Old Ebor
@oldebor.bsky.social
The inventor (or discoverer) of the googly did not quite meet the ideal of a cricketing pioneer. Instead he was a mediocre player who had one blinding insight that changed the sport forever
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
Bernard Bosanquet
The Father of the Googly
open.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:23 PM
The inventor (or discoverer) of the googly did not quite meet the ideal of a cricketing pioneer. Instead he was a mediocre player who had one blinding insight that changed the sport forever
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
In 1888, a brutal and inexplicable murder took place in a quiet Somerset village called East Lambrook. Life was never quite the same again.
lostlives.substack.com/p/across-the...
lostlives.substack.com/p/across-the...
Across the Lane
The Murder of Martha Charles
lostlives.substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 8:35 PM
In 1888, a brutal and inexplicable murder took place in a quiet Somerset village called East Lambrook. Life was never quite the same again.
lostlives.substack.com/p/across-the...
lostlives.substack.com/p/across-the...
For a time in the 1890s, the fastest bowler in the world was a league professional who never played first-class cricket. Sam Moss was usually too fast for the opposition batters but his career was tainted by suspicions about his action
“Very fast but with a somewhat doubtful delivery”: The Arrival of Sam Moss
For a time in the 1890s, the fastest bowler in the world was possibly a professional playing in league cricket. Sam Moss was from Lancashire but his career took him around the country, where he was usually too fast for the opposition batters. But whispers about his bowling action — at a time when English cricket was very sensitive about such matters — followed him too.
oldebor.wordpress.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:04 PM
For a time in the 1890s, the fastest bowler in the world was a league professional who never played first-class cricket. Sam Moss was usually too fast for the opposition batters but his career was tainted by suspicions about his action
Reposted by Old Ebor
The New South Wales cricketer Andy Newell disappeared in 1907 and was assumed to have killed himself after suffering from depression. His obituary was even printed in Wisden. But he was not dead. Instead, he had left his home to begin a new life
The Resurrection of Andy Newell
The New South Wales cricketer Andy Newell disappeared in 1907 and was assumed to have killed himself after suffering from depression. His obituary was even printed in Wisden. But he was not dead. Instead, he had left his home to begin a new life.
oldebor.wordpress.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:52 AM
The New South Wales cricketer Andy Newell disappeared in 1907 and was assumed to have killed himself after suffering from depression. His obituary was even printed in Wisden. But he was not dead. Instead, he had left his home to begin a new life
The New South Wales cricketer Andy Newell disappeared in 1907 and was assumed to have killed himself after suffering from depression. His obituary was even printed in Wisden. But he was not dead. Instead, he had left his home to begin a new life
The Resurrection of Andy Newell
The New South Wales cricketer Andy Newell disappeared in 1907 and was assumed to have killed himself after suffering from depression. His obituary was even printed in Wisden. But he was not dead. Instead, he had left his home to begin a new life.
oldebor.wordpress.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:52 AM
The New South Wales cricketer Andy Newell disappeared in 1907 and was assumed to have killed himself after suffering from depression. His obituary was even printed in Wisden. But he was not dead. Instead, he had left his home to begin a new life
In January 1892, an Ilminster bank manager called William Lidderdale caught a train to London where he was meeting a surveyor to discuss a property he wanted to buy. He took just over £1,000 in cash but nothing else. He was due to be married in a week. He was never seen again
November 23, 2025 at 5:14 PM
In January 1892, an Ilminster bank manager called William Lidderdale caught a train to London where he was meeting a surveyor to discuss a property he wanted to buy. He took just over £1,000 in cash but nothing else. He was due to be married in a week. He was never seen again
William Lidderdale disappeared in 1892 on his way to London. His fate was never uncovered, although theories included kidnap, fatal illness and accident. Equally likely, he chose to vanish; and he invented a scorned woman to bolster his story lostlives.substack.com/p/the-unrave...
The Unravelling of a Myth
The Matter of Mr Lidderdale — Part Three
lostlives.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:30 PM
William Lidderdale disappeared in 1892 on his way to London. His fate was never uncovered, although theories included kidnap, fatal illness and accident. Equally likely, he chose to vanish; and he invented a scorned woman to bolster his story lostlives.substack.com/p/the-unrave...
