Bateman-Champain Francis Image 3 Oxford University 1897

Description

Richmond Hill, Surrey born Francis Bateman-Champain was a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm slow bowler who played primarily for Gloucestershire and Oxford University cricket teams between 1895 and 1914. Bateman-Champaign was educated at Cheltenham College, where he was one of five brothers in the cricket XI, being captain between 1894 and 1896, and Hertford College, Oxford, where he also won a Blue for rugby playing as a half-back between 1897 and 1899. At cricket he was awarded his Blue in his first year at Oxford, where he was in the eleven four years. Captain of the University in 1899, he earned high praise by making the first hundred hit against Joe Darling’s Australian team, scoring 120 on the Christ Church ground, and helping Oxford to a first innings lead of 38.

That season Bateman-Champain scored a brilliant 123 out of 182 for the first wicket against Warwickshire at Bristol; he hit all five deliveries in a five ball over from Sydney Santall to the boundary.

He played 114 matches in his career, scoring 4,677 runs at a batting average of 24.61. Over 3,300 of these were scored for Gloucestershire, who he first represented in a match against Middlesex in August 1895, and for whom he made four of his five career centuries. Perhaps his best display for the Gloucestershire was in 1897, when with little experience of first class cricket, he stopped an utter collapse by scoring 97 in a total of 137 against Lancashire at Bristol. F.G. Roberts, 7 not out, stayed with him while 74 were added for the last wicket.innings, after which both W.G. Grace and A.N. Hornby, the rival captains, congratulated him on his admirable style and free hitting against Hallam, Cuttell, Mold and Briggs. His liking for the Lancashire attack was shown again next year at Old Trafford in a splendid not out innings of 113, played in a great effort to get 374 needed for victory.

He also represented The Gentlemen between 1897 and 1899, making 82 on the first occasion, for Midland Counties in 1899 and WG Grace’s XI the same year. In 1907 he made his highest score, 149 against Surrey at The Oval. His final match for Gloucestershire was against Surrey in August 1914. He also scored 24 half centuries and took 17 first class wickets at 24.58 a piece with a best bowling performance of 6-62, his only 5 wicket innings. He also took exactly 100 catches in his first class career.

During the First World War he became a captain in the Ordnance Corps.

He came from a cricketing family: his brothers John, Claude and Hugh all played first class cricket. His uncles Fendall, Frederick, Robert and William Currie also played.

NB in the photograph he is shown as part of the Oxford University Rugby XV.