A Mismatch at Haverford

Martin Chandler | 8:25am GMT 09 February 2025

Published: 2025
Pages: 16
Author: Musk, Stephen
Publisher: Red Rose Books
Rating: 3 stars

With this, the second offering in Red Rose Books’ Monographs on North American Cricket series, Stephen Musk concentrates on a match that took place ten years after the one covered by his earlier monograph, A False Dawn in Nicetown.

Thus the mismatch at Haverford took place in 1895. By now, aged 22, the man who remains by a distance the best known cricketer produced by Philadelphia in their Golden Age heyday, John Barton King, was just getting into his stride.

Visiting North America in 1895 were a team of English amateurs led by Frank Mitchell, a Yorkshireman who was just short real Test class, although he was good enough to play five Tests, two for England against South Africa and then, as South African captain, twice against Australia and once against England in the 1912 Triangular Tournament.

The match which is the subject of this monograph was the last of the three First Class fixtures that the tourists had. Musk’s introduction explains how the Haverford match was the deciding match of the three. The University of Pennsylvania Past and Present won the first, and Mitchell’s side the second against The Gentlemen of Philadelphia. The tourists opponents in the third match were again the Gentlemen of Philadelphia.

How strong were these two sides? Fortunately for the many who will be familiar with only King and Mitchell Musk begins with brief biographical details of the 22 players. Two of the other Englishmen played with Mitchell for England in South Africa and Frank Druce played throughout the 1897/98 Ashes series. The remainder were of variable quality but the reader is left with the impression that Mitchell’s was a decent side.

In the event however, as the final part of the monograph explains, they were beaten, and beaten by an innings. King starred with the ball with 5-47 and 6-61 and with the bat there was a centurion and two men who went past fifty – it reads as though it was an interesting game.

For those who are interested in the doings of Bart King and his teammates, and there clearly is some enthusiasm for the subject judging by the number of books and monographs that have appeared in the last couple of years or so this one, a mere snip at £8 inclusive of UK postage and packing is well worth investing in. It is available either from the publisher or Roger Page, but there are only 30 signed and numbered copies to go round.