Day Arthur Image 2 Kent 1914

Description

Blackheath, London born Arthur Day was in the cricket XI at Malvern College between 1901 and 1904, as captain in his last two years, scoring 201 not out in one match for the school.

Day played Second XI cricket for Kent in his final two years at school and made his first class cricket debut for the County in May 1905 against Marylebone Cricket Club (M.C.C.). A right-handed middle order batsman who could bowl both fast-medium pace and leg breaks, Day scored 1,149 runs in 19 matches in his first season of first class cricket. He played sporadically until the 1908 season when he put on 248 runs with Punter Humphreys for the seventh wicket against Somerset at the County Ground, Taunton. As of April 2017 this remains a record for the seventh wicket for Kent.

In 1909 he scored 1,014 runs in Kent’s County Championship winning side, the only other season he scored more than 1,000 runs, and he was rewarded by being named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1910. He was described by Wisden as an “enterprising batsman” and could score quickly at times, scoring a century in 55 minutes against Hampshire in 1911. From 1910 to 1914 Day went back to appearing in only around half of Kent’s first class matches and played rarely after the First World War.

He volunteered for military service in January 1916 under the Derby scheme. He joined the Artists Rifles in 1917 and applied to join an Officer Cadet Unit, later being commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. Due to medical complications he only served on the home front during the War and, after being promoted to Lieutenant in January 1919, was demobilised in April of the same year. He resigned his commission in 1920.

In 1921 Day hit his highest score, an unbeaten 184 against Sussex at Tonbridge, and averaged 111 runs per innings for the season. As well as playing 143 times for Kent, he appeared in six Gentlemen v Players matches and made four appearances for M.C.C.. He played his last first class cricket match in the 1925 season, playing for Kent against Surrey that July.

Day played 157 matches in first class cricket, scoring 7,174 runs at an average of 32.90, with 13 centuries and 38 half centuries. He also took 132 first class wickets at an average of 26.36 a piece, with a best performance of 8-49 and 4 five wicket innings. He also took 92 catches in the first class game.

He was the older brother of Sydney and Sammy Day, both of whom also played first class cricket for Kent, Sammy also playing football for The Corinthians and England.  His nephew, Anthony, also played cricket for Cambridge University in 1953. His son, David, who played for Kent’s Second XI in 1935 and played one first class cricket match for The Europeans in the 1940 Madras Presidency match in India, was killed in action in Burma in February 1944 whilst serving as a Captain in the Wiltshire Regiment.

NB in the photograph Day (right) walks out to bat at Lord’s with C.B.Fry while playing for The Rest of England against South Africa on 22nd June 1914.