Their Finest Hour
Martin Chandler |Published: 2025
Pages: 16
Author: Musk, Stephen
Publisher: Red Rose Books
Rating: 3 stars
Given that in those days self-publishing didn’t exist in the way it does now, and the likely limited market for such a book I suppose it comes as no great surprise that there were no contemporary accounts of the tours of England by the Gentlemen of Philadelphia in 1897, 1903 and 1908 although, with the resurgence in interest in the Philadelphians in recent years perhaps that will now change.
Of the three trips that of 1903, in playing terms at least, was the most successful. The Philadelphians played fifteen First Class fixtures in all and while their results were mixed they recorded six wins to go with six defeats.
This monograph concerns the final fixture of that tour, a match against Surrey at the Oval in early August. For Surrey it was to be a disappointing summer and they finished no higher than eleventh in the Championship. But they still had a powerful side and, with the exception of all-rounder Bill Lockwood and ‘keeper Herbert Strudwick they played their full side.
Few expected the Philadelphians to beat Surrey in their own backyard but, as things turned out, that is exactly what they did, the star men being Bart King, who scored 98 and 113* as well as taking three wickets in each innings, and King’s new ball partner Percy Clarke, who took five wickets in each innings.
As his wont Stephen Musk provides an interesting introduction that puts the match in context before introducing all the players and then giving an account of the match. As before the monograph is available directly from the publisher in a package with Musk’s two other recent monographs on important matches played by the Gentlemen of Philadelphia, or from Roger Page in Australia.
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