Frederick Toone

Sir Frederick Charles Toone (25 June 1868 - ) was a cricket administrator, who in 1929 became the second man ever to be knighted for cricket-related activities. Unusually for a man who achieved such eminence in the game, he never played cricket at first-class level.

Cricket administrator Toone was Secretary of Leicestershire from 1897 to 1902 and of Yorkshire from 1903 until his death. He was a great organiser, a quality that was put to particularly good use in ensuring the success of the benefit seasons of the Yorkshire professionals during his time in office. He died at Harrogate, Yorkshire.

He was a popular manager of three successive England touring teams to Australia: those of 1920–21, 1924–25 and 1928–29. It was following the last of these tours that he was knighted for his work in helping to promote good relations between "the Commonwealth and the Mother Country". In Wisden's report of the 1932–33 tour of Australia, it said: "the lamented death of Sir Frederick Toone left the M. C. C. without the most capable manager who has ever represented that body on a foreign tour".

As a young man, Toone played rugby union for Leicester, playing 22 games in the 1892–93 season including playing and scoring in the inaugural game at Welford Road.

Values Sir Frederick Toone wrote the following "Definition of Cricket" in 1930:

It is a science, the study of a lifetime, in which you may exhaust yourself but never your subject. It is a contest, a duel or melee, calling for courage, skill, strategy and self-control. It is a contest of temper, a trial of honour, a revealer of character. It affords a chance to play the man and act the gentleman. It means going into God's out-of-doors, getting close to nature, fresh air, exercise, a sweeping away of mental cobwebs, genuine recreation of the tired tissues. It is a cure for care, an antidote to worry. It includes companionship with friends, social intercourse, opportunities for courtesy, kindliness, and generosity to an opponent. It promotes not only physical health, but mental force.

Political concerns The 1924–25 MCC tour took place against a background of social disturbance in Australia. There were concerns in Australian society over the growing influence of communism and, according to the historian Andrew Moore, some commentators hoped that the tour would help to ease tension. It was expected that the influence and popularity of the captain, Arthur Gilligan, would assist this process. The primary focus of the organisation was to oppose communism, but MI5 considered its threat serious enough to warrant placing leading members under surveillance. In addition, the British Foreign Office were aware that the British Fascists had established some links overseas. Moore suggests that it is possible that Gilligan and Toone used the tour as an opportunity to establish links in Australia. However, Moore writes that "the British Fascists' Australian operations were small beer indeed" and of little consequence.