Frank Woolley
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Frank Edward Woolley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
27 May 1887 Tonbridge, Kent |
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| Died | 18 October 1978 (aged 91) Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada |
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| Batting style | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Left-arm medium Slow left-arm orthodox |
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| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 163) | 9 August 1909 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 22 August 1934 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1906–1938 | Kent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1909–1930 | MCC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: CricInfo, 11 June 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frank Edward Woolley (27 May 1887 – 18 October 1978) was an English professional cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs, and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20. He is also the only non-wicket-keeper to have held more than 1,000 catches. His batting was remarkable both for his well documented elegance and his rapidity of scoring.
Born at Tonbridge, Kent, Woolley made his debut for Kent in 1906 and fast established himself as a great all-rounder, in County Cricket. No one else scored 2,000 runs and took 100 wickets in a season more often, a feat he performed in 1914 and 1921–23. Only W. G. Grace scored a century and took ten wickets in a match more often. Just as impressive was his consistency, he averaged 40.75 in first-class cricket and scored one thousand runs in a season 28 times, a record equalled only by Grace. On 28 August 1929, Wooley scored his 100th First class century. He was the sixth cricketer to achieve this feat.
According to R. C. Robertson-Glasgow "when you wrote about him, there weren't enough words. In describing a great innings by Woolley, and few of them were not great in artistry, you had to be careful with your adjectives and stack them in little rows, like pats of butter or razor-blades. In the first over of his innings, perhaps, there had been an exquisite off-drive, followed by a perfect cut, then an effortless leg-glide. In the second over the same sort of thing happened; and your superlatives had already gone. The best thing to do was to presume that your readers knew how Frank Woolley batted and use no adjectives at all.....there was all summer in a stroke by Woolley, and he batted as it is sometimes shown in dreams." R. L. Arrowsmith wrote "his average rate of scoring has been exceeded only by Jessop ("the Croucher") and equalled by Trumper. His philosophy was to dominate the bowler. "When I am batting," he said, "I am the attack." To this day his 205-minute triple century for the MCC vs Tasmania remains the second fastest ever scored, bettered only by Denis Compton.
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