Stephen Newton

Stephen Cox Newton (21 April 1853 – 16 August 1916) was an English cricketer who represented, and captained, Somerset County Cricket Club in the late 19th century. During a 14-year first-class cricket career, he also represented Cambridge University, Middlesex and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

He made his debut in first-class cricket for Cambridge University, where he was awarded his Blue. He then spent nine seasons playing for Somerset, and captained the side for the last five of those seasons. Working as a schoolmaster at Highgate School in London from 1876–1884, his playing opportunities for the south-western county were limited, and from 1885 he only played first-class cricket at Lord's, representing Middlesex in three matches that season, and appearing for the MCC on nine occasions over six years. He returned to play for Somerset in 1887 and 1890 when they had lost their first-class status. He worked as headmaster of Loudon House School in London for some years from 1888, and died following an operation in 1916 in Ipswich.

Stephen Cox Newton was born on 21 April 1853 in Nailsea, Somerset to Robert Newton and Elizabeth Catherine Cox. He attended Victoria College, Jersey, where he played in the school cricket team for seven summers, from 1866 to 1872, and topped the batting averages in five of those years (1867, 1868, 1869, 1870, and 1872). He also captained the side during his last three years at the school.

On completion of his time at Victoria College, Newton continued his education at Cambridge University, attending Corpus Christi College. He played in the Freshman's match in 1873, in which made scores of two and twelve and took two wickets. A report in the Cambridge Independent Press concluded that very few of the players competing showed promise, and that they would "be surprised if more than two will be awarded their Blues". Accordingly, Newton was not selected for the University team until final year at Cambridge. Despite this, he appeared a number of times during the summer vacation, known at Cambridge as the "long vacation", for the eponymous Cambridge Long Vacation Club, captaining the team in 1875.