Background
Born in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Tarrant was the son of Frank Tarrant, who played 329 first-class matches in Australia (for Victoria), England (for Middlesex), and India (for the Europeans and Patiala).
Born in Clifton Hill, Victoria, Tarrant was the son of Frank Tarrant, who played 329 first-class matches in Australia (for Victoria), England (for Middlesex), and India (for the Europeans and Patiala).
Unusually, he made his debut as a first-class umpire before making his debut as a first-class player. While resident in India during the early 1930s, Louis Tarrant, aged 29, umpired two first-class matches during an Master Control Console team"s 1933-1934 tour of Ceylon and India. In the first, beginning on 9 November 1933, Southern Punjab, captained by the Maharaja of Patiala, hosted the Englishmen at Amritsar"s Alexandra Ground.
Louis Tarrant umpired alongside his father, Frank, who was standing in a first-class match for only the second time (although he went to umpire two of the England–India Test matches played on the tour).
The second match Louis Tarrant umpired began the day after the conclusion of the first, with a Patiala team hosting the Master Control Console at Patiala"s Baradari Ground. The following season, in December 1934, Louis Tarrant made up the numbers as wicket-keeper for Patiala in a non-first-class match against a Bombay XI, led by J. Doctorate. Antia.
When an Australian team toured during the 1935-1936 season, Tarrant was called on to make up the team"s numbers in two matches, firstly in a minor match against the Maharaja of Cooch Behar"s team in Calcutta, and then in a match against Patiala, which was accorded first-class status. In his only first-class innings, Tarrant, aged 32, scored 16 not out batting ninth in the Australians" total of 484 all out.
Owing to injury and illness, the team was so depleted that Frank Tarrant, aged 55, and the Maharajah of Patiala, aged 44, were both called upon to play, with the Maharajah given the honour of captaining the Australian team
Patiala"s captain was the Maharajah"s son and heir, the Yuvraj of Patiala, who later succeeded him on the gadi (throne). The Patialas and the Tarrants consequently each became one of the few father–son pairings to play in the same first-class match, with the Maharajah and the Yuvraj the only combination known to have captained opposing sides.