Thomas Soar

Thomas Soar (3 September 1865 — 17 May 1939) was an English first-class cricketer. Soar initially played an important part in facilitating Hampshire's readmission as a first-class county in 1895, forming a potent bowling partnership with Harry Baldwin. With Hampshire's return to first-class status in 1895 and their admission to the County Championship, he went onto make 101 first-class appearances, in which he took over 300 wickets and scored nearly 2,000 runs. He later coached cricket at Llandovery College in Wales, where he played minor counties cricket for Carmarthenshire.

Career with Hampshire Soar was born in September 1865 at Whitemoor, Nottinghamshire. Having failed to secure a contract with Nottinghamshire, he moved south and joined the staff at Hampshire (then a second-class county) as a groundskeeper at the County Ground in Southampton. He began playing second-class cricket for Hampshire in 1888 and quickly formed a successful bowling partnership with Harry Baldwin, with his fast bowling complimenting Baldwin's off breaks. His arrival at Hampshire coincided with the additions of Baldwin, Victor Barton, Ledger Hill, Charles Robson, and Teddy Wynyard to the Hampshire side, accelerating their return to first-class status for the 1895 season.

Soar subsequently made his first-class debut for Hampshire against Somerset at Taunton in the 1895 County Championship. Soar and Baldwin dominated the Hampshire bowling in 1895, taking 191 of the 260 Championship wickets Hampshire took that season; Making seventeen appearances in 1895, Soar took 95 wickets at an average of 17.95, taking eight five wicket hauls and ten wickets in a match on four occasions. The following season, he took 53 wickets from thirteen matches at an average of 24.56, In 1897, his returns decreased with 31 wickets at an average of 35.67. However, the match would not prove a financial success, resulting in a £6 loss, due largely to rain and poor attendance. During the 1900 season, he would take 24 wickets at an average of 23.12 from eight matches. The following season, he made a further eight appearances and took 22 wickets at an average of 18.86. In 1902, he made 25 wickets from fifteen matches at an average of 26.12, while the following season he took 35 wickets at an average of 18.44 from ten matches. A capable lower order batsman, he scored 1,927 runs at an average of 13.38, making five half centuries. His highest score of 95 came against Somerset in 1899, when batting as a nightwatchman, he shared in a partnership of 196 for the fifth wicket with Robert Poore. This coincided with his best season with the bat, with 378 runs at a batting average of 23.62 (he scored 488 runs in his debut season, though at a lower average of 16.82).

Later life Following the end of his first-clas career, he briefly coached cricket at Winchester College, In Wales, he played minor counties cricket for Carmarthenshire in the Minor Counties Championship from 1908 to 1911, making six appearances. After the 1911 season, Carmarthenshire ceased to participate in minor counties cricket. Soar died at Llandovery in May 1939.