We have recently had donated to the Kent collections a number of photographs dating back to the first and second decades of the last century, all of which show proud cricketers staring back at the camera lens, either before or after their game. The common denominator is William Dutnall, who appears in every photograph, and whose grandson is the donor of the photographs to the club.

My favourite is headed “Kent Second XI, Brighton, June 7^th and 8^th 1907”. Not only are all the players identified, but the match is easily researched on Cricket Archive, which shows that not only did Kent win by an innings and 125 runs, but the photographer got the date wrong – it was actually played on 17^th and 18^th June that year.

Standing at the extreme left is Percival Ernest Morfee, misspelted as “Morphee”. He was born 2 May 1886, and thus was just 21 when the photo was taken. He was a very fast right-arm bowler who went on to play 11 matches for the Kent first team, scoring 132 runs at 13.20, with a top score of 20. He also took 28 wickets for 934 runs, at an average pf 33.35, including 5 for 47 v Northants at Mote Park in 1910. He was an independent soul who fell out with Kent and moved north, where he played Lancashire League cricket for many years. He died on 12 Feb 1945.

Standing next to him is George Christopher Collins, born on 21 Sept 1889, and thus not yet 18. He was a left hand bat and right arm fast medium bowler, who played 212 matches for Kent between 1911 and 1928, scoring 6237 runs at 22.35, with 4 centuries, and a highest score of 110. He took 378 wickets at 23.71, including 10 for 65 v Notts at Dover in 1922. He is Kent Cap number 75. After his retirement he became a first-class umpire and died on 23 Jan 1949, aged 59.

One of the most interesting things about this team photo is the presence of Claud Neville Woolley, the older brother, by one year, of Frank. Born on 5 May 1886, he never played for Kent’s first team, and perhaps sensed that he would never be as good as his brother. However he moved a bit north and had a long career with Northants (362 games, 1911-1931) as a right hand bat and right arm medium slow bowler. Before moving to Northampton, he played 18 games for Kent 2^nd XI, and was a lifelong friend of Colin Blythe. They joined up together and served together until the action that killed Blythe in 1917, in which Claud Woolley was injured. On retirement he, like Collins, became an umpire and stood in the Second Test against Australia at Lord’s in 1948. He died on 3 Nov 1962, aged 74.

Next to Woolley is Raymond Munds, born 28 Dec 1882, who was one of the heroes of Kent’s victory at Brighton. Opening the batting, he top scored with 116 to establish Kent’s complete dominance. He only played 7 games for the Kent county side between 1902 and 1908, scoring 121 runs at 12.10, with a top score of 29, but he played for Kent 2s from 1901 to 1911. After his century at Brighton, he hit 144 v Middlesex in his next match, but could never establish a place in the county eleven. He died on 29 July 1962, aged 79.

Sitting on the left is William Dutnall, who opened the batting with Munds. Dutnall was born in Canterbury on 29 Aug 1888, and like Raymond Munds, had a brother who also played for Kent a handful of times. He only played one game for the first team, against the touring West Indians in 1923, but had 21 games for Kent Second XI. He was a stalwart of St. Lawrence CC and played for them until he was in his fifties, and also served on the Kent CCC committee from 1957 until 1959. He died on 18 Mar 1960, aged 71. 

Next to Bill Dutnall is the young and splendidly named George McDonald Bottome, who was born 10 Sep 1887, and was an undergraduate at Cambridge University at the time of this game. He only ever played twice for Kent Seconds and never for the first XI. A product of Tonbridge School, he scored 60 in this game and 65 in his only other game for the 2s, against Sussex at Hove the following year, so it is rather surprising that he did not get other chances. He played in the Freshman’s Trials at Cambridge, but never played for the University, and presumably did not have the family wealth to play cricket as an amateur. In 1907 it would have been unthinkable for a public school  and Cambridge educated man to become a professional cricketer. He enjoyed a long life and died on 11 Jun 1972, shortly before his 85^th birthday.

The captain was Lionel Holmes Wood Troughton, who was on born 17 May 1879, and went on to play 180 games for the county, and to captain the side in 1914 and in the first few seasons after the War, part of which he spent as a prisoner of war. A batter of modest achievement, he was nevertheless a good and popular captain at both Second and First team level, and his 90 in this game was part of a large partnership with Munds. Lt Col Troughton was manager of the club from 1924 until he died on 31 August 1933, aged 54. 

Henry John Berridge Preston, who was born in India on 25 October 1883, took 5 for 45 and 4 for 49 as Kent rolled over Sussex 2s in June 1907. He played only 19 matches for Kent between 1907 and 1913, but won his county cap (no. 70) in 1910, the season in which he took 4 for 8 and 4 for 27 against Somerset at Tunbridge Wells. He was a hopeless batter, scoring only 84 runs in his career at 6.46, but took 43 wickets at 20.11. He was described as a slow medium off-spinner, similar to Bill Fairservice in style, but not quite as good. After he left the club, he moved to Scotland, where he took plenty of wickets in club cricket. He died on 23 April 1964, aged 80.

Seated on the far right of the picture is the mystery man, Skinner. Although he played 24 games for Kent Second XI between 1904 and 1909, all we know about him is that his first initial was C. Was he Charles? Claud? Christopher? Or something more exotic? In this game he scored 34 batting at number 8, and took two wickets for 15 in Sussex’s first innings, so he was a useful member of the side. That 34 was his highest score for Kent Seconds, but he had at least four five wicket hauls and one ten wicket game as a bowler. He tended to open the bowling, so we assume he was at least a medium pacer. We’d love to know more.

Seated on the ground is John Charlton Hubble, on the left. This is somebody we do know a great deal about, as by this time he had already played enough of his 360 games for the first team to have earned his county cap, number 62. A fine and stylish batter who took over as wicket-keeper when Fred Huish retired, Jack Hubble was born 10 Feb 1881, and played for the county until 1929. He died on 26 Feb 1965.

The last of the eleven is George Collins Wingham, not to be confused with George Christopher Collins. Wingham was born in Folkestone in 1884, and played 9 games for Kent Seconds in 1906 and 1907, before moving to Northumberland, where he played until 1920. A slow left hand bowler and left handed bat, he took 5 for 73 as Sussex crumbled in their second innings, but only played two more games for the team. He died young, aged only 36 or 37 on 2 May 1921.

These are the faces that stare out as us from a distance of 115 years, with expressions not so different from any cricket team photo of today. Was it taken before the match, or after? They all look pretty pleased with themselves, so I suspect it was in the aftermath of victory.