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Leslie Gay
During the 1894–95 tour of Australia
Personal information
Full name
Leslie Hewitt Gay
Born(1871-03-24)24 March 1871
Brighton, Sussex, England
Died1 November 1949(1949-11-01) (aged 78)
Sidmouth, Devon, England
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
BattingRight-handed
RoleWicket-keeper
RelationsKingsmill Key (cousin)
International information
National side
Only Test (cap 91)14 December 1894 v Australia
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1891–1894Cambridge University
1894–1904Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)
1894Somerset
1900Hampshire
Career statistics
Competition Tests FC
Matches 1 46
Runs scored 37 1,005
Batting average 18.50 15.46
100s/50s 0/0 0/2
Top score 33 60*
Catches/stumpings 3/1 70/20
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 24 February 2020

Leslie Hewitt Gay, (24 March 1871 – 1 November 1949) was an English amateur sportsman who represented England in both cricket and association football in the 1890s. A double Blue at Cambridge University, Gay first appeared in internationals as a football goalkeeper, playing an unofficial international against Canada in 1891. Over the following two years, he played three times for England in the British Home Championship, alongside appearances for Cambridge University and the Corinthians. As a cricketer, Gay played as a wicket-keeper for Hampshire County Cricket Club in "second-class" county cricket alongside his matches for Cambridge University, before switching to Somerset in 1894. At the end of the English summer, he travelled as part of Andrew Stoddart's team which toured Australia. After appearing in the first Test match of the series, he was dropped from the Test team due to poor keeping.

After the tour of Australia, Gay lived in Ceylon for a few years, returning to England in 1898 for a short time to get married. He then emigrated once again, this time to Canada, before settling back in England in 1904. He split from his wife, and opted to live a "hedonistic" lifestyle; playing golf and cricket, and sharing the home of a wealthy young widower in east Devon. After her death he remained in the area, where he died, aged 78, in 1949.

Early life

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Leslie Hewitt Gay was born in Brighton, Sussex on 24 March 1871, the son of Alfred Henry and Ada Gay.[1] The family home was on Brighton seafront, where his father acted as curate. The family were well-off and well connected; at the time of Gay's birth, the family had six servants, while he counted Sir Kingsmill Key, 4th Baronet as a cousin.[2] Key went on to play 369 first-class matches and captain Surrey County Cricket Club between 1894 and 1899.[3] The family later moved to Plaitford, which was at the time part of Wiltshire, where Alfred was appointed rector.[4][5] Gay's education was received at a variety of independent schools; first at St Mark's School in Windsor, then Park House in Reading.[6] He later went attended Marlborough College in Wiltshire from 1885 to 1887, then Brighton College until 1889, after which he went up to Clare College, Cambridge. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1893.[1]

Sporting career

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Cricket

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During his time at Brighton College, Gay played for the school's first team; he was described in Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game as a promising batting addition for the school's team in 1887.[7] Around the same time, he made his first appearance in county cricket, playing for Hampshire County Cricket Club in August 1888. Hampshire did not have first-class status at the time, and lost heavily fellow "second-class" county Somerset team.[8] In 1890, Gay received praise for his performance in a match against Sussex (a first-class side); helping Hampshire to a 164-run victory by scoring 63 not out in the first innings.[9] He played in the freshman's trial match at Cambridge that year, in which he scored 0 and 25, and took two catches and a stumping.[10] As a wicket-keeper, his way into the Cambridge team was blocked by Gregor MacGregor, who was selected by England for two of the three Test matches that summer, and described as "a wicket-keeper of extraordinary ability" in Oxford and Cambridge Cricket.[11] Consequently, Gay only made one first-team appearance for Cambridge in his first two years at the university, deputising for MacGregor against the Marylebone Cricket Club and Ground in 1891. In that match, which marked his first-class debut, Gay played as a specialist wicket-keeper, taking two stumpings and batting last for Cambridge.[12]

After McGregor's graduation from Cambridge, Gay became a stalwart of the team in 1892 and 1893; in a preview of the 1892 season, Cricket praised Gay's "excellent form as a wicket-keeper for Hampshire",[13] and he captained one of the sides in the Seniors' trial match.[14] He played seven times for Cambridge University in first-class cricket in 1892, but missed a couple of matches due to an injury he picked up playing for Hampshire against Sussex.[15] His cricket season with Cambridge culminated with him winning his Blue, appearing in the University Match against Oxford. Although Oxford won by five wickets, Gay was commended for wicket-keeping which was "one of the very best features of the match" and "quite up to the best standard of amateur cricket" according to Cricket.[16] He was subsequently selected for the Gentlemen v Players match at The Oval, though only after many more prestigious cricketers had declined to take part.[17] He was also invited to play a late season match for the West of England against the East in Portsmouth.[18]

After four games for Somerset in 1894 he was picked for the 1894-95 tour to Australia under Andrew Stoddart. Chosen only for the first Test match, he scored 33 and four and took three catches with one stumping. He then disappeared from first-class cricket until a brief nine-match return with Hampshire in 1900.

