Hubert Ashton

Hubert Ashton
Personal information
Full name	Hubert Ashton
Born	13 February 1898; Calcutta, Bengal
Died	17 June 1979 (aged 81); Wealdside, Essex, England
Batting	Right-handed
International information
National sides	India; Burma;
Domestic team information
1927	Marylebone Cricket Club
1921–1939	Essex
1920–1922	Cambridge University
Career statistics
Matches	71
Runs scored	4,025
Batting average	38.70
100s/50s	8/21
Top score	236*
Balls bowled	18
Wickets	–
Bowling average	–
5 wickets in innings	–
10 wickets in match	–
Best bowling	–
Catches/stumpings	71/–
	Source: CricketArchive, 14 October 2011

Sir Hubert Ashton KBE MC (1898–1979) was an English first-class cricketer, footballer and politician.

Biography

Early life

Ashton was born in Calcutta, India on 13 February 1898. Ashton's mother, Victoria Alexandrina Inglis, was the daughter of Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis, who commanded the British forces at the Siege of Lucknow, and Julia Selina Thesiger.^[1]

Asshton was educated at Winchester College; on leaving Winchester in 1916 he joined the Royal Field Artillery and served for the rest of World War I. He was awarded the Military Cross "for conspicuous gallantry and skill in leading a section of guns into a forward position near Trones Wood on 27th August, 1918, where, under heavy shell and machine-gun fire, he succeeded in destroying an enemy strong point, thereby greatly facilitating the infantry advance."^[2] After the war he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge.

Cricket career

As a cricketer, Ashton was a sound right-hand batsman in the outstanding Cambridge University sides in the years just after the First World War, in which he had been commissioned in the Royal Field Artillery and won the Military Cross, and he played for Essex in the vacations. In both 1921 and 1922 he scored more than 1,000 runs and at the end of the 1922 season, after just three years in first-class cricket, Ashton was averaging more than 46 runs per innings. His most famous exploit, though, was as a member of the amateur side assembled by Archie MacLaren to take on the hitherto-invincible 1921 Australian cricket team at Eastbourne. Bowled out for just 43 runs in the first innings, the so-called "England XI" were, at 60 for four wickets in their second innings, still 71 behind when Ashton was joined by Aubrey Faulkner. Ashton hit 75 in 72 minutes, Faulkner made 153 and McLaren's side won the match by 28 runs. Ashton was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1922 largely on account of this innings. Ashton was involved in an extraordinary incident during the match against Lancashire. He was bowled, but both bails went up in the air and then returned to their grooves on top of the stumps, meaning that he was not out.^[3]

Ashton's three brothers, Gilbert, Percy and Claude, also played first-class cricket; Gilbert, Hubert and Claude captained Cambridge University in the three consecutive seasons from 1921 to 1923.

At the end of the 1922 cricket season Ashton joined the Burmah Oil Company, and his appearances thereafter were sporadic. He played for India and for Burma against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) side led by Arthur Gilligan that toured India in 1926–27; he reappeared for several Essex matches in 1927; and there were a handful of first-class games across the 1930s, the last in 1939.

In addition to his cricketing career, Ashton was also an accomplished footballer, playing as a full-back for West Bromwich Albion, the Corinthians, Bristol Rovers and Clapton Orient.

Post-cricket and political career

Ashton later pursued a different career, first in cricket administration, as president of Essex from 1941, and then in national UK politics. He served as High Sheriff of Essex in 1943 and was then elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Chelmsford at the 1950 general elections and held the seat at three further UK general elections, before retiring in 1964. He was knighted in 1959^[4] and it was as Sir Hubert Ashton that he became MCC president in 1960–61. Ashton died in South Weald, Essex on 17 June 1979.

Personal life

In 1927 Ashton married Dorothy Gaitskell, sister of Hugh Gaitskell. They had two sons and two daughters.^[5]

References

^ "Victoria Alexandrina Inglis". Family Search. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "No. 31158". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1919. p. 1639.
^ Brodribb, Gerald (1995) Next Man In, Souvenir Press: London. ISBN 0285634836.
^ "No. 41727". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1959. p. 3706.
^ "Sir Hubert Ashtion (obituary)". The Times. London. 23 November 1979. p. VIII.

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Hubert Ashton
Portraits of Hubert Ashton at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Honorary titles
Preceded by Colonel Richard Parker	High Sheriff of Essex 1943	Succeeded by Wing-Commander Denis Buxton
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Ernest Millington	Member of Parliament for Chelmsford 1950–1964	Succeeded by Norman St John-Stevas

[1] "Victoria Alexandrina Inglis". Family Search. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[2] "No. 31158". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 February 1919. p. 1639.

[3] Brodribb, Gerald (1995) Next Man In, Souvenir Press: London. ISBN 0285634836.

[4] "No. 41727". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1959. p. 3706.

[5] "Sir Hubert Ashtion (obituary)". The Times. London. 23 November 1979. p. VIII.

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