Sir H. D. G. Leveson Gower

Leveson Gower in the late 1890s
Personal information
Full name	Henry Dudley Gresham Leveson Gower
Born	(1873-05-08)8 May 1873 Limpsfield, Surrey, England
Died	1 February 1954(1954-02-01) (aged 80) Kensington, London, England
Nickname	Shrimp
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right arm leg break
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 166)	1 January 1910 v South Africa
Last Test	3 March 1910 v South Africa
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1895 – 1920	Surrey
1893 – 1896	Oxford University
Career statistics
Competition	Tests	First-class
Matches	3	277
Runs scored	95	7,638
Batting average	23.75	23.72
100s/50s	0/0	4/42
Top score	31	155
Balls bowled	0	2,261
Wickets	–	46
Bowling average	–	29.95
5 wickets in innings	–	3
10 wickets in match	–	0
Best bowling	–	6/49
Catches/stumpings	1/–	103/–
Source: Cricinfo, 11 November 2008

Sir Henry Dudley Gresham Leveson Gower (pronounced /ˈluːsən ˈɡɔər/ "Loosen Gore"; 8 May 1873 in Titsey Place, Surrey – 1 February 1954 in London) was an English cricketer who played for Oxford University and Surrey as well as England. He was the seventh son of Granville William Gresham Leveson-Gower JP DL FSA, by his wife The Hon Sophia Leveson Gower LJStJ (née Leigh).

He captained England in all three of the Test matches he played, winning one and losing two against South Africa in 1909/10, with Frederick Fane captaining on the other two Test matches of the series.

He was captain of Surrey from 1908 to 1910, and the club's president from 1929 to 1939. He was an England Test selector in 1909, and chairman of selectors in 1924 and from 1927 to 1930.^[1] Leveson Gower was knighted for his services to cricket in 1953. In the same year he published a book of reminiscences entitled Off and On the Field. For fifty years he played a major role in organising the Scarborough Festival which takes place at the end of each English cricket season.^[2]

Leveson Gower was nicknamed "Shrimp" but few cricket sources refer to him by anything other than his initials. During a tour of America in 1897 organised by Plum Warner^[3] that Leveson Gower took part in, the Philadelphian journalist Ralph D. Paine published the following piece of humorous verse concerning the pronunciation of his surname:

At one end stocky Jessop frowned,

The human catapult

Who wrecks the roofs of distant towns

When set in his assault.

His mate was that perplexing man

We know as "Looshun-Gore",

It isn’t spelt at all that way,

We don’t know what it’s for.

But as with Cholmondeley and St. John^[4]

The alphabet is mixed,

And Yankees cannot help but ask -

"Why don't you get it fixed?"^[5]

Notes[link]

1. ^ The Cricket Captains of England, Alan Gibson, 1989, The Pavilion Library, ISBN 1-85145-390-3, p112
2. ^ Barclays World of Cricket - 2nd Edition, 1980, Collins Publishers, ISBN 0-00-216349-7, p183.
3. ^ Warner's Wisden obituary refers
4. ^ Pronounced Chumly and Sinjun respectively
5. ^ The Cricket Captains of England, Alan Gibson, 1989, The Pavilion Library, ISBN 1-85145-390-3, p114

External reference[link]

• www.burkespeerage.com
• Cricinfo page on H D G Leveson Gower

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