CB Fry
Created | Updated Apr 17, 2008
A figure from a different age. Charles Burgess Fry was born in 1872 to a declining upper middle family. All his life he played the gentleman whilst striving to earn a living. He succeeded largely because he was a man of extraordinary energy and talent. He won a scholarship to Oxford University and was appointed as senior scholar - he came top in the college entrance exam.
A right-handed batsman, and in his early years a good (though controversial) fast bowler, Fry captained the Gentlemen, Sussex, Hampshire and England (as captain he never lost a Test Match) and scored over 30,000 first-class runs at an average of over 50. Incredibly he was released by Surrey as a young man. They were to regret this decision over the next twenty years.
He edited his own magazine, competed at the top level in many sports and followed careers in teaching, journalism and diplomacy. He played sport as gentleman amateur which meant he had to earn a living outside of the game. His opportunities at Test cricket were severely restricted by this. He never toured Australia for example. Although he excelled in many fields he often struggled for money. Very few sources record that he was also challenged by mental illness. He probably struggled throughout his life but the episodes became more pronounced as he got older.
In athletics, Fry equalled the then world long jump record of 23 feet 6 1/2 inches (7.17 metres) in 1893 (tied with the American Charles Reber). This is often incorrectly claimed to have stood as a world record for 21 years, but this length of time actually only refers to how long he held the university record. His shared world record stood until September 1894.
At the world's first international athletics match, Oxford v Yale at White City, in 1894, Fry won both the long jump and 100 yards. The Americans sprinters started in a new crouched position on all fours. Fry insisted that he be allowed to suspend one foot in front of the starting line, hovering in mid air, above the ground. This small advantage appears to have been just enough to allow Fry to get ahead and win the race.
None of this earned him any money. At Oxford he even resorted to nude modelling for artists. His parents could not support him and as a top athlete he was expected to join and pay subscriptions for many different clubs and societies
After graduating from Oxford, Fry became a teacher at Charterhouse, and later became Director of the Training Ship Mercury in Hampshire, a nautical school primarily designed to prepare boys for service in the Royal Navy. His future wife Beatrice had taken on the school as her life’s work and although he took much of the praise for her achievements, she ran the school and influenced every aspect of his career.
Fry’s marriage, to the much older Beatrice, was dominated by Charles Hoare. He was the main benefactor of Mercury and allegedly the father of her three children, one born shortly after she married Fry.
As a teacher Fry could cope with all the Classics, Philosophy, Modern Languages, Physics and Naval History. He also brought national and international cricketers to the school to play against the CB Fry XI.
At cricket he scored 94 first class centuries. These included an unprecedented six consecutive centuries in first-class matches in 1901.He was invited to captain England again at the age of 49, but declined.
During his time at Sussex County Cricket Club between 1894 and 1908, he developed a batting partnership with the future Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, better known as the outstanding cricketer Prince Ranjitsinhji for both county and England. This partnership created a friendship which would last into the 1920s.
Fry's achievements also extended to Association Football. This was remarkable because he was a gentleman and an amateur in a largely professional game. He learned his football at Repton School and was awarded his Oxford University Blue for soccer. He also played for an England XI against Canada although the status of the game appears to be in doubt.
In 1894 he joined the famous amateur club The Corinthians; although extremely proud of his amateur status, he decided that entering the professional game would enhance his chance of international honours. Southampton were chosen as not only the leading lights in the Southern League but as The Dell was conveniently close to his home. He had originally been registered as a player in 1898 but his debut was delayed until 26 December 1900 (against Tottenham Hotspur).
Fry never really fitted in at Southampton, heckled by the crowds as a "shamateur" and causing professionals to complain because he was depriving one of their number of a place. He was picked for England for the match against Ireland on 9 March 1901 almost certainly because it was played at Southampton.
The following season (1901-1902) Fry played in the FA Cup Final against Sheffield United and although he had his moments in the cup run, his tackling ability was questionable. Fry played in all 8 of the cup games for Southampton that season but only 9 times in league matches. He still needed to work outside of the game and missed many cricket and soccer matches.
Losing his place in defence to better professional players he played twice at centre forward, but Southampton had become impatient at his lack of availability and released him. He made his debut for Portsmouth on 21 January 1903, but became injured soon afterwards leading to his retirement from the game at the age of 31.
Fry also played Rugby Union for the University of Oxford, Blackheath and the Barbarians. He could have played for England at rugby but for injuries at crucial times.
In 1908 Fry moved to Hampshire. He was finding it increasingly difficult to travel to Sussex for matches. Wealthy sponsors were pleased to see him and the Hampshire ground was far closer to Mercury.