Association football

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Portrait of Gay in 1893
Personal information
Position(s) Goalkeeper
International career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1893–1894 England 3 (0)

As a schoolboy, Gay initially played football as a centre-forward, but after an injury which prevented him from playing for a few years he returned as a full-back. It was playing this position that he won the Sussex Senior Challenge Cup in 1888–89 with Brighton College. After going up to Cambridge University, he initially tried for the university team as a defender, but could not secure a place. Instead, he dedicated himself to developing his skills as a goalkeeper, a position he had dallied with as a youngster.[19]

His training paid off, as in 1891, he was selected to play as goalkeeper for England in a match against the touring Canadians. Though it was not an 'official' international match, The Times described England's team as being a "strong eleven", and they won 6–1.[20] Gay earned his football Blue in February 1892, when his goalkeeping drew praise from The Times during a 5–1 victory for Cambridge University over Oxford University.[21] After his graduation from university, he played for Old Brightonians and Corinthian F.C.[19] After a strong performance in the Amateurs against Professionals trial match,[22] he was selected to play versus Scotland in the 1892–93 British Home Championship,[23] which England won 5–2.[24] He featured in goal for England again the following year, playing in a 5–1 win against Wales in March,[25] followed by a 2–2 draw with Scotland in April.[26]

After returning from Ceylon, Gay joined Southampton in 1900 as reserve to fellow England goalkeeper, Jack Robinson, although he never played for the first team.[27]

Later life

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He also represented Devon at golf.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Gay, Leslie Hewitt (GY889LH)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Profile: Leslie Gay". England Football Online. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Player profile: Kingsmill Key". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  4. ^ Hill 2016, pp. 143–144.
  5. ^ Page 1911, pp. 542–543.
  6. ^ Ashley-Cooper, Haygarth 2004, pp. 143–144.
  7. ^ "The Public School Elevens in 1887". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 26 May 1887. p. 156.
  8. ^ "Hampshire v Somerset: Other matches in England 1888". CricketArchive. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Hampshire v. Sussex". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 28 August 1890. p. 356.
  10. ^ "The Freshmen's Match". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 8 May 1890. p. 99.
  11. ^ Chesterton & Doggart 1989, p. 104.
  12. ^ "Cambridge University v. Marylebone Club and Ground". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 28 May 1891. p. 133.
  13. ^ "Pavilion Gossip". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 12 May 1892. p. 121.
  14. ^ "Cricket at the Universities". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 12 May 1892. p. 118.
  15. ^ "Surrey v Cambridge University". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 16 June 1892. p. 216.
  16. ^ "Oxford v Cambridge". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 7 July 1892. p. 267.
  17. ^ "Gentlemen v Players". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 14 July 1892. p. 295.
  18. ^ "East v West of England". Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game. 8 September 1892. p. 419.
  19. ^ a b "Mr L. H. Gay (Corinthians)". Lloyd's Weekly Newspaper. 3 December 1893. p. 16 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ "England v. The Canadians". The Times. No. 33513. London. 21 December 1891. p. 7 – via The Times Digital Archive (Gale).
  21. ^ "Oxford v. Cambridge". The Times. No. 33573. London. 29 February 1892. p. 7 – via The Times Digital Archive (Gale).
  22. ^ "International Trial Match". Birmingham Daily Post. No. 10844. 23 March 1893. p. 6 – via British Library Newspapers, Part I: 1800-1900 (Gale).
  23. ^ "Football". The Times. No. 33909. London. 27 March 1893. p. 7 – via The Times Digital Archive (Gale).
  24. ^ "England v. Scotland". The Times. No. 33915. London. 3 April 1893. p. 9 – via The Times Digital Archive (Gale).
  25. ^ "England v. Wales". The Times. No. 34210. London. 13 March 1894. p. 12 – via The Times Digital Archive (Gale).
  26. ^ "England v. Scotland". The Times. No. 34233. London. 9 April 1894. p. 10 – via The Times Digital Archive (Gale).
  27. ^ Juson & Bull 2001, p. 64.

Bibliography

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