Walter Marcon

Walter Marcon (28 March 1824 – 14 November 1875) was an English cleric, noted as a cricketer who played six first-class matches for Oxford University in 1843 and 1844. He had previously established a reputation for extremely fast bowling at Eton College.

Walter Marcon
Personal information
Full nameWalter Marcon
Born(1824-03-28)28 March 1824
Swaffham, Norfolk, England
Died14 November 1875(1875-11-14) (aged 51)
Edgefield, Norfolk, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast (roundarm style)
RoleBowler
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1843–1844Oxford University
First-class debut28 May 1843 Oxford University v MCC
Last First-class5 August 1844 West of England v MCC
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 6
Runs scored 85
Batting average 9.44
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 29
Balls bowled 40
Wickets 0
Bowling average –
5 wickets in innings –
10 wickets in match –
Best bowling –
Catches/stumpings 2/0
Source: CricInfo, 26 October 2008

Schools cricket

Born at Swaffham, Norfolk, Marcon played for the Eton First XI in 1841 and 1842 alongside another fast bowler Harvey Fellows.[1] Marcon's pace was so quick that he warranted three long stops despite the wicketkeeper standing well back.[1]

WG Grace wrote in his book Cricket that Marcon's deliveries would smash a stump if making a direct hit without bouncing first; he reported his father saying that he "could hardly trace the ball" when fielding at point.[1] Marcon once bowled a ball that knocked the bat out of the batsman's hands and through the wicket.[2]

First-class career

Surprisingly given his reputation as a bowler, Marcon took no known wickets in his first-class career. Bowling analyses were rarely compiled at the time and bowlers were not credited with wickets which fell to catches.

Marcon went up to Worcester College, Oxford in 1842,[3] and joined the Oxford University team in 1843, making his debut against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on 24 May at Bullingdon Green near Oxford. Batting third, he scored 2 in the first innings and was run out for a duck in the second.[4] That was his only match in 1843.

In 1844, he played against MCC at the Magdalen Ground on 30 May, scoring 15 and 5.[5] He then played for West of England at Lord's on 24 June, making no score in either innings.[6] He scored another duck followed by his career best 29 playing for Oxford against MCC at Lord's on 27 June.[7]

In the University Match against Cambridge University at Lord's on 4 July, he scored 24 and 8 not out.[8] His final match was for West of England against MCC at Bath, Somerset on 5 August, when he scored 2 and was not out without scoring in the second innings. His bowling analysis was recorded in this match: he took no wickets for 8 runs from 40 balls.[9]

Later life

Marcon abandoned cricket after he left Oxford to become a vicar in Cornwall and eventually the Rector of Edgefield in his native Norfolk. He married Caroline Eliza Hayes Middleton in about 1847, and they had seven children.[10] Walter Marcon died in Edgefield in 1875.[1] The couple's eldest child, also called Walter, succeeded his father as Rector of Edgefield and served there from the 1870s to the 1930s.[10]

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References
  1. David Frith, The Fast Men, Transworld Publishing, 1975; p.40-41.
  2. Derek Birley, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum Press, 1999; p.69.
  3. Foster, Joseph (1888–1892). "Marcon, Walter" . Alumni Oxonienses: the Members of the University of Oxford, 1715–1886. Oxford: Parker and Co – via Wikisource.
  4. "Oxford University v Marylebone Cricket Club". Cricket Archive. 1843. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  5. "Oxford University v Marylebone Cricket Club". Cricket Archive. 1844. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  6. "Marylebone Cricket Club v West". Cricket Archive. 1844. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  7. "Marylebone Cricket Club v Oxford University". Cricket Archive. 1844. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  8. "Oxford University v Cambridge University". Cricket Archive. 1844. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  9. "West v Marylebone Cricket Club". Cricket Archive. 1844. Retrieved 26 October 2008.
  10. "Walter Marcon". RootsWeb. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
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