His cricket career continued to flourish at Hampshire despite him being 37 years old. In fact he still tops Hampshire's all time batting averages.
His cricket career was in its autumn when the First World War broke out. During the war Fry attained the rank of Commander in respect of his work at the training ship Mercury. Some critics point to his extremely safe and comfortable war stationed at his naval academy, his former pupils giving their lives at Jutland and on the Western Front. For the rest of his life Fry was very proud of his rank, often using it in private correspondence.
After the war he played some more matches for Hampshire. Cricket was in a terrible state following the slaughter in the trenches. Having watched several matches Fry decided at the age of 48 he could still contribute to the game.
Playing for Hampshire for the first time in 6 years he scored 16 not out. In the following match he scored a century and in 1921 the England selectors expressed an interest in him 9 years after his last Test Match and over 25 years after his Test debut. Aged 49 he wrote a series of eloquent letters discussing their propositions of an England place and even the England captaincy. It came to nothing with Fry pointing out that a 49 year old was not a long term solution to the dilemma.
For the record England went on to record a 0-5 defeat at the hands of Australia, a defeat not matched until 2006/7.
After retirement from sport, Fry worked with the Indian delegation at the League of Nations and stood (unsuccessfully) three times as a Liberal candidate for parliament.
One of the best known stories about him was that he was offered the throne of Albania whilst a delegate to the League of Nations
In the 1920s, Fry's mental health started to deteriorate severely. He had sufferered a breakdown as a young man during his final year at Oxford which meant that although academically brilliant, he took a Gentleman’s Fourth. In his cricket career he was sometimes unsound under pressure. In India in the late 1920s, he had a major breakdown and became thoroughly paranoid. For the rest of his life, he dressed in bizarrely unconventional clothes and had frighteningly eccentric interludes. He developed a fear of Indians, including his friend Ranjitsinhji. He did recover enough to become a popular writer on cricket (and other sports), and even in his fifties, entertained hopes of becoming a Hollywood actor. It is unclear what if any his relationship is to the actor and comedian Stephen Fry.
In 1934, he met Adolf Hitler. He tried (and failed) to persuade von Ribbentrop that Nazi Germany should take up cricket. He invited Hitler Youth boys to the Mercury training ship and Fry was still expressing enthusiasm for them in 1938. This lead to much criticism in his final years despite his work for the Royal Navy. He retired from his position at T.S. Mercury in 1950 and died in 1956, in Hampstead, as the "grand old man of sport".
As Jeremy Paxman said, on the cover of "King of Sport" by Iain Wilton, "Here surely, is an English Hero".
A right-handed batsman, and in his early years a good (though controversial) fast bowler, Fry captained the Gentlemen, Sussex, Hampshire and England (as captain he never lost a Test Match) and scored over 30,000 first-class runs at an average of over 50. Incredibly he was released by Surrey as a young man. They were to regret this decision over the next twenty years.
He edited his own magazine, competed at the top level in many sports and followed careers in teaching, journalism and diplomacy. He played sport as gentleman amateur which meant he had to earn a living outside of the game. His opportunities at Test cricket were severely restricted by this. He never toured Australia for example. Although he excelled in many fields he often struggled for money. Very few sources record that he was also challenged by mental illness. He probably struggled throughout his life but the episodes became more pronounced as he got older.
In athletics, Fry equalled the then world long jump record of 23 feet 6 1/2 inches (7.17 metres) in 1893 (tied with the American Charles Reber). This is often incorrectly claimed to have stood as a world record for 21 years, but this length of time actually only refers to how long he held the university record. His shared world record stood until September 1894.
At the world's first international athletics match, Oxford v Yale at White City, in 1894, Fry won both the long jump and 100 yards. The Americans sprinters started in a new crouched position on all fours. Fry insisted that he be allowed to suspend one foot in front of the starting line, hovering in mid air, above the ground. This small advantage appears to have been just enough to allow Fry to get ahead and win the race.
None of this earned him any money. At Oxford he even resorted to nude modelling for artists. His parents could not support him and as a top athlete he was expected to join and pay subscriptions for many different clubs and societies
After graduating from Oxford, Fry became a teacher at Charterhouse, and later became Director of the Training Ship Mercury in Hampshire, a nautical school primarily designed to prepare boys for service in the Royal Navy. His future wife Beatrice had taken on the school as her life’s work and although he took much of the praise for her achievements, she ran the school and influenced every aspect of his career.
Fry’s marriage, to the much older Beatrice, was dominated by Charles Hoare. He was the main benefactor of Mercury and allegedly the father of her three children, one born shortly after she married Fry.
As a teacher Fry could cope with all the Classics, Philosophy, Modern Languages, Physics and Naval History. He also brought national and international cricketers to the school to play against the CB Fry XI.
