Editing Archie MacLaren (section)

==England captain==

===Appointment and start of captaincy===
MacLaren played little cricket in 1898, initially owing to his teaching commitments and the need to establish himself and his wife in a new home. After making his first appearance in July, he did not play again until August. He played nine first-class games, scoring 478 runs at 29.87, before his season was ended by [[neuralgia]].<ref name=fcbatting/><ref>Down (1981), pp. 53–54.</ref> Despite his frequent absences—again he missed the first part of the season—Lancashire re-appointed MacLaren as joint captain for 1899.<ref>Down (1981), p. 54.</ref> That summer, the Australians toured England and the first Test took place before MacLaren had played any cricket.{{refn|For the first time, the England team was chosen by a committee of selectors appointed by the MCC for the duration of the series.<ref name=D55-6>Down (1981), pp. 55–56.</ref>|group=notes}} For the second game, MacLaren replaced W. G. Grace as England captain;{{refn|W. G. Grace, also one of the selectors, wished to step down owing to his age and increased weight. His suggested replacement was MacLaren. According to [[C. B. Fry]], another selector, the selectors were undecided when Fry arrived late at the meeting. Unaware of the discussions regarding Grace's position, Fry was asked by Grace if he thought MacLaren should play. Fry's affirmative answer broke the deadlock among the selectors and MacLaren played instead of Grace.<ref name=D55-6/> However, Gibson suggests that this account by Fry cannot be the whole story as other batsmen were replaced for the match, and Grace may have inadvertently brought about his replacement by trying to promote a fellow [[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire]] cricketer into the team.<ref name=G48/>|group=notes}}<ref name=D55-6/> the other candidate for the leadership was [[Stanley Jackson (cricketer)|Stanley Jackson]], who was senior to MacLaren at Harrow and had preceded him into the England side, but MacLaren was favoured owing to his previous experience in the role with Lancashire and England.<ref name=G48>Gibson, p. 48.</ref>

Australia comfortably won the second Test, and on his first appearance of the season, MacLaren scored 4&nbsp;runs opening the innings on the first day. In the second innings, he moved down the order to number six, but he came in to bat when England trailed heavily and had lost four wickets. He batted for around 150 minutes to score 88 not out.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 56–57.</ref> The ''Wisden'' match report stated: "There was&nbsp;... some risk in playing MacLaren, who had not so far taken part in any first-class cricket during the season. In this case however, the [selection] committee had reason to congratulate themselves, MacLaren playing a magnificent second innings and making a great, though fruitless, effort to save the game&nbsp;... Never has MacLaren played a greater innings."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150163.html | title = England v Australia 1899 (Second Test)| work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack  | year = 1900 | publisher = John Wisden & Co | location = London |access-date =13 November 2012}}</ref> Afterwards, MacLaren scored a century in difficult batting conditions against Yorkshire.<ref>Down (1981), p. 57.</ref> Jackson did not play in this game, and initially refused to play for England in the third Test; the press attributed this to jealousy of MacLaren and anger at being passed over for the captaincy. The third Test was [[Result (cricket)#Draw|drawn]] owing to poor weather, but England's revival continued in the next game, which was drawn with England in a dominant position. The final match was also drawn, but while England lost the series 1–0, critics believed the team had recovered from a poor start to the summer and held the ascendancy in the final three games.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 57–60.</ref> MacLaren's only score over fifty was that in the second Test, and he finished the series with 164 runs at 32.80.<ref name=tbat/> In all first-class cricket, he made 814 runs at 32.56, including two centuries against Yorkshire.<ref name=fcbatting/><ref>Down (1981), pp. 57, 59.</ref>