Reposted by Old Ebor
Whether or not Joe Root scores that elusive century in Australia, he is going to be remembered as one of England's greatest batters. There is even an argument he is "the greatest". Where does he fit into the historical picture and who might the other candidates be? open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
The Measure of Greatness
Joe Root in Context
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Whether or not Joe Root scores that elusive century in Australia, he is going to be remembered as one of England's greatest batters. There is even an argument he is "the greatest". Where does he fit into the historical picture and who might the other candidates be? open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
Fifteen years after the mysterious disappearance of the bank manager William Lidderdale, a friend began the process of having him declared legally dead. But rather than settling the matter, it renewed fascination in the baffling case open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Application to Presume Death
The Matter of Mr Lidderdale — Part Two
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Fifteen years after the mysterious disappearance of the bank manager William Lidderdale, a friend began the process of having him declared legally dead. But rather than settling the matter, it renewed fascination in the baffling case open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
Whether or not Joe Root scores that elusive century in Australia, he is going to be remembered as one of England's greatest batters. There is even an argument he is "the greatest". Where does he fit into the historical picture and who might the other candidates be? open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
The Measure of Greatness
Joe Root in Context
open.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Whether or not Joe Root scores that elusive century in Australia, he is going to be remembered as one of England's greatest batters. There is even an argument he is "the greatest". Where does he fit into the historical picture and who might the other candidates be? open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
Reposted by Old Ebor
On 8 January 1892, a bank manager called William Lidderdale vanished without trace. But a fairly straightforward story was soon complicated by the publication of a death notice full of impossibilities…
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Matter of Mr Lidderdale
Part One: The Missing Bank Manager
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:34 PM
On 8 January 1892, a bank manager called William Lidderdale vanished without trace. But a fairly straightforward story was soon complicated by the publication of a death notice full of impossibilities…
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
Reposted by Old Ebor
Phil Mead scored 55,061 first-class runs and 153 centuries in a career lasting from 1905 until 1936. Yet he only played 17 times for England, despite a Test average of 49.37. The reasons are simple: he played for an unfashionable county and was easy neither on the eye nor on his team-mates.
“He would not have objected to being described as a mercenary”: Phil Mead and the Battle with Poverty
Phil Mead scored 55,061 first-class runs and 153 centuries in a career lasting from 1905 until 1936. Yet he only played 17 times for England, despite a Test average of 49.37. The reasons are simple: he played for an unfashionable county and was easy neither on the eye nor on his team-mates.
oldebor.wordpress.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Phil Mead scored 55,061 first-class runs and 153 centuries in a career lasting from 1905 until 1936. Yet he only played 17 times for England, despite a Test average of 49.37. The reasons are simple: he played for an unfashionable county and was easy neither on the eye nor on his team-mates.
On 8 January 1892, a bank manager called William Lidderdale vanished without trace. But a fairly straightforward story was soon complicated by the publication of a death notice full of impossibilities…
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Matter of Mr Lidderdale
Part One: The Missing Bank Manager
open.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:34 PM
On 8 January 1892, a bank manager called William Lidderdale vanished without trace. But a fairly straightforward story was soon complicated by the publication of a death notice full of impossibilities…
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
Phil Mead scored 55,061 first-class runs and 153 centuries in a career lasting from 1905 until 1936. Yet he only played 17 times for England, despite a Test average of 49.37. The reasons are simple: he played for an unfashionable county and was easy neither on the eye nor on his team-mates.
“He would not have objected to being described as a mercenary”: Phil Mead and the Battle with Poverty
Phil Mead scored 55,061 first-class runs and 153 centuries in a career lasting from 1905 until 1936. Yet he only played 17 times for England, despite a Test average of 49.37. The reasons are simple: he played for an unfashionable county and was easy neither on the eye nor on his team-mates.
oldebor.wordpress.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Phil Mead scored 55,061 first-class runs and 153 centuries in a career lasting from 1905 until 1936. Yet he only played 17 times for England, despite a Test average of 49.37. The reasons are simple: he played for an unfashionable county and was easy neither on the eye nor on his team-mates.
