Tom Taylor (Yorkshire cricketer)
Tom Launcelot Taylor was an English amateur cricketer, who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club – Yorkshire CCC – during its successful period under Lord Hawke between 1900 and 1902. Taylor was a noted amateur batsman, who retired early - after the 1902 season - as he needed to devote his time to his engineering business and to public life; e.g. as Chairman of the Leeds Infirmary.
Having been heralded as one of the five best cricketers of the 1900 season by Wisdon, it is likely that Taylor would have received England honours had he been able to keep up the game, for he was chosen as 12th man in the rain-ruined Lord's Test match in 1902. Taylor was a fleet-footed and extremely sound middle order batsman, who was especially strong against slow bowling on the many difficult pitches experienced in Yorkshire. Against fast bowling he was not as certain.
Life and career
Tom Launcelot Taylor was born in Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshire, England on 25 May 1878.Taylor began his career as a batsman and wicket-keeper for Uppingham School and his 100 not out against Repton in 1896 gave him a reputation as the best public school batsman in England at the time – a claim amply justified by his average of 84 that year. The following year he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge. Although he played only one match for Cambridge University in 1898, the following year he played regularly, but was disappointing considering his school reputation and was played for his wicket-keeping, which was never required when he joined Yorkshire.
It was his century against the Australians in 1899 that made critics note Taylor's talent, and the following year, in his last year at University, he did so well for Yorkshire that he was named as a Cricketer of the Year by Wisden, reaching 1,000 runs for the first time and playing for The Gentlemen at North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough. The following year, Taylor established himself as one of Yorkshire's best batsmen, with 44 on a treacherous wicket at Leyton Cricket Ground showing him one of the best batsmen on a bad wicket.
In 1902, Taylor batted so well on a succession of difficult pitches that he scored 1,567 runs, including a century for the Gentlemen at Scarborough, and superb innings against Derbyshire and Leicestershire on soft pitches. He was Yorkshire's leading batsman that season, and toured Australia and New Zealand that winter with Lord Hawke's XI, when he was also one of the most successful batsmen. However, after the tour Taylor stayed in Japan during 1903. Yorkshire's batting in that summer really showed what Taylor meant to them on soft or treacherous pitches, and, when he returned to England in 1904, he devoted so much time to his engineering business that he could never spare any time for three-day cricket apart from July and August 1906. His lack of practice clearly showed in thirteen matches played in those months: his average was a modest 21.00 and he only twice reached fifty. Yet, there is little doubt Taylor would still have been of value to Yorkshire could he have spared some time for cricket, especially in wet summers.
By 1908, Taylor had purchased the Gledhow Grange-Hawkhills Estate, near Leeds from the Middleton family to whom he was related; Taylor's mother Georgiana Howe had married Thomas Albert Taylor in 1872. Her sister was Marian Middleton whose son was Robert Carrington Middleton. In June 1916, Taylor was a chief mourner at the funeral of his first cousin Robert Carrington Middleton who had studied engineering at Victoria University, Leeds and had been a Sergeant with Leeds Special Constabulary. Taylor and Middleton competed together in lawn tennis.
In 1927, Taylor was granted life membership by the Yorkshire club along with Stanley Jackson. In 1931, the Yorkshire County first cricket team players accepted an invitation to play against Captain Worsley's eleven at Hovingham Hall. Worsley succeeded Taylor as President of Yorkshire CCC in 1960. In 1947, Taylor had succeeded Jackson as President of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and held office till his death in Leeds in 1960. Besides his cricketing and tennis ability, Taylor also played field hockey, captaining the Cambridge University team.
Recalling their time together as Yorkshire CCC players, in 1930 Wilfred Rhodes wrote that 'Taylor's batting had been invaluable to us'. Taylor himself wrote the foreword to A History Of Yorkshire County Cricket which was published in 1950 by the Yorkshire County Cricket Club of which Taylor was president at that time.