Arnold Warren

Who was Arnold Warren?

Arnold Warren was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1897 and 1920 and played for England in 1905. He was the first bowler from Derbyshire to take 100 wickets in a season, a feat he performed three times.

Warren was born in Codnor Park, Derbyshire, the son of John Warren, a builder, and his wife Mary. He made his debut for Derbyshire against Lancashire in May 1897. During his time at Derbyshire, he was partnered by Billy Bestwick in a dangerous fast-bowling partnership that never gained much reward because they had very small totals to bowl at. Though rarely judged a better bowler than Bestwick, it was owing to his superiority as a batsman and fieldsman that Warren gained the pair's only England cap against Australia at Headingley in 1905.

He played in the Headingley Ashes Test of 1905. A very tall, right-arm fast bowler who operated off a long, bounding approach, he took 5 for 57 in the first innings of a drawn match. Although he dismissed the cream of Australia's batting, taking the prized wicket of Victor Trumper in both innings, he was not selected again.

In 1910, when playing against Warwickshire at Blackwell Warren scored 123 in less than three hours in a ninth-wicket stand of 283 with John Chapman. This remains a world record in all first-class cricket.