Reposted by Old Ebor
In 1883, a body was found hidden in the old boiler of a ruined mill. How did the woman came to be there, and how could she have been failed by literally everyone in her life? #history #biography #asylums
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Lost Weaver
The Life and Death of Mrs Hannah Haigh
open.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:08 PM
In 1883, a body was found hidden in the old boiler of a ruined mill. How did the woman came to be there, and how could she have been failed by literally everyone in her life? #history #biography #asylums
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
In 1883, a body was found hidden in the old boiler of a ruined mill. How did the woman came to be there, and how could she have been failed by literally everyone in her life? #history #biography #asylums
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Lost Weaver
The Life and Death of Mrs Hannah Haigh
open.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:08 PM
In 1883, a body was found hidden in the old boiler of a ruined mill. How did the woman came to be there, and how could she have been failed by literally everyone in her life? #history #biography #asylums
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
Reposted by Old Ebor
The just-completed series in New Zealand — a sort of "pre-Ashes tour" — revived but reversed an odd historical practice. For decades, England only bothered to visit New Zealand if they were going to Australia as well #NZvENG
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
An Afterthought in the Antipodes
How English cricket neglected New Zealand
open.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:10 PM
The just-completed series in New Zealand — a sort of "pre-Ashes tour" — revived but reversed an odd historical practice. For decades, England only bothered to visit New Zealand if they were going to Australia as well #NZvENG
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
The just-completed series in New Zealand — a sort of "pre-Ashes tour" — revived but reversed an odd historical practice. For decades, England only bothered to visit New Zealand if they were going to Australia as well #NZvENG
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
An Afterthought in the Antipodes
How English cricket neglected New Zealand
open.substack.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:10 PM
The just-completed series in New Zealand — a sort of "pre-Ashes tour" — revived but reversed an odd historical practice. For decades, England only bothered to visit New Zealand if they were going to Australia as well #NZvENG
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
Reposted by Old Ebor
In 1890, a Liverpool docker called Samuel McKay disappeared during a works outing to Matlock Bath in Derbyshire. And almost no-one seemed to notice. open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Vanished Docker
The Disappearance of Samuel McKay
open.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 10:49 AM
In 1890, a Liverpool docker called Samuel McKay disappeared during a works outing to Matlock Bath in Derbyshire. And almost no-one seemed to notice. open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
Reposted by Old Ebor
Ben Sealy of Trinidad played just one Test match for the West Indies during a career lasting from 1924 to 1941. Useful rather than essential, he never quite made enough impact to guarantee his place. But in 1933, he was one of the leading players in the West Indies team that toured England.
Popular, Charming and Dispensable: The Overlooked Cricket of Ben Sealy
Ben Sealy of Trinidad played just one Test match for the West Indies during a career lasting from 1924 to 1941. Useful rather than essential, he never quite made enough impact to guarantee his place. But in 1933, he was one of the leading players in the West Indies team that toured England.
oldebor.wordpress.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Ben Sealy of Trinidad played just one Test match for the West Indies during a career lasting from 1924 to 1941. Useful rather than essential, he never quite made enough impact to guarantee his place. But in 1933, he was one of the leading players in the West Indies team that toured England.
Ben Sealy of Trinidad played just one Test match for the West Indies during a career lasting from 1924 to 1941. Useful rather than essential, he never quite made enough impact to guarantee his place. But in 1933, he was one of the leading players in the West Indies team that toured England.
Popular, Charming and Dispensable: The Overlooked Cricket of Ben Sealy
Ben Sealy of Trinidad played just one Test match for the West Indies during a career lasting from 1924 to 1941. Useful rather than essential, he never quite made enough impact to guarantee his place. But in 1933, he was one of the leading players in the West Indies team that toured England.
oldebor.wordpress.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Ben Sealy of Trinidad played just one Test match for the West Indies during a career lasting from 1924 to 1941. Useful rather than essential, he never quite made enough impact to guarantee his place. But in 1933, he was one of the leading players in the West Indies team that toured England.
In 1890, a Liverpool docker called Samuel McKay disappeared during a works outing to Matlock Bath in Derbyshire. And almost no-one seemed to notice. open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Vanished Docker
The Disappearance of Samuel McKay
open.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 10:49 AM
In 1890, a Liverpool docker called Samuel McKay disappeared during a works outing to Matlock Bath in Derbyshire. And almost no-one seemed to notice. open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
Two English cricketers appeared in court within twelve months of each other in the mid-1920s, but their paths were very different and perfectly illustrate the divisions in English cricket at the time
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
Parallel Lives
The Tales of Thomas Raikes and Ronald Lowe
open.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Two English cricketers appeared in court within twelve months of each other in the mid-1920s, but their paths were very different and perfectly illustrate the divisions in English cricket at the time
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
open.substack.com/pub/oldebor7...
Reposted by Old Ebor
Lily Woodcock was a barmaid in Limehouse who twice escaped throwing herself in front of a train. But she was not quite the hysterical woman portrayed in the press, nor was her story quite as straightforward as it seemed
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Limehouse Barmaid
The Trials of Lily Woodcock
open.substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Lily Woodcock was a barmaid in Limehouse who twice escaped throwing herself in front of a train. But she was not quite the hysterical woman portrayed in the press, nor was her story quite as straightforward as it seemed
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
Lily Woodcock was a barmaid in Limehouse who twice escaped throwing herself in front of a train. But she was not quite the hysterical woman portrayed in the press, nor was her story quite as straightforward as it seemed
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
The Limehouse Barmaid
The Trials of Lily Woodcock
open.substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Lily Woodcock was a barmaid in Limehouse who twice escaped throwing herself in front of a train. But she was not quite the hysterical woman portrayed in the press, nor was her story quite as straightforward as it seemed
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...
#history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlive...