James Fellowes

James Fellowes (21 August 1841 – 3 May 1916) was an English first-class cricketer, cricket administrator, and an officer in the Royal Engineers. As a first-class cricketer, he was mostly associated with Kent County Cricket Club and Hampshire County Cricket Club. At Hampshire, he was joint-secretary alongside Russell Bencraft from 1883 to 1885, later serving as honorary secretary until 1887. He was an important figure in the relocation of Hampshire from the Antelope Ground to the County Ground in Southampton in 1885.

Early life and military career The son of James Fellowes and his wife, Susan, he was born in the Cape Colony of present-day South Africa in August 1841. Hailing from a military family, Fellowes attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He graduated from there into the Royal Engineers (RE) as a temporary lieutenant in June 1858, with him gaining the rank in full in 1860. He held the rank of captain by July 1877, at which point he was appointed as an adjutant to the 1st Yorkshire (West Riding) Engineer Volunteers Corps. In September 1879, he was promoted to major, with promotion to lieutenant colonel following in July 1885.

In May 1888, Fellowes was appointed assistant commandant at the Royal School of Military Engineering at Chatham. He was promoted to colonel in July 1889, before vacating his appointment at the school when he was placed on half-pay in July 1890. In February 1891, he was appointed to the staff of the RE until January 1896, remaining on half pay. Fellowes retired from active service in August 1898. Like many RE officers of the Victorian era, he was extensively involved with the Ordnance Survey in Southampton.

Cricket career Fellowes first played cricket for the Royal Engineers Cricket Club in 1868 and joined the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1869. It was for the MCC that he made his debut in first-class cricket in 1870, playing against Cambridge University at Lord's; he played a second first-class match for the MCC in the same season, against Gloucestershire. He qualified to play for Kent in 1873, by virtue of being garrisoned at Woolwich. Noted as being an "exceptionally accurate" right-arm roundarm fast bowler, holding that appointment until his resignation in 1887, when his RE duties took him away from Hampshire. Fellowes made himself the guarantor of the fund to raise money for the acquisition of land for new ground, with him negotiating successfully with the Hulse estate for land on Northlands Road in Southampton. He subsequently oversaw its layout and development. where he supervised the construction of the County Ground in Exeter. He is buried in the churchyard of St John the Evangelist at Hale, Surrey.