Full Name

Arthur Owen Jones

Born

August 16, 1872, Shelton, Nottinghamshire

Died

December 21, 1914, Lanark House, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, (aged 42y 127d)

Batting Style

Right hand Bat

Bowling Style

Legbreak

Arthur Owen Jones died on December 21, at his brother's house at Dunstable. He played in a few matches for Notts at the beginning of the past season, but his condition was very bad, and his friends knew he would not be able to go on for long. During the summer he spent some time at a sanatorium in the New Forest, but nothing could be done for him, consumption being too far advanced. He went home, given up as incurable, and the end came as a release from his sufferings. Born on August 16, 1872, Mr. Jones played his first match for Notts against Lancashire at Trent Bridge in 1892. Helping Notts to a victory by six wickets, he at once gave proof of his brilliant qualities as a cricketer. The match was a remarkable one. Notts--a great side that season--had 222 to get to win. As he had made 17 not out in the first innings, Jones was selected to go in with Shrewsbury, and between them the two batsmen scored 75 for the first wicket, putting their side on the high road to victory. They might have done more, but a brilliant run out ended the partnership. Jones was then up at Cambridge, but he only played once against Oxford at Lord's, being on the winning side in 1893. He was rather slow to develop as a batsman, his full powers being, perhaps, first revealed in a superb innings of 98 in the Whit-Monday match between Notts and Surrey in 1896. Richard Daft said of that innings that he had never seen anyone play Tom Richardson so well. Jones's great days began three years later, and from 1899 to 1907 he was, except in one season, at his very best. In the winter of 1907-8, when in Australia as a captain of the M. C. C.'s team, he had a severe illness, from the effects of which he perhaps never wholly recovered. However, he was able to resume his career in England in 1908, and continued to play as much cricket as ever. Early in the season of 1913 he contracted a violent chill, playing on a bitterly cold afternoon at Manchester. This kept him out of the field for more than two months, and no doubt brought on the illness which ended in his premature death.

It is essentially as a Notts cricketer that Mr. Jones will be remembered. Nearly all his best work was done for his county. He only played five times for England against Australia in this country, and when he paid his first visit to Australia as a member of Mr. MacLaren's team in 1901-2, he failed to do himself justice as a batsman. Always rather eager and impetuous, he had not quite the right temperament for Test match cricket. All through his career his fielding was even finer than his batting. Indeed it may be claimed for him that a better all-round fieldsman has never been seen. Unequalled in his favourite position in the slips--a sort of short third man--he was almost as brilliant in the deep field, and in the England v. Australia match at Birmingham in 1909 he made a catch at short-leg that has become historical. As an orthodox slip fieldsman he was seen at his highest pitch in the England v. Australia match at Trent Bridge in 1905, and the Gentlemen v. Players match at Lord's in 1907. He succeeded Mr. J. A. Dixon as captain of the Notts team in 1900, and held that position until he had to give up cricket last summer. Under his leadership Notts won the county championship in 1907. As a batsman he was essentially a brilliant player, his hitting on the off-side being wonderfully fine. His position at the wicket, with legs wide apart and both knees bent, was rather cramped and ungainly, but once the ball had left the bowler's hand all awkwardness vanished. In hitting he was always free and graceful. He and Iremonger put up the hundred together for the first Notts wicket 24 times. In his young days Mr. Jones excelled in Rugby football, and of late years, in connection with that game, he was, by general consent, one of the best of referees.

MR. A. O. Jones' HUNDREDS IN FIRST-CLASS MATCHES

*The highest score ever made in Nottinghamshire cricket. †Signifies not out.

Score.Year
118 Notts, v. Leicestershire, at Nottingham 1895
127 Notts, v. Kent, at Nottingham 1896
162 Notts, v. Middlesex, at Nottingham 1897
250 Notts, v. Gloucestershire, at Bristol 1899
129 Notts, v. Surrey, at the Oval 1899
117 Notts, v. Middlesex, at Nottingham 1899
108C. I. Thornton's XI, v. Yorkshire, at Scarborough 1899
155 Notts, v. Leicestershire, at Leicester 1900
249 Notts, v. Sussex, at Brighton 1901
147 Notts, v. Gloucestershire, at Nottingham 1901
149 Notts, v. Essex, at Leyton 1901
146C. I. Thornton's XI, v. Yorkshire, at Scarborough 1901
105 Gentlemen, v. Players, at Hastings 1901
100 Notts, v. Surrey, at Nottingham 1902
109 Notts, v. Lancashire, at Manchester 1902
137 Notts, v. Lancashire, at Nottingham 1903
100 Notts, v. Lancashire, at Nottingham 1903
296* Notts, v. Gloucestershire, at Nottingham 1903
113 Notts, v. Yorkshire, at Nottingham 1904
119 Notts, v. Derbyshire, at Chesterfield 1904
108 Notts, v. Leicestershire, at Nottingham 1904
187 Notts, v. Gloucestershire, at Nottingham 1904
150† Notts, v. Essex, at Leyton 1904
103 Notts, v. Australians, at Nottingham 1905
274 Notts, v. Essex, at Leyton 1905
123 Notts, v. Middlesex, at Nottingham 1905
105 Notts, v. Surrey, at Nottingham 1906
164 Notts, v. Essex, at Nottingham 1907
119 M.C.C. Team, v. South Australia, at Adelaide 1907
125† Notts, v. Australians, at Nottingham 1909
121 Notts, v. Northamptonshire, at Northampton 1910
116 Notts, v. Yorkshire, at Nottingham 1910
121 Notts, v. Lancashire, at Nottingham 1910
103 Notts, v. Gloucestershire, at Nottingham 1911


AGGREGATE FIGURES IN ALL FIRST-CLASS MATCHES.

BATTING

MatchesInningsRunsHighestNot outAverage
In England44274022,2022964531.94
In Australia2134747119223.34
46377422,9492964731.56

BOWLING

MatchesOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverage
In England2543211.350810,77832932.75
In Australia5528161353.60
2593263.351610,93933232.94

MR. JONES WAS OUT AS FOLLOWS:--

Totalling 727 completed innings. (Mr. Jones was never given out Hit wicket.)

In first-class matches Mr. Jones made 544 catches in England and 31 in Australia.

bowled:237 timesLeg-begore-wicket:36 times
caught:392 times run out:24 times
caught and bowled:25 times stumped:13 times

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

Arthur Jones Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

FormatMatInnsNORunsHSAve100s50s6sCtSt
Tests122102913413.85000150
FC472774472293529631.5434117-5802

Bowling

FormatMatInnsBallsRunsWktsBBIBBMAveEconSR4w5w10w
Tests12422813333/733/11644.333.5076.0000
FC472-18116109283338/71-32.813.6154.4-81
England and Nottinghamshire cricket Arthur Jones

Explore Statsguru Analysis

Test

Debut/Last Matches of Arthur Jones

Recent Matches of Arthur Jones

MatchBatBowlWktDateGroundFormat
Notts vs Hampshire33----08-Jun-1914SouthamptonFC
Notts vs Sussex57 & 03/69 & 1/24--18-May-1911HoveFC
England vs Australia8 & 260/15--14-Jun-1909Lord'sTest # 102
England vs Australia28----27-May-1909BirminghamTest # 101
M.C.C. vs West Aust----2c/0s & 3c/0s13-Mar-1908PerthFC

Photos of Arthur Jones

Arthur Jones
Arthur Jones, 1910
(L-R) Archie MacLaren; Tom Hayward, Walter Lees and Johnny Tyldesley; Arthur Jones; Bernie Bosanquet
England and Nottinghamshire cricket Arthur Jones