Bert Bisgood

Bertram Lewis Bisgood, (11 March 1881 – 19 July 1968), was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset from 1907 to 1921 as a batsman and wicketkeeper.[1] Known as "Bert" or "Bertie", he was born at Glastonbury and died at Canford Cliffs, Dorset. His older brother Eustace played in one match for Somerset in 1909.

Bert Bisgood

Personal information
Full name	Bertram Lewis Bisgood
Born	11 March 1881 Glastonbury, Somerset, England
Died	19 July 1968 (aged 87) Canford Cliffs, Dorset, England
Batting	Right-handed batsman
Role	Batsman
Relations	Brother, Eustace
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1907–1921	Somerset
First-class debut	20 June 1907 Somerset v Worcestershire
Last First-class	23 May 1921 Somerset v Cambridge University
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 67 Runs scored 2143 Batting average 18.79 100s/50s 2/7 Top score 116* Balls bowled  – Wickets  – Bowling average  – 5 wickets in innings  – 10 wickets in match  – Best bowling  – Catches/stumpings 23/1
Source: CricketArchive, 8 May 2010

Bisgood was a right-handed middle-order batsman and occasional wicketkeeper. He made a sensational debut for Somerset in 1907, being picked for the match against Worcestershire at Worcester when the Somerset captain, Lionel Palairet, was struggling to find enough players to make up a side.[2] In Somerset's first innings, he came in at No 3 when Palairet was out for a single and proceeded to score 82 in a second wicket stand of 153 with Len Braund; in the second, he made an unbeaten 116 enabling Somerset to declare, though the match was eventually drawn.[3] Bisgood was the first Somerset cricketer to score a century on debut; the second would be Harold Gimblett in 1935.[2]

Bisgood went on to make 66 further appearances for Somerset up to 1921, but only once did he come close to matching his success in that first game. He played in nine further matches in 1907 without passing 50 once; after 11 matches in 1908 and eight in 1909, his next score of more than 50 came in 1910; there were two scores of 50 or more in both 1911 and 1912 seasons.[4] In 1914, however, in the match against Gloucestershire at Taunton, Bisgood had a second triumph. In the first innings, he made 116 in three hours, the second century of his career equalling his first; then in the second innings he led Somerset to a rare victory by making an unbeaten 78 out of a total of 134 for three wickets, made in 70 minutes.[5]

Bisgood reappeared after the First World War in two matches in the 1919 season and then in two university matches in 1921. He served as a lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery during the war.[6]

References

1. "Bert Bisgood". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
2. David Foot. Sunshine, Sixes and Cider: A History of Somerset Cricket (1986 ed.). David and Charles. p. 84. ISBN 0-7153-8890-8.
3. "Scorecard: Worcestershire v Somerset". www.cricketarchive.com. 20 June 1907. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
4. "Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Bertram Bisgood". www.cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
5. "Scorecard: Somerset v Gloucestershire". www.cricketarchive.com. 1 June 1914. Retrieved 8 May 2010.
6. "Lieutenant Bertram Lewis BISGOOD Royal Garrison Artillery". The National Archives. Retrieved 29 January 2019.