![WG Grace [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://petesfavouritethings.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/w-_g-_grace_cricketer_by_herbert_rose_barraud.jpg)
[Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
William Gilbert Grace was born in 1848 near Bristol and attended medical school there and later in London, finally qualifying in 1878. This had taken much longer than normal as he had to fit in his medical training around his already blossoming cricket career.
In all he played first class cricket for 44 years, playing 878 first class matches (both records). He played in only 22 test matches scoring 2 centuries and taking 9 wickets, which suprised me as I had imagined that all of these numbers would have been higher. In first class cricket he scored 126 centuries and took 2864 wickets. He excelled at all parts of the game but it is for his batting that he is remembered.
In addition he was a champion 440 yd hurdler; played football for the Wanderers, a club which won the FA Cup 3 times in the 1870’s and also played golf,bowls and curling.
One interesting thing I discovered was that when he retired from first class cricket he came to live about 1 mile from my current house and continued to paly for the local cricket team well into his 60’s.
The statue of WG Grace at Lord’s is in a quiet graden area near the Museum.
Photo by askbal (https://www.flickr.com/photos/askbal/)
The main gate is also in his memory
Grace Gate
phot by West End (https://www.flickr.com/photos/thewestend/)
Pete's Favourite Things 