0151 928 3308

Hall of Fame

Cricket at Merchant Taylors School has a long and proud tradition. The first records of the sport being played at school date back to 1854, when the boys were given Wednesday and Saturday afternoons off lessons to play sports. When the school moved to it's present site in 1878 the opportunity arose to establish a good cricket field and it is from the early 1880's that cricket really took off at Merchant Taylors'. Our most regular opponents at that time were Birkenhead School, Liverpool College, Liverpool Institute, King's Chester, Wallasey Grammar, HMS Conway and the Royal Institution. Matches were also arranged against local clubs, notably Bootle and Northern. In those days the cricket square was right in the middle of the rugby pitch, so it was difficult to prepare good flat pitches. Batting was never an easy task.

Over the years since then the school has produced many fine cricketers. The lists below identify the most prominent batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders in the history of school cricket. In due course it will be possible to click onto links for each one which will give a brief summary of their careers in more detail and some biographical information about them.

MTS Star Players 1890-2010

Top 12 Batsmen

Name	Years in 1st XI	Innings	Runs	Average
Bill Adams	1929-34	91	3009	39.08
Lawrence Armstrong	2006-11	89	2839	36.40
Bill Snowden	1968-71	50	1996	55.44
Edwin Johnson	1902-05	64	1878	32.38
Stephen Howard	1993-96	53	1845	39.26
Guy Edwards	1992-95	54	1823	39.63
Tom Alty	1928-32	71	1817	27.45
Chris Cheetham	1995-98	52	1779	46.82
Richard Glynne-Jones	1984-89	65	1690	29.13
James Cole	1999-2004	53	1686	52.69
Ken Gardner	1929-34	77	1653	26.23
John Wildman	1998-2002	58	1571	31.42

Top 12 Bowlers

Name	Years in 1st XI	Total wickets	Average
Alfred Costain	1897-1900	239	6.70
Edwin Johnson	1902-05	187	7.10
Arthur Mercer	1911-13	164	9
Don Southern	1944-47	150	12.0
Basil Birchall	1955-59	148	10.70
Paul Alexander	1909-14	140	12.0
J.G. Searle	1949-51	135	9.0
L.W. Grensted	1901-03	134	11.10
Leslie Crump	1892-93	133	5.0
John Chellingworth	1960-63	130	13.30
Bill Adams	1929-34	120	15.50

Leading all rounders

Name	Years in 1st XI	Inns	Runs	Batting Average	Wkts	Bowling Average
Edwin Johnson	1902-05	64	1878	32.38	187	7.1
Bill Adams	1929-34	91	3009	39.08	120	15.50
Alfred Costain	1897-1900	72	1301	21.60	239	6.70
Lawrence Armstrong	2006-11	89	2839	36.40	103	23.04
Basil Birchall	1955-59	58	1049	22.80	148	10.70
John Wildman	1998-2002	58	1571	31.42	107	18.52
Paul Alexander	1909-14	95	1003	11.66	140	12.0
David Alty	1953-56	c40	991	30.90	89	11.0
Cecil Ramsay	1914-18	c60	938		101	8.0
Chris Jarvis	1971-74	c55	810		103	11.60
Stanley Davies	1934-35	38	786		108	14.09
Stephen Grugel	2003-08	50	961	24.64	81	20.28
Stephen Cole	2003-06	43	1139	30.78	57	19.09
Chris Firth	2002-05	41	784	19.12	92	14.30
Ian Sutcliffe	1987-1990	48	1001	23.30	70	22.0
Nick Delaney	1992-95	50	921	24.24	71	24.85
Graeme Barry	1998-2002	49	775	21.53	84	17.93

Top wicket-keepers

Name	Years in 1st XI	Catches	Stumpings	Total
Ken Gardner	1929-34	39	41	80
James Cole	1999-2004	63	10	73
Richard Glynne-Jones	1984-89	55	10	65

Please use this form to inform us of anyone you feel deserves recognition on this Cricket Hall of Fame page. Either for cricket success at school or in local cricket since leaving school.