Dudley Pontifex

Background

He was born at Weston, Bath, Somerset, and died at West Dulwich, London.

Career

Pontifex was a right-handed middle-order or opening batsman. Appearing in minor cricket for amateur sides in Somerset and for Somerset County Cricket Club in non-first-class matches from 1877, Pontifex made his first-class cricket debut in 1878 against Oxford University for a Gentlemen of England side, and was successful neither in that nor in the South v North match that followed. After university, Pontifex moved to London to qualify as a lawyer and in 1881 he appeared fairly regularly in first-class matches for Surrey.

In the match against Nottinghamshire at The Oval, he opened the batting and scored 89.

This was his only score of more than 50 in first-class cricket. This was his only season of regular cricket.

In 1882, he made a single first-class appearance in Somerset"s debut season as a first-class team He then played for Master Control Console irregularly, and only very occasionally in first-class matches, over the next 14 seasons until his final first-class match in 1896.

Achievements

• Educated in Bath, he appeared in a freshmen"s trial match at Cambridge University but failed to make the first team He did, however, win a Blue for billiards.