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Francis Clifford (cricketer)

Francis Seath Clifford (17 December 1822 – 17 November 1869) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club between 1849 and 1860.

Francis Clifford
Personal information
Full name
Francis Seath Clifford
Born(1822-12-17)17 December 1822
Bearsted, Kent
Died17 November 1869(1869-11-17) (aged 46)
Gravesend, Kent
BattingRight-handed
RoleWicket-keeper
Relations
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1849–1860Kent
FC debut28 May 1849 Kent v Yorkshire XI
Last FC14 June 1860 Kent v MCC
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 53
Runs scored 907
Batting average 10.30
100s/50s 0/2
Top score 60*
Catches/stumpings 24/8
Source: CricInfo, 1 June 2022

Clifford was born at Bearsted in Kent in 1822, the son of Robert and Catherine Clifford.[1] He lived at Gravesend for most of his life and played club cricket for Gravesend Cricket Club.[1][2] His older brother William played for Kent teams before the county club was established in 1842 and his grandfather, Robert Clifford, had played for Kent sides in the late 18th century.[3]

Described as "an excellent wicket-keeper",[1] Clifford made his first-class cricket debut for Kent in 1849 against Yorkshire at Hyde Park in Sheffield.[4][3] He initially played when Ned Wenman or William Dorrinton, Kent's established wicket-keepers, were unable to play, but after 1851 played as a specialist batsman who was noted as one who played on the front foot at a time when this was less common.[1] He played in a total of 53 first-class matches, almost all of them for Kent sides: he played twice for England sides[a] and for the South against the North, and once for the Players against the Gentlemen in 1854.[1][3]

Clifford worked in a variety of professions, including as a tailor, an undertaker and as a publican in Gravesend. He married Sarah King in 1825; the couple had two children.[1] He died at Gravesend in 1869 aged 46.[4]

Notes

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  1. ^ During the time Clifford played, England sides were not representative of the country. Instead, they were sides composed of players from a range of locations brought together to play against another side.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 111–112. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
  2. ^ Milton H (1999) The Bat and Ball Gravesend: a first-class cricket history. Gravesend: Gravesend Cricket Club. ISBN 0 9536041 0 1
  3. ^ a b c Francis Clifford, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-04-17. (subscription required)
  4. ^ a b Francis Clifford, CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  5. ^ Birley D (1999) A Social History of English Cricket, p. 364. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978 1 78131 1769
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Francis Clifford at ESPNcricinfo