Thomas Perkins

Thomas Tosswill Norwood Perkins (19 December 1870 – 26 July 1946) was an English schoolmaster, a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and Kent, and a footballer who captained the university side at Cambridge.

Early life Perkins was born at Strood in Kent, the son of the Rev Thomas Norwood Perkins, the curate of Strood in 1870, and his wife, the former Emily Louisa Tosswill. He was educated at St John's School, Leatherhead and Jesus College, Cambridge. Before going to Cambridge University in 1891, he was an assistant schoolmaster at Oxford and Great Yarmouth; he was almost 21 when he started at Cambridge. The 1893 University Match against Oxford University was won easily by Cambridge, and Perkins, batting at No 8, scored 18 and 37. After the university term was over, Perkins played for Kent, and in the game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge he scored 109, which was his only first-class century.

In 1894, Perkins played in most of the university team's first-class games and scored 23 and 24 in the University Match, which was a decisive win for Oxford. From this game, he went on to the Gentlemen v Players match at The Oval, appearing for the Gentlemen side which was captained by W. G. Grace. He played a few more matches for Kent in the second half of the 1894 season and rounded the year off by appearing in the Gentlemen of the South against the Players of the South game at Lord's in mid-September, though in a very strong batting side he came in at No 10.

From 1895, Perkins became a schoolmaster, although he does not appear to have graduated finally from Cambridge University until 1896. and at Rossall School in Lancashire from 1900 to 1903. He did not appear in first-class cricket after the 1900 season.

Later life Perkins was joint headmaster of two preparatory schools in the Bath area from 1904 to 1912 and played in Minor Counties cricket for Wiltshire in that period.