
Offwell, Devon, England
BattingUnknown
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1860–1862Oxford University
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 7
Batting average 7.00
100s/50s –/–
Top score 5*
Catches/stumpings 1/–
Source: Cricinfo, 14 January 2020

The Reverend John Henry Copleston (8 August 1841 – 22 November 1918) was an English first-class cricketer and clergyman.

The son of The Reverend John Gaius Copleston, he was born in August 1841 at Lamyatt, Somerset. He was educated at Winchester College,[1] before going up to St John's College, Oxford.[2] While studying at Oxford, Copleston played two first-class cricket matches for Oxford University separated by two years. His first match came against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Oxford in 1860, with his second appearance coming at Oxford against the same opposition in 1862.[3] Despite appearing in these matches for Oxford, he did not gain a blue.[4]

After graduating from Oxford, he took holy orders in the Anglican Church. He held several ecclesiastical posts in the West Country, starting at West Buckland, Devon where he was the canon from 1864 to 1868. He moved to Kilkhampton in the neighbouring county of Cornwall in 1868 to take the post of rector, which he held until 1871.[1] He returned to West Buckland in 1871, where he was the rector until 1880. Remaining in Devon, he moved to Offwell in 1880 to take the post of rector there, the fifth member of his family to do so.[4] From 1895 he simultaneously held the post of rural dean for Dunkeswell and Honiton until 1910.[1][4] He served as the rector at Offwell until his death in November 1918.[5] In addition to playing first-class cricket, Copleston was also a leading figure in Devon cricket, playing for the county for thirty years prior to the formation of Devon County Cricket Club. His great-grandfather was Edward Copleston, the Bishop of Llandaff.[4]

  1. ^ a b c Hardy, Henry John (1923). Winchester College, 1867–1920. P. and G. Wells. p. 132. ISBN 1473864194.
  2. ^ Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Copleston, John Henry" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  3. ^ "First-Class Matches played by John Copleston". CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Coldham, James D. (2017). Devon Cricket: Historical and Biographical Pieces. p. 34-42. ISBN 978-1521242414.
  5. ^ "Wisden – Other deaths in 1918". ESPNcricinfo. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 14 January 2020.