Grahame Parker

Who was Grahame Parker?

Grahame Wilshaw Parker OBE was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire and represented the England national rugby union team.

Parker, who was educated at The Crypt School, opened the batting for Gloucestershire regularly throughout the 1930s and was also a useful swing bowler. While at Cambridge University early in the decade, he earned blues in both cricket and rugby. He performed well for their cricket team in the 1934 University Matches with a century against Glamorgan to go with a pair of 90s that year, one of those when he was for 94 in the match with Oxford. He captained Cambridge University in 1935, having twice led Gloucestershire in the 1932 County Championship.

With Gloucestershire, he had his stand out season in 1937 when he made 662 first-class runs at an average of 44.13. Amongst his three hundreds was a first innings score of 210 against Kent at the Crabble Athletic Ground in Dover, which he followed up with bowling figures of 3/78. He had also made a century in his previous match and continued his form with 155 against Nottinghamshire a week and a half after his double hundred.

He was capped the first time for the national rugby union team during the 1938 Home Nations Championship, when England defeated Ireland 36 to 14 at Lansdowne Road. Parker, playing as a full-back, contributed 15 of those points with six conversions and a penalty kick. England had been captained by Warwickshire cricketer Peter Cranmer. He also took part in England's five-point loss to Scotland at Twickenham and kicked three penalties.