Archie MacLaren

Archie MacLaren

Personal information
Full name	Archibald Campbell MacLaren
Born	1 December 1871(1871-12-01) Whalley Range, Manchester, Lancashire, England
Died	17 November 1944(1944-11-17) (aged 72) Bracknell, Berkshire, England
Nickname	Archie
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right arm fast
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 92)	14 December 1894 v Australia
Last Test	11 August 1909 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1890 – 1914	Lancashire
Career statistics
Competition	Tests	First-class
Matches	35	424
Runs scored	1,931	22,236
Batting average	33.87	34.15
100s/50s	5/8	47/95
Top score	140	424
Balls bowled	0	321
Wickets	–	1
Bowling average	–	267.00
5 wickets in innings	–	–
10 wickets in match	–	–
Best bowling	–	1/44
Catches/stumpings	29/–	452/–
Source: Cricinfo, 11 November 2008

Archibald (Archie) Campbell MacLaren (1 December 1871, Whalley Range, Manchester, Lancashire – 17 November 1944, Bracknell, Berkshire) went to Harrow. He was an English cricketer, who played for England and Lancashire.

Career

His best first-class cricket score was his 424 for Lancashire against Somerset at Taunton in 1895, then the highest first-class score and the first innings over 400 (the previous best was 344 by W. G. Grace in 1876). It stood unbeaten for over 27 years, until Bill Ponsford broke it with 429 for Victoria against Tasmania in February 1923. MacLaren protested against the status of this match as Tasmania was then not a Sheffield Shield side. He was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 1895. In 1901-02 MacLaren became the first England captain to make a Test century in Australia, a position he held in solitary splendor until Peter May repeated the feat in 1958-59.

He captained Lancashire for ten years (1894–1896 and 1899–1906), starting at the age of twenty two. He played in 35 Test matches for England and was captain in twenty two of those, winning four times, losing eleven and drawing seven.

In 1921, after Warwick Armstrong's Australians had retained the Ashes 3-0, the then 49 year old MacLaren claimed that he could select a side that would beat them. He duly led a self-selected eleven against the all-conquering tourists at Eastbourne. His team were bowled out for 43, but then dismissed the Australians for 174. The home side scored 326 in their second innings and bowled out the Australians for 167, to win by 29 runs.

See also

• History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900)

External links

• Cricinfo page on Archie MacLaren
• Highest scores over 300 in first-class cricket

Sporting positions
Preceded by Lord Hawke	English national cricket captain 1899–1902	Succeeded by Plum Warner
Preceded by Arthur Jones	English national cricket captain 1909	Succeeded by Henry Leveson-Gower