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- Robert Lecky Pike Born: 23 January 1858 Kilknock, Co Carlow - Died: 29
January 1933, Ravenswood House Newtownbarry, Co Wexford.
- Educated: Bessborough School Grove House, Tottenham, London & Cambridge University
- Occupation: Barrister
- Debut: 25 August 1884 v I Zingari at Phoenix CC,
Phoenix Park
- Cap Number: 187
- Style: Right-hand bat; slow spin bowler.
- Teams: Co Carlow
History:
Robert Pike came from a distinguished and long
established Anglo-Irish land owning family. As a cricketer he was
prominent at school, and, though never coming near the University XI
while at Cambridge, played for his College and was known s a very skilful spin bowler, slower than most. It has been impossible definitely
to establish whether he bowled left or right arm, though evidence
suggests the former. Definite information in this matter would be
welcome. Back in Ireland, a practising barrister, he was a regular in
the Co Carlow side for many years.
Cricket was strong there in late
Victorian times, suffering less from the effects of the land war and the
GAA ban, than was the case in some other rural centres. The County had a
full fixture list, visiting Dublin to play Phoenix, the University and
Leinster as well as entertaining these sides at home. They also received
annual visits from Na Shuler, in 1890 accompanied by TC O'Brien, fresh
from an epic innings for the Lyric Club against the Australians. They
also played a host of rural teams and many military teams. In 1890, the
Royal Dublin Fusiliers were easily beaten, largely because Robert took 8
wickets in the innings at a small cost.
Robert was often seen in Na
Shuler matches and was a regular participant in their Cork tour in the
late seventies and early eighties. Thus in 1879, he took 10 wickets in
the match at The Mardyke v Cork County to help the Shulers to thrilling
one run win. The following year, his bowling was too much for Lord
Bandon's XIV,. He took 14 in the match, which was fortunate for the
visitors as the game finished in a tie! A third 10 wicket haul came in
1883, when he took 8 first innings wickets to bowl the County out for
61, However he managed only two in the second, as the hosts, following
on, played out time. He also made several successful appearances for the
County, but always retained a strong link with Carlow cricket, being a
Vice President of his club in 1913.
He made his debut for Ireland against I Zingari in 1884 at Phoenix
CC. Ireland batted first and were bundled out for 95. This would have
been much worse had Pike, not known for his batting skills, not
contributed 18, adding 32 for the 9th wicket with AJ Fleming, often seen
as the best Irish batsman of the time, who carried his bat for 45.
Robert then opened the bowling with Henry Dawson, a left arm medium
pacer reputedly lost on the Titanic, though it has proved impossible to
find his name on any approved passenger list. They caused problems for
the early IZ batting, after starting with a maiden piece.
Robert had CFC
Clarke, an occasional Surrey batsman caught at mid on, then held a good
slip catch to dispose of the new batsman FE Allsop. He finished with
2-58, besides holding another slip catch. Some sub standard wicket
keeping by JN Lombard deprived him of at least one more scalp. IZ won by
ten wickets, but he had made a fair debut. Selection was not always
consistent at the time, and this, allied to the demands of the legal
profession, meant that he did he did not play again for 5 years.
When he next played, it was to have his best match for Ireland,
against probably the strongest opposition he bowled to, the 1889
Philadelphians. His match figures were a good, if not exceptional 9 /
151, while in the first innings he returned 36 - 9 - 87 - 5. At the
other end paceman H F Woodgate, in his last match for Ireland, took
4/53. They had a large part in Ireland's being able to set the visitors
294 to win.
Robert again bowled well, getting 4 /64 as the Americans
finished 95 short of their target with 6 wickets down. Two factors saved
them. One was Irish catching, or rather the lack of it. Pike saw George
Patterson, the stylish Philadelphian opener, missed twice at the wicket
by ER Fitzgerald, usually a highly regarded wicket keeper. In
desperation Robert removed Patterson with a caught and bowled. The
second reason that prevented an Irish win was that Robert, presumably
needed in court shortly, had to leave the match early.
He was to play in
the next three IZ matched before pressure of work meant that he was no
longer available for longer matches. In 1889 he took the last two IZ
wickets to fall, thereby establishing a connection with famous Lord's
matches past and future. Both his victims were stumped by the excellent
NICC wicket keeper, William Vint, now returned from an Australian
sojourn and back in his rightful place behind the stumps.
First to go
was RH Fowler, whose son Bob hero of 'Fowler's Match', the remarkable
Eton v Harrow game of 1910 would be born 20 months later. Next, the last
of the innings, was Frank Cobden, hero of 'Cobden's Match', the 1870
University match in which he performed the hat trick in the last over to
give Cambridge a 2 run victory.
Though Robert was to take 2/29 in his
farewell match in 1891, his last scalp of real interest was claimed in
his penultimate game in 1890. Here he bowled in support of George
Berkeley (7/20) to take 2/49 in the first innings. This was the
visitor's opener Prince Christian Victor Albert Ludwig Ernest Anton of
Schleswig - Holstein, grandson of Queen Victoria, and a capable
cricketer with a score of 35 in his sole first class match, besides
making 205 in a military match in Rawalpindi in 1893. He died of typhoid
during the Boer War.
An obituary of Robert Lecky Pike, covering his legal rather than
cricket career, was published in The Times 31 January 1933.
Edward Liddle, November 2007
Source: www.cricketeurope4.net