Michael Falcon

Michael Falcon (21 July 1888 – 27 February 1976)[1] was a British Conservative Party politician and an amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1908 to 1936.

Michael Falcon

Falcon in 1926
Personal information
Born	21 July 1888 Norwich, Norfolk
Died	27 February 1976 (aged 87) Norwich, Norfolk
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast-medium
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1907–1946	Norfolk
1908–1911	Cambridge University
1912–1936	Free Foresters
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 89 Runs scored 3,282 Batting average 25.24 100s/50s 4/9 Top score 134 Balls bowled 9,540 Wickets 231 Bowling average 24.79 5 wickets in innings 20 10 wickets in match 1 Best bowling 7/70 Catches/stumpings 44/–
Source: CricketArchive, 23 October 2015

Falcon was the son of Michael Falcon of Hotstead House, Norwich and his wife Isabella (née Mordy) from Workington in Cumberland.[2] He was educated at Harrow School and at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. and LL.B. in 1910, and was called to the bar in 1911 at the Inner Temple.[2]

During World War I he was a captain in the Territorial Force from 1915 to 1918.[2]

He was elected at the 1918 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Norfolk,[3] and held the seat until his defeat at the 1923 general election.[3]

He was mainly associated with Cambridge University Cricket Club and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), of which he was a member. He played Minor Counties cricket with Norfolk County Cricket Club from 1906 to 1946, and captained the team from 1912 to 1946.[4] He made 89 appearances in first-class matches, but never played in the County Championship [5] In 1921 AC MacLaren said Falcon was the best fast bowler in England and regretted that he was not selected for the Ashes that summer.[6] He played in MacLaren's England XI in August 1921 which beat the previously undefeated Australians at Eastbourne, distinguishing himself by taking 6/67 in Australia's first innings.[7]

Personal life

Falcon was married in 1930 to Kathleen Gascoigne, the daughter of Captain G. C. O. Gascoigne.[2] They had five children, Mary, Sybil, Anne, Michael and Rachel. His brother, Harry, was also a first-class cricketer.

References

1. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "N" (part 2)
2. Hesilridge, Arthur G. M. (1922). Debrett's House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1922. London: Dean & Son. p. 54.
3. Craig, F. W. S. (1983) [1969]. British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (3rd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 431. ISBN 0-900178-06-X.
4. Wisden 1977, p. 1040.
5. CricketArchive. Retrieved on 8 August 2009.
6. MacLaren, Archie (July 1912). "Reflections". The Cricketer. 1: 18–19.
7. "The Home of CricketArchive". cricketarchive.com. Retrieved 21 March 2020.

External links

• Media related to Michael Falcon at Wikimedia Commons
• Michael Falcon at ESPNcricinfo
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Michael Falcon