Emmanuel Blamires

Background

He was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire.

Career

Blamires was a left-handed batsman who bowled left-arm roundarm-fast. In 36 first class games he took 137 wickets at a bowling average of 20.02, with a best of 8 for 77 against Kent. Other notable bowling performances for Surrey include his haul of 7 for 59 against Gloucestershire, and 6 for 98 against Middlesex.

He also scored 440 runs at 9.56, with a best of 31.

A warehouseman in Bradford by trade, he was also engaged as a professional cricketer in 1871-1872 at the Albion club, Bradford, then in 1873 at Burnley, Lancashire, before being engaged in 1874 and 1875 by Dalton in Huddersfield. Blamires saw his prospects at Yorkshire limited by the supremacy of Peate and thus he sought an engagement with Surrey and qualified by residence.

He appeared for his new county between 1878 and 1881. His highest score was 31 against Middlesex in 1880.

Blamires also appeared in the Gentlemen v Players match, for the South of England and for an England XI in first-class games.

In the 1881 census, he was shown as resident at 15 William Street, Lambeth, Surrey, aged 31, and employed as "a cricket ground man". Frances Ward, aged 57, widowed mother (presumably of Anne), from Wakefield also lived in the home. In 1882, he returned to Yorkshire and to professional club cricketer at Manningham, in Bradford.

He died of consumption, at the age of 35, at the White Abbey Hotel, Bradford, and was buried in the Scholemoor Cemetery, near the city.

Achievements

• In 1876 he played for Low Moor, near Bradford and, in 1877, he was given a solitary game by Yorkshire against Middlesex at Lord"s, in which he took 5 for 82, as Yorkshire won by 35 runs.