Nicholas Felix
English cricketer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicholas Wanostrocht (5 October 1804 – 3 September 1876), known as Nicholas Felix, was an English amateur "gentleman" cricketer, classical scholar, musician, linguist, inventor, writer and artist.[1] He was one of the few players who – at his request – was routinely known by his pseudonym, Felix.
Camberwell, London, England
Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Wanostrocht |
| Born | 5 October 1804 Camberwell, London, England |
| Died | 3 September 1876 (aged 71) Wimborne Minster, Dorset, England |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Slow left arm orthodox |
| Role | Batsman |
| Domestic team information | |
| Years | Team |
| 1834–1852 | Kent |
| 1846–1852 | Surrey |
Early life
When his father died in 1824 he inherited the running of a school at age nineteen. He feared that the parents of pupils might think that cricket was too frivolous a pastime for a schoolmaster so adopted his pseudonym..
Career
Felix was a specialist left-handed batsman, although he occasionally bowled underarm slow left-arm orthodox. He was a mainstay of the Kent team of the mid-19th century alongside such players as Alfred Mynn, Fuller Pilch, William Hillyer and Ned Wenman. In the words of the famous elegy, best loved of Bernard Darwin,
- And with five such mighty cricketers 'twas but natural to win
- As Felix, Wenman, Hillyer, Fuller Pilch and Alfred Mynn.
Felix played for Kent from 1830 until 1852. He also appeared for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), and was a member of the All England Eleven.
Felix played in 149 matches and scored 4,556 runs with a highest score of 113. He played at a time when prevailing conditions greatly favoured bowlers and was rated highly as a batsman by his contemporaries.[2]
He was the author of an instruction book: Felix on the Bat published in 1845. He invented the catapulta (a bowling machine), as well as India-rubber batting gloves.
Death
Felix died at Wimborne Minster in Dorset and is buried in Wimborne cemetery.
