Not for the first time during lockdown one thing has led to another and following Tony's follow up yesterday on C Aubrey Smith my reference to CA Absolom on Monday has led me to dig a little deeper into this enigmatic character's background.
Charles Alfred Absolom was born at Blackheath in 1846 and as I described in my last post died as the result of a dockside accident at Port of Spain in 1889. Educated at Calne School in Wiltshire he went to Trinity College Cambridge where he gained his blue for both cricket and athletics. In 1868 whilst playing for Cambridge against Surrey at The Oval he was given out 'Obstructing the Field', the first instance of this kind of dismissal, for 38. Details of this are sparse but it appears that while attempting a seventh run (sic) the ball being returned to the wicket came into his contact with his bat which presumably was the result of a wilful act on Charlie's part. Surrey won the match by 14 runs so the decision was crucial as well as historic.
Charlie's first class career began in 1866 at Lord's when he played for Cambridge against MCC and he made a promising beginning with 5 wickets and a useful 26 not out in the university's innings. Representative honours came his way in 1868 when he was selected for the Gentlemen v the Players. Absolom's first county match came later in the season when he played for Kent v Surrey at The Bat and Ball Ground in Gravesend, a ground where first class cricket was played from 1849 until 1971. He made an inauspicious start with the bat and did not bowl. His career with Kent continued until August 1879 when he again did not fare well in what proved to be his last first class match. This was v Notts at Trent Bridge and in an innings defeat for Kent he made 0 and 1 and went wicketless.
The pinnacle of Absolom's career came in January 1879 when he was part of Lord Harris's XI in Australia and New Zealand and in the only test match, played at the MCG, he entered the ranks of 'one cap wonders'. Five other English players in that match gained the same status, it was their first and last test. England were bowled out for 113 in the first innings, Charlie top scored with 52 mainly in a partnership with his lordship. He made only six in the second innings as 'England' fell to an innings defeat.
Absolom had studied at The Inner Temple with a view to entering the legal profession but nothing came of this and little is known about the last ten years of his life or at least how he made his living. A year, 1879, which had begun with him playing test cricket ended with him setting sail for the USA but it was by no means the end of his cricket career and thanks to Cricket Archive there is access to scorecards for many of these matches. In the meantime the intrepid Charlie spent time living with the Spokane American Indians along the Columbia River and records show that he worked as a purser on at least two ships.
He resumed his cricket career in 1888 playing for Staten Island CC in New York City, second XI. You can imagine the skipper saying 'Sorry Charlie, you may have played with Lord Harris at the MCG but you will have to start with the stiffs,' As he only made 1 this may be considered to have been a wise decision. Promoted to the firsts his cricket career in North America takes him to places like Chicago, Ontario, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Brooklyn
Absolom's last recorded appearance was for All New York v Gentlemen of Ireland played at Livingston Field Staten Island where cricket is still played. He made a useful 36 in the first innings but the Irish visitors won by nine wickets. Since Monday I have found a little more about the circumstances of his tragic death in Trinidad and it appears that he was killed by a falling crane which was loading a cargo of bananas. How and why did a man from Kent, who played cricket at Lord's and the MCG, and who won a test cap, just up sticks and leave England and leave virtually no trace until his death was reported. Forty years ago the late Benny Green wrote in The Cricketer of his obsession
with Absolom and that he had enough material to write a book but I have found no record of it having been published.
I have just found this picture of Charlie Absolom and it is nothing like the image of him that I have carried in my head since first coming across him two days ago. From it one can see how he came by his nickname navvy and believe that his athletics' blue was for field events rather than running but it does support an account of his batting which spoke of his powerful hitting and disregard of the length of a delivery. What trouble me is that the picture below also purports to be our man Charles and although facial hair of this length was popular amongst young Victorian gentlemen it is a gigantic leap to say it is the same person as above. Mystery man indeed.
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