At cricket he scored 94 first class centuries. These included an unprecedented six consecutive centuries in first-class matches in 1901.He was invited to captain England again at the age of 49, but declined.
During his time at Sussex County Cricket Club between 1894 and 1908, he developed a batting partnership with the future Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, better known as the outstanding cricketer Prince Ranjitsinhji for both county and England. This partnership created a friendship which would last into the 1920s.
Fry's achievements also extended to Association Football. This was remarkable because he was a gentleman and an amateur in a largely professional game. He learned his football at Repton School and was awarded his Oxford University Blue for soccer. He also played for an England XI against Canada although the status of the game appears to be in doubt.
In 1894 he joined the famous amateur club The Corinthians; although extremely proud of his amateur status, he decided that entering the professional game would enhance his chance of international honours. Southampton were chosen as not only the leading lights in the Southern League but as The Dell was conveniently close to his home. He had originally been registered as a player in 1898 but his debut was delayed until 26 December 1900 (against Tottenham Hotspur).
Fry never really fitted in at Southampton, heckled by the crowds as a "shamateur" and causing professionals to complain because he was depriving one of their number of a place. He was picked for England for the match against Ireland on 9 March 1901 almost certainly because it was played at Southampton.
The following season (1901-1902) Fry played in the FA Cup Final against Sheffield United and although he had his moments in the cup run, his tackling ability was questionable. Fry played in all 8 of the cup games for Southampton that season but only 9 times in league matches. He still needed to work outside of the game and missed many cricket and soccer matches.
Losing his place in defence to better professional players he played twice at centre forward, but Southampton had become impatient at his lack of availability and released him. He made his debut for Portsmouth on 21 January 1903, but became injured soon afterwards leading to his retirement from the game at the age of 31.
Fry also played Rugby Union for the University of Oxford, Blackheath and the Barbarians. He could have played for England at rugby but for injuries at crucial times.
In 1908 Fry moved to Hampshire. He was finding it increasingly difficult to travel to Sussex for matches. Wealthy sponsors were pleased to see him and the Hampshire ground was far closer to Mercury.
His cricket career continued to flourish at Hampshire despite him being 37 years old. In fact he still tops Hampshire's all time batting averages.
His cricket career was in its autumn when the First World War broke out. During the war Fry attained the rank of Commander in respect of his work at the training ship Mercury. Some critics point to his extremely safe and comfortable war stationed at his naval academy, his former pupils giving their lives at Jutland and on the Western Front. For the rest of his life Fry was very proud of his rank, often using it in private correspondence.
After the war he played some more matches for Hampshire. Cricket was in a terrible state following the slaughter in the trenches. Having watched several matches Fry decided at the age of 48 he could still contribute to the game.
Playing for Hampshire for the first time in 6 years he scored 16 not out. In the following match he scored a century and in 1921 the England selectors expressed an interest in him 9 years after his last Test Match and over 25 years after his Test debut. Aged 49 he wrote a series of eloquent letters discussing their propositions of an England place and even the England captaincy. It came to nothing with Fry pointing out that a 49 year old was not a long term solution to the dilemma.
For the record England went on to record a 0-5 defeat at the hands of Australia, a defeat not matched until 2006/7.
After retirement from sport, Fry worked with the Indian delegation at the League of Nations and stood (unsuccessfully) three times as a Liberal candidate for parliament.
One of the best known stories about him was that he was offered the throne of Albania whilst a delegate to the League of Nations
In the 1920s, Fry's mental health started to deteriorate severely. He had sufferered a breakdown as a young man during his final year at Oxford which meant that although academically brilliant, he took a Gentleman’s Fourth. In his cricket career he was sometimes unsound under pressure. In India in the late 1920s, he had a major breakdown and became thoroughly paranoid. For the rest of his life, he dressed in bizarrely unconventional clothes and had frighteningly eccentric interludes. He developed a fear of Indians, including his friend Ranjitsinhji. He did recover enough to become a popular writer on cricket (and other sports), and even in his fifties, entertained hopes of becoming a Hollywood actor. It is unclear what if any his relationship is to the actor and comedian Stephen Fry.
In 1934, he met Adolf Hitler. He tried (and failed) to persuade von Ribbentrop that Nazi Germany should take up cricket. He invited Hitler Youth boys to the Mercury training ship and Fry was still expressing enthusiasm for them in 1938. This lead to much criticism in his final years despite his work for the Royal Navy. He retired from his position at T.S. Mercury in 1950 and died in 1956, in Hampstead, as the "grand old man of sport".
As Jeremy Paxman said, on the cover of "King of Sport" by Iain Wilton, "Here surely, is an English Hero".
