Manley Kemp

Manley Colchester Kemp (7 September 1861 – 30 June 1951) was an English schoolmaster and sportsman, known particularly for a first-class cricket career that extended from 1880 to 1895.

Life He was born at Forest Hill, London, one of the four sons of Charles Fitch Kemp (died 1907), a leading chartered accountant. Two of his brothers, Charles and Arthur, also played first-class cricket for Kent, and Charles played for Oxford University too. The youngest son, Harold Fitch Kemp, played for the Harrow School XI, as did all the brothers. He followed his father in becoming President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.

At Harrow School, Kemp was captain of the cricket team and also won the public schools rackets championship in both 1879 and 1880. At Oxford University, he matriculated in 1880 and was a scholar at Hertford College. He was a right-handed batsman who usually played in the middle order and a wicketkeeper, though he did not always keep wicket when he played for Kent.

As a batsman, Kemp's figures appear unimpressive to modern eyes, but he produced occasional innings of brilliance. As captain of the Oxford University team in both 1883 and 1884, he led the 1884 team to an unexpected victory over the full Australian touring team, making an unbeaten 63 out of an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 76. After leaving Oxford University, his first-class cricket was confined largely to the August school holidays, though he played almost a whole season in 1886; in that year, he made his highest score and only century, an innings of 175 for the Gentlemen of England cricket team against Cambridge University, made out of a total of 298 after the first six wickets had been lost for just 21 runs. He played in the Gentlemen v Players matches from 1883 to 1885.