James Gornall (Royal Navy officer)
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Farnborough, Hampshire, England
Lower Froyle, Hampshire, England
James Gornall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Captain J. P. Gornall (left) on his ship HMS Orion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Birth name | James Parrington Gornall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 September 1899 Farnborough, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 13 November 1983 (aged 84) Lower Froyle, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1923 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 9 January 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Parrington Gornall DSO (22 September 1899 – 13 November 1983) was an English first-class cricketer and Royal Navy officer, who captained the Royal Navy Leander-class light cruiser HMS Orion during the Second World War, from 1943 to 1945.
Gornall was born at Farnborough in September 1899. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, where he played for the school cricket team. Gornall joined the Royal Navy in September 1917, serving in the final year of the First World War. Following the war, he was promoted to lieutenant in October 1920,[1] before matriculating to the University of Cambridge where he studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1921,[2] Described by Wisden as "a good club batsman",[3] Gornall made his debut in first-class cricket for the Royal Navy against the British Army cricket team at Lord's in 1921. He remained enlisted in the Royal Navy whilst at Cambridge, allowing him to play in the same fixture in 1923. Gornall appeared for Hampshire in the 1923 County Championship at Portsmouth, before making a final first-class appearance for the Royal Navy against the Army at Lord's in 1924.[4] In four first-class matches, Gornall scored 149 runs at an average of 18.62, with a highest score of 33.[5]
In the Navy, he was promoted to lieutenant commander in October 1928,[1] before being promoted to commander in December 1934.[6]