Tom Whittington

Thomas Aubrey Leyson Whittington (29 July 1881 – 19 July 1944) was a Welsh cricketer. Whittington was a right-handed batsman who fielded occasionally as a wicket-keeper. He was born in Neath, Glamorgan. In a career which lasted 22 years, Whittington was to prove a crucial figure in the history of Glamorgan County Cricket Club, with his influence within the MCC gaining them elevation from a Minor county to a first-class county and entry to the County Championship, a position they retain to this day. Over the next decade he made 70 Minor Counties Championship appearances for the county, as well as securing the captaincy in 1908 after succeeding Joseph Brain, while the following year he became the county secretary. with further consistent performances earning him a call up to the West of England for their match against the East of England, a match which saw him make his first-class debut. His performances also earned him a call up to the Marylebone Cricket Club squad to tour the West Indies in 1910/11. He made eleven first-class appearances on the tour against Barbados, British Guiana, Trinidad, Jamaica and the West Indies themselves. He made two centuries and two fifties on the tour. In 1912 he was selected to play a first-class match each for South Wales and the Minor Counties, both against the touring South Africans. By the middle of 1920 he had secured sufficient fixtures for Glamorgan for the following season, which secured their entry into the 1921 County Championship. He was vice-captain in 1921, but secured the captaincy once more for the 1922 season, successing Norman Riches, he continued in this role for the 1923 season. His form dropped away in 1923, with his 380 runs that season coming at an average of 14.61. The 1923 season also saw Whittington play his only first-class match for Wales against Scotland at Perth. He died in St Pancras, London on 19 July 1944.