Stewart Pether
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Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Eynsham, Oxfordshire, England
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stewart Pether | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 October 1916 Oxford, Oxfordshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 17 January 2010 (aged 93) Eynsham, Oxfordshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-fast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1936–1948 | Oxfordshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1939 | Oxford University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 24 June 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stewart Pether (15 October 1916 – 17 January 2010) was an English first-class cricketer, British Army officer and educator. Pether played first-class cricket before the Second World War for Oxford University, before serving in the war with the Gloucestershire Regiment. Following its conclusion he became a schoolteacher.
Stewart Pether was born into an Oxfordshire farming family at Oxford in October 1916.[1] He was educated in Oxford at Magdalen College School, before going up to St Peter's College, Oxford.[1] He debuted in minor counties cricket for Oxfordshire in the 1936 Minor Counties Championship.[2] While studying at Oxford he made his debut in first-class cricket for Oxford University against Yorkshire at Oxford in 1939, with him making nine further first-class appearances for Oxford in 1939.[3] He scored 103 runs with a high score of 20 not out,[4] while with the ball he took 31 wickets an average of 20.06, with best figures of 5 for 7,[5] which came against Derbyshire.[6]
He served in the British Army during the Second World War, enlisting in the Gloucestershire Regiment as a second lieutenant in August 1939.[7] He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant in January 1941.[8] He avoided being sent to Burma with the regiment when he was selected to play rugby union for the Army rugby team.[1] He later took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944, during which his life was saved when a bullet his is brandy flask in his breast pocket.[1] He was seriously wounded by a shell from a German 105mm artillery gun, which necessitated his evacuation to an American field hospital and repatriation back home.[1] As a result of his injuries he resigned his commission from the army in August 1946,[9] at which point he held the rank of captain.[10]