When he joined Lancashire in 1887 Frank Sugg's golden years lay ahead of him and by 1890 Wisden had included him in what was a predecessor to their Five Cricketers of The Year, on this occasion portraits of 'Nine Great Batsmen of the Year' where Frank kept company with such greats as Arthur Shrewsbury and William Gunn. In their essay on Frank, Wisden introduced the idea that they were to repeat in his obituary 34 years later, namely that he was a batsman who relied on eye rather than technique.
In the early months of 1877 Frank was playing Lancashire League cricket for Burnley interrupted by a series of games in Scotland. Finally on the 15th of July he made his debut for Lancashire at Old Trafford v Northants. It was not an auspicious start for in his one innings he was bowled Mold 0. Mold, who later played for Lancashire was the subject of a throwing controversy in 1890. I wonder if Frank Sugg as he walked back to the pavilion was amongst those who suspected Mold threw*. Things certainly got better for Frank for in just over a year he was playing for England against Australia at The Oval. Batting at seven he made 31, a decent enough contribution to an innings victory for England. Two weeks later he was selected to play against Australia again, this time at Old Trafford and in what was another crushing victory for England he contributed 24 in his only knock in a low scoring match. Australia's two scores 81 and 70. By no means disgraced that was the end of Frank's test career.
Walter in the meantime was plying his trade with Derbyshire, a career that did not finish until June 1902 when he played his last first class match at Glossop v Worcestershire. In a drawn match Walter batted only once and was out for 8.In what was one of Derbyshire's better seasons Mr W Sugg played only four matches and was bottom of the batting averages with just 44 runs at 6.28. There is no record of him playing any form of cricket after the Glossop match.
Frank Sugg made his last first class appearance in a roses match at Bramall Lane in June 1899. He played only six matches that season but a score of 95 at Taunton in his penultimate match gave him a respectable average of 25.00. His county career behind him, Frank, by now settled on Merseyside continued to play league cricket until 1910, mostly for Bootle in the Liverpool and District Competition. Again he made a decent score in his penultimate match, run out for 52 against Sefton. He had signed for Everton in 1886 by which time the brothers had a sports shop in Liverpool although as this advertisement shows the better known brother's name was used.
The business was at first very successful, it moved to Lord Street in 1905, but post World War 1 the curious decision was made to open branches in Holland and Belgium and the business folded in 1924, just nine years before the brothers died within eight days of each other in May 1933.
* there is wonderful film of Mold bowling in the Old Trafford nets in 1901 on YouTube. Post Muralitharan he looks ok to me.
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