Walter Livsey

Walter Herbert Livsey (23 September 1893 – 12 September 1978) was an English professional first-class cricketer who played as a wicket-keeper for Hampshire from 1913 until 1929. Livsey played 320 first-class matches during his career, and was considered one of the greatest keepers of the 1920s. He was born in Todmorden, but moved to Surrey with his parents as a child.

After finding the presence of wicket-keeper Bert Strudwick stopped his progress at Surrey, Livsey opted to pursue a career with Hampshire. Having served his two-year residential qualification period, he replaced Jimmy Stone as their wicket-keeper and played in the 1914 County Championship. After serving in the First World War with the Hampshire Regiment, during which time he played first-class cricket in British India, Livsey returned to the Hampshire side after being demobilised.

Livsey's form in the 1922 season led to his selection as wicket-keeper for the Marylebone Cricket Club's winter tour of South Africa; however, a broken finger in a tour match prevented him from gaining a Test cap. He continued to play for Hampshire until 1929, when ill-health led to his retirement. He took 382 catches and made 266 stumpings during his career. After retiring, Livsey coached at Epsom College, before working as a groundsman at Rutlish School between 1950 and 1970. He died on 12 September 1978 in Merton Park.

Early life Walter Herbert Livsey was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire, and was registered at birth as Walter Herbert Livesey, though he would use Livsey for the rest of his life. When he was a child, his parents moved to Surrey. In his teens, he joined the staff at The Oval as a wicket-keeper, but the presence of England wicket-keeper Bert Strudwick limited his opportunities of playing in the Surrey first team. As a result, he was persuaded to move to Hampshire to begin his cricketing career. He could play in friendly matches during the qualification period, and thus made his first-class debut for Hampshire against Oxford University at Southampton on 30 June 1913. He performed well as wicket-keeper in the match, conceding only three byes in Oxford's first innings of 554. Livsey completed his qualification period ahead of the 1914 season, and succeeded Jimmy Stone as Hampshire's wicket-keeper. According to Wisden, he caused "quite a sensation" when he stumped Surrey's Jack Hobbs from a sharply lifting ball wide of leg stump delivered by Alec Kennedy. Holding the rank of private, he spent most of the war serving in British India, He returned in 1920 to a Hampshire team that had been greatly weakened by the deaths of several players. Livsey made 26 appearances in the 1920 County Championship, scoring 285 runs at 12.95; he recorded his first half-century against Worcestershire in May, with an unbeaten 50 runs in Hampshire's second innings, having also scored an unbeaten 41 earlier in the match. Keeping-wicket, he took 23 catches and made 26 stumpings across the season. he made this batting at number eleven, and established a Hampshire record tenth wicket partnership of 192 runs with Alex Bowell, a record which remains as of . He took 48 catches and made 32 stumpings across all his matches in 1921,

In the 1922 County Championship, Livsey played in an unlikely victory by 155 runs against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in June. Hampshire were dismissed for 15 runs in their first innings and were forced to follow on 228 runs behind; Livsey was one of eight batsmen to be dismissed without scoring. They performed better in the second innings, making 521 runs; he scored his maiden first-class century, making an unbeaten 110 runs, and shared in a partnership of 177 runs for the ninth wicket with Brown, which was made in only 140 minutes. Across the season, Livsey scored 348 runs at 14.50 from 31 matches, and took 35 catches and made 22 stumpings. He played twice for the Players in the Gentlemen versus Players fixtures at Lord's in July, and at the Scarborough Festival in September;

In July 1922, Livsey was invited to join the MCC's winter tour of South Africa. On the journey to South Africa, he suffered from seasickness and shortly after arriving he became ill. He then broke his middle finger in a warm-up match against North Eastern Districts, ruling him out from playing on the tour. His place in the Test side as wicket-keeper was taken by his Hampshire teammate Brown. Returning to England, he made 29 appearances during the 1924 season, scoring 369 runs at 12.72, and taking 21 catches and stumpings apiece. He later played in two further Test trials for England against The Rest at Bristol in July, and at Lord's in August. He had his most successful season with the bat in 1928, scoring 896 at an average of 22.97 from 31 matches; He was afforded a benefit match against Surrey in June, raising £750.

Livsey suffered a breakdown in his health prior to the beginning of the 1930 season, initially ruling him out for the first part of it, and did not recover sufficiently to play during the remainder of the season. He retired in December 1930,

Playing style and statistics Livsey made 320 appearances in first-class cricket. Primarily as wicket-keeper, he was considered by the cricket historians John Arlott, Victor Isaacs, and Peter Wynne-Thomas to have been one of the greatest wicket-keepers of the 1920s. He took 382 catches and made 266 stumpings across his career. while his 255 stumpings are the most for Hampshire. 40.8% of his career victims were stumpings; by comparison, the Leicestershire wicket-keeper Tom Sidwell, his Test rival in 1922, took 19%.

Livsey batted in the lower-order, often when quick run-scoring was required; the Hampshire Telegraph noted that on many occasions he had "batted splendidly" when runs were needed at a critical moment in the match. Arlott would later write that Livsey was a nervous batsman. He scored 4,940 runs in his first-class career, In September 1936, Livsey was fined £10 after refusing to get off a crowded bus in Wimbledon, and becoming involved in an altercation with the police. He was appointed an honorary life member of Hampshire County Cricket Club in 1950, alongside several other former professionals. In the same year, he was employed as a groundsman at Rutlish School in Merton Park, a post he held until 1970. Livsey died in Merton Park on 12 September 1978.

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