Frank Sugg

Who was Frank Sugg?

Frank Howe Sugg was an English footballer and first-class cricketer. He played for England in two Test matches in 1888 and for three county cricket clubs – Yorkshire in 1883, Derbyshire from 1884 to 1886 and Lancashire from 1887 to 1899. He also played for five football clubs.

Sugg was born at Ilkeston, Derbyshire and became a solicitor's clerk and was living with his widowed mother at Nether Hallam in 1881. Though born in Derbyshire, he lived his early life in Yorkshire and made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 1883. In the 1884 season, Sugg went to play for Derbyshire where he was top scorer for the club and regarded as the best bat in a team that suffered the rare ignominy of an anti-perfect season losing all ten of its county games. In the 1885 season, Sugg scored 187 against Hampshire at Southampton and was second in the averages to Ludford Docker. He was second in the averages in the 1886 season to William Chatterton.

With Derbyshire's fortunes declining, in 1887 he went to Lancashire, and it was during his term at Old Trafford that he appeared for England in two Test matches. In 1890 he was one of the “Nine Great Professional Batsmen” profiled in Wisden.