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Tom Spencer (cricketer)

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For the Somerset cricketer and administrator, see Thomas Spencer (cricketer).

Tom Spencer
Personal information
Full name
Thomas William Spencer
Born(1914-03-22)22 March 1914
Deptford, London, England
Died1 November 1995(1995-11-01) (aged 81)
Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
RoleBatsman
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1935–1946Kent
FC debut4 September 1935 Kent v Essex
Last FC7 August 1946 Kent v Somerset
Umpiring information
Tests umpired17 (1954–1978)
ODIs umpired6 (1972–1975)
FC umpired701 (1950–1981)
LA umpired193 (1950–1984)
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 76
Runs scored 2,152
Batting average 20.11
100s/50s 0/12
Top score 96
Balls bowled 30
Wickets 1
Bowling average 19.00
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 1/19
Catches/stumpings 36/–
Source: CricInfo, 17 December 2023
Personal information
Position(s) Winger
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
0000–1933 Hastings & St Leonards
1933 Bexhill
1934–1936 Tunbridge Wells Rangers
1936 Fulham 0 (0)
1936–1937 Lincoln City 4 (1)
1937–1938 Ashford
1938–1939 Sittingbourne
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thomas William Spencer OBE (22 March 1914 – 1 November 1995) was an English first-class sportsman who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and association football for Lincoln City in the Football League. He was later a notable cricket umpire who stood in 17 Test matches and six One Day Internationals.[1]

Cricket career

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Playing

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Spencer played 76 matches for Kent[2] either side of World War II as an attacking batsman. His batting average was 20.11, he took one wicket for 19 runs from the five overs he bowled, and took 36 catches.[3] Although Spencer won his County cap, his career was disrupted by World War II in which he served in the Royal Air Force.[4]

Umpiring

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At the suggestion of Frank Chester, Spencer joined the first-class umpire's list in 1950 and was appointed to his first Test in 1954. For reasons he never understood he had to wait 15 years before he was asked again. Years later he claimed to have been "a bit disgusted," but that he "was determined to plod on and become a bloody good county umpire."[5] Spencer eventually stood in 17 Test matches, the last in 1978, and six One Day Internationals, including the first ODI at Lord's in 1972 and the first World Cup final in 1975. For the last 20 years until his retirement in 1980 he travelled to matches by train rather than car which he said allowed him to rest his eyes between appointments.[1] In all, Spencer stood in a record 570 County Championship matches and 701 first-class fixtures, a total second only to Chester.

Football career

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Spencer was with his local club Hastings & St Leonards[6] until September 1933 after which he had a short spell with Bexhill[7] of the Sussex County League. He moved on to Southern League club Tunbridge Wells Rangers[8] and then in July 1936 was signed by Second Division Club Fulham,[9] but he did not make any league appearances for them. In November 1936 Spencer joined Lincoln City[10] of Division 3 North and played in four league matches scoring one goal[11] which he scored on 25 December 1936 against Rotherham United. From the 1937–38 season he returned to playing non-league football in the Kent League, firstly for a season with Ashford[12] and then for the 1938–39 season with Sittingbourne.[13]

Personal life

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Spencer was a natural sportsman.[11] He claimed to have played four sports professionally, the other two being table tennis and boxing.[1] After retiring from cricket he moved into professional coaching at Wrekin School and for many years he spent the northern winter coaching at St. Patrick's Christian Brothers' College, Kimberley in South Africa.[4][14]

Spencer was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1976 Birthday Honours.[15]

In later life he lived for many years in the North East. During June 1981 he wrote a series of historic career articles in the Newcastle based Sunday Sun newspaper.[16] His death in 1995 was reported in his local media,[17] but overlooked in the wider cricketing world. His obituary did not appear in Wisden or The Cricketer until 2003.[1][4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Spencer, Thomas William, Obituaries in 2003, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 2003. (Available online at CricInfo. Retrieved 2024-04-28.)
  2. ^ Tom Spencer, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2020-12-20. (subscription required)
  3. ^ Tom Spencer, CricInfo. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  4. ^ a b c Brooke R, Tom Spencer: Obituary, The Cricketer, March 2003. (Available online at CricInfo. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  5. ^ Quoted in Wisden, 2003, op. cit..
  6. ^ "Southern Amateur League: Reserves Section: Aquarius Reserves 1 – Hastings Reserves 7". Hastings and St Leonards Observer. Hastings. 1 October 1932. p. 11.
  7. ^ "Football Tests; New players in the Field". Sussex Express. Lewes. 15 September 1933. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Sussex Senior Notes". Sussex Express. Lewes. 12 January 1934.
  9. ^ "With The Rangers: Spencers New Club". Kent & Sussex Courier. Tunbridge Wells. 31 July 1936. p. 17.
  10. ^ "Sporting Chatter: Lincoln's Sixth". The People. London. 29 November 1936. p. 21.
  11. ^ a b Tom Spencer at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  12. ^ "Football: Ashford Signings". Kentish Express. Ashford. 27 August 1937. p. 12.
  13. ^ "Kent League Side's fine win". Kent & Sussex Courier. Tunbridge Wells. 14 October 1938. p. 17.
  14. ^ Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part Two: 1919–1939, pp. 137–139. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-07-01.)
  15. ^ UK list: "No. 46919". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 June 1976. p. 8026.
  16. ^ Spencer, Tom (14 June 1981). "Dickie Loves Those Cameras". Sunday Sun. Newcastle. p. 25.
  17. ^ Wood, Ian (7 November 1995). "Umpire Spencer dies at 81". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle. p. 2.
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