Gavin Warren: 1911, Northamptonshire v. All India

Here is a shot from the first time 'All India' (as opposed to a 'Parsees' team) played Northamptonshire, in July 1911.

It's a notable match because it was Lord Lilford's only first-class appearance for the County. He's sitting in the front row with the nice panama hat on.  I've never quite managed to get to the bottom of why he turned out in this particular match, aged 48, but my suspicion is it had something to do with the fact that the Indians were captained by the Maharajah of Patiala – so it was felt appropriate that a peer of the realm should captain Northamptonshire to maintain the social status quo.

In the event, the Maharajah didn't play, the Indians being captained by Dr Kanga, seated next to his Lordship.  Their star player was Palwankar Baloo, who's third from the right on that same row, seated between Joe Beasley and Tubby Vials.

Nice touch to have the club's other main officials (including Pat Darnell and Alf Stockwin) on the team shot. Worth repeating?

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