John Stephenson (cricketer, born 1907)

Lieutenant-Colonel John William Arthur Stephenson DSO (1 August 1907 – 20 May 1982) was a Hong-Kong-born English cricketer who played first-class cricket in both India and England from the late 1920s until shortly after the Second World War. His Wisden obituarist opined that "there would always have been fewer empty grounds" had more players been like him. Obituary. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1983.

After some games for Buckinghamshire in the 1927 Minor Counties Championship Stephenson made his first-class debut for Europeans against Muslims at Bombay Gymkhana in the 1928/29 Bombay Quadrangular tournament, scoring 17 and 42 as well as taking 2-24 in the second innings. In his next match, against Parsees, he scored his maiden century, hitting 135 in the first innings. He played one more game for Europeans that season, then two more the following year, without much success. In 1930/31 he played for Madras against the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram's XI, then returned to the Europeans side and produced a good all-round display against Indians, making 117 (he never made another first-class century) and taking six wickets in an innings victory.

Stephenson returned to England in 1931, and again turned out for Buckinghamshire, but in August made his English first-class debut for the Army against MCC at Lord's. In a low-scoring match, his 20 not out in the second innings helped guide the Army to a four-wicket win. Over the next couple of seasons, he mixed further appearances for the Army (although not achieving any particular success) with continued appearances for Buckinghamshire.

He began 1934 with a game for Free Foresters against Cambridge University at Fenner's in early June, and took 4-99 in the first innings; at that stage his best innings return. A few days later, Stephenson commenced the Essex career which he would continue until the outbreak of war. His most successful season was 1936, in which he recorded his highest aggregates of both runs (521 at 18.60) and wickets (84 at 22.19). That summer also saw him record his best bowling figures, when he claimed 9-46 for the Gentlemen against the Players at Lord's, which remains the best innings return ever recorded for the Gentlemen. Following this performance, there was talk that Stephenson might be preferred to Bill Copson for the Ashes tour that winter, but it was not to be.

In 1937 and 1938 Stephenson's duties with the Army precluded his playing a full season, but he continued to turn out for Essex when he could, and managed about 50 wickets in each season. In 1939 he played much more, and acted as captain on a number of occasions, one of three players so employed by Essex that year.

The Second World War effectively ended his career, although he did play three first-class matches afterwards. The first of these, for England against the Australian Services in May 1945, was in fact the first first-class game to have been played in England since 1939, and Stephenson took 5-116 in the first innings. He also played a single match for Worcestershire against Leicestershire in May 1947, and finally one game for South v Glamorgan at the end of 1948, though he did nothing remarkable in either match.

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Category: English cricketers Category: Europeans cricketers Category: Tamil Nadu cricketers Category: Worcestershire cricketers Category: Essex cricketers Category: MCC cricketers Category: Free Foresters cricketers Category: 1907 births Category: 1982 deaths