WG Grace biography

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W.G. Grace was a pioneer of the game of cricket, helping bring it to the public attention and making it the nation’s summer sport.
In a career spanning 44 years across the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, W.G. Grace revolutionised batting styles, scoring just under 55,000 runs. He was a gifted all-rounder who also took over 2,800 first class wickets and was equally adept in the field with a strong throwing arm.

Most people will picture W.G. Grace from later images, but early in his career he was an athletic man as well as a tall man, standing at 6 foot 2 inches tall. In an era when beards were the fashion, W.G. Grace’s beard still stood out with its depth and length, an instantly recognisable feature. A qualified medical practitioner, Grace played cricket as an amateur in an era when the English class system often dictated your position within the game. However, it is widely thought W.G. Grace earned far more from the game than most professionals of the time.

W.G. Grace was a sporting celebrity of his era. Considered to be one of the greatest ever players, Grace was never shy of using a little gamesmanship to give his side the edge. Yet he had a true passion for the game and was still playing the year before his death in 1915, scoring 69 not out for Eltham at 66 years of age.

W.G. Grace
Grace's early life

Early career

A Record-Breaking Career

End of Career and Legacy

Harold Larwood
Sebastian Coe
Steve Redgrave
1. Grace's early life
W. G. Grace photographed by Elliott and Fry in 1872.W. G. Grace photographed by Elliott and Fry in 1872.
Portrait of William Gilbert Grace, with his brother Edward Mills Grace. From an original photograph by Barraud, London. (© Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0)Portrait of William Gilbert Grace, with his brother Edward Mills Grace. From an original photograph by Barraud, London. (© Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0)
Photograph of cricketers W. G. Grace and Harry Jupp in 1874.Photograph of cricketers W. G. Grace and Harry Jupp in 1874.
William Gilbert Grace was born in July 1848 in Downend, Gloucestershire. One of nine children to Henry and Martha Grace, the young William would have been immersed in cricket from an early age.
His father was a local GP who founded Mangotsfield cricket club in 1845, which was to soon merge with West Gloucestershire cricket club. All the Grace children were encouraged to play cricket, and W.G. Grace benefited from a young age from the coaching of his uncle, Alfred Pocock.

Downend in the middle of the nineteenth century was a village outside Bristol and Grace had a typical village upbringing, wondering the rural fields with his friends. He was not particularly scholarly and did not attend university, with his father having designs on William following in his footsteps as a medical practitioner, for which he qualified in 1879.

However cricket was always the main focus for W.G. Grace from the start. He played for West Gloucestershire from the age of 9, before also playing for Lansdown cricket club who were the primary club in the county at the time. He first played for Lansdown just shy of his 13th birthday. In 1863 Grace suffered a debilitating bout of pneumonia which saw him confined to his bed for several weeks. The following year he was invited to play for the South Wales cricket club in matches around London, including Lords and The Oval.

Read more at

https://greatestbritons.com/wg-grace-biography


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