The second son of the Earl of Coventry, Charles Coventry played his cricket for Worcestershire, at the time a Minor County, and in 1888-89 was invited to tour South Africa with Major Warton's side. Two of the games were considered Tests. In the first, Coventry, who was making his first-class debut, batted at No.10 and made 12; in the second, he again batted at No.10 and scored 1*. He returned to South Africa in 1896 and took part in the Jameson Raid where he was wrongly reported as having been killed. Arrangements were made for a memorial service back in England but news arrived that he was alive as the service was about to start and it instead became a celebration. He was sentenced to five months in prison for his part in the raid but was released after 24 days due to ill health. A career army man, he saw service in the 1893 Matabeleland campaign and in the Great War took part in the Dardanelles campaign and was later captured in Palestine. For many years he was official starter to the Jockey Club.
Martin Williamson