Guy Earle

Guy Fife Earle (24 August 1891 – 30 December 1966) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Surrey and Somerset for 20 years before and after the First World War. He also played in India, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand as a member of official Marylebone Cricket Club touring teams, though he did not play Test cricket. School and early cricket Earle was educated at Harrow School and was in the school's cricket team as a fast bowler and middle order batsman for four years. He was captain of Harrow against Eton College in the Eton v Harrow match at Lord's in 1910, known as Fowler's match, when Eton pulled off a sensational victory: having followed on 165 runs behind, Eton were only four runs ahead when the ninth wicket of the second innings fell and eventually set Harrow a target of just 55 to win. The Eton bowler Robert Fowler then took eight Harrow wickets for 23 as Harrow were all out for 45, leaving Eton winners by nine runs. Earle's captaincy, and specifically the decision to remove Harold Alexander, later Earl Alexander of Tunis, from the Harrow bowling attack and to bowl himself, was seen as a contributory factor in Eton's recovery. In 1911, Earle appeared twice in first-class cricket for Surrey, taking four wickets in the two games. But he played no more first-class cricket before the First World War. Earle served in the Rifle Brigade during the First World War, reaching the rank of captain before his discharge in 1919. In 1916 he is recorded as being on half-pay because of illness.