===Full-time cricketer===
In late 1899, MacLaren joined a private cricket tour of America and Canada organised by the cricket-playing Indian prince [[Ranjitsinhji]].<ref name=figures/><ref>Down (1981), pp. 61–62.</ref> The following March, he was appointed as an assistant secretary at Lancashire. The position was a sinecure;<ref>Wynne-Thomas, p. 74.</ref> his main role was to coach the first eleven which effectively meant that he was paid to play cricket, despite his amateur status. Surviving records do not indicate his salary, but some sources suggest he was paid comfortably more than Lancashire's leading professionals.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 63–64.</ref><ref>McKinstry, p. 72.</ref> In addition, MacLaren worked as a journalist for the ''[[Daily Express]]'', reporting on matches in which he played, a common practice at the time for amateurs.<ref>Down (1981), p. 64.</ref> Resuming sole control over the Lancashire side,<ref name="G85" /> and freed from his teaching responsibilities, MacLaren played from the beginning of the 1900 season, planning meticulously in a bid to lead Lancashire to the County Championship. His batting form suffered initially, but the team dominated the start of the season. Commentators gave much of the credit to MacLaren's captaincy. However, he was severely criticised for conservative tactics in one game, when he was reluctant to attempt to force a win. In the latter stages of the season, MacLaren scored prolifically, making a succession of high scores at rapid pace.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 64–66.</ref> He ended the 1900 season with 1,554 runs at 36.13.<ref name=fcbatting/> During that season, the leading Lancashire bowler [[Arthur Mold]] had been no-balled for [[Throwing (cricket)|throwing]], but MacLaren defended him in the press. At a meeting of county captains in December, MacLaren was the only representative to defend the legality of Mold's [[bowling action]], and in 1901, Mold was again no-balled and his career was effectively over.<ref name=D66-8/> MacLaren struggled with injury in 1901, and his batting form suffered. He frequently dropped low in the batting order, and it was late in the season before he began to score runs regularly. His captaincy was criticised after some tactical decisions which were either unconventional or unsuccessful, and he clashed with the Lancashire committee over the poor state of Old Trafford's pitch.<ref name=D66-8>Down (1981), pp. 66–68.</ref> In total, he scored 1,069 first-class runs at 31.44.<ref name=fcbatting/>

[[File:Archie MacLaren c1905.jpg|thumb|left|MacLaren c. 1905]]
MacLaren was invited by the [[Melbourne Cricket Club]] to bring a team to Australia during the English winter of 1901–02. This was the last privately organised team to represent England at Test level in Australia, with subsequent ones playing under the colours of the MCC. Many leading players were unavailable—Yorkshire's [[Wilfred Rhodes]] and [[George Hirst]] were not permitted to tour by their captain [[Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke|Lord Hawke]].<ref>Down (1981), pp. 68–69.</ref> The team was judged to be weak, but contained several players at the beginning of their careers who went on to success at Test level. [[Sydney Barnes]] was chosen by MacLaren after playing only a handful of county matches. Barnes' success on his single appearance for Lancashire in 1901 convinced MacLaren of his worth, to the surprise and disparagement of commentators, most of whom had never seen him.<ref>Down (1981), p. 70.</ref> Barnes began the tour well,<ref name=D71-2/> but did not get on with his captain. During a storm on part of the sea journey, MacLaren, speculating on their chances of survival, commented to a team member: "If we go down, at least that bugger Barnes will go down with us."<ref>{{Cite book| last = Gibbs | first = Peter | chapter-url = http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/598250.html | chapter = A chill wind beyond the boundary| title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack  | year = 2012 | publisher = John Wisden & Co | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-5634-6  |access-date =12 June 2013}}</ref> The team lost their first match and continued to struggle. MacLaren clashed with authorities in Melbourne over his right to choose an umpire, but he began to bat well at Sydney, where he scored 145 and 73 in a tour match.<ref name=D71-2>Down (1981), pp. 71–72.</ref>

In the first Test, MacLaren shared a century opening partnership with [[Tom Hayward]] and scored 116 to become the first man to score four Test centuries. This was the last Test century by an England captain in Australia for 57 years. Barnes bowled with great success; [[Colin Blythe]] and [[Len Braund]], like Barnes chosen by MacLaren and making their Test debuts, performed effectively and England won by an innings.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 73–74.</ref> The remaining four Tests were lost as the team suffered from a lack of effective bowlers. MacLaren severely overbowled Barnes, who took 13 wickets, in the second Test; the bowler was injured in the next game and took no further part on the tour.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 74–76.</ref> MacLaren was successful with the bat. He scored 92 in the fourth Test, made centuries in the two first-class games played in between the Test matches, and finished top of the batting averages. Critics judged that his team had performed well despite the heavy defeat, and his captaincy attracted praise.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 77–79.</ref><ref name=Wisden01-02/> In addition, the team were considered to be the best fielding side to visit Australia.<ref name=Wisden01-02>{{Cite web|url = http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/153658.html | title = England in Australia, 1901–02| work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack  | year = 1902 | publisher = John Wisden & Co | location = London |access-date =17 November 2012}}</ref> In the Test series, MacLaren scored 412 runs at 45.77,<ref name=tbat/> while in all first-class matches he hit 929 runs at 58.06.<ref name=fcbatting/>

Before the tour began, MacLaren resigned as Lancashire's captain and assistant secretary, owing to his concern for the health of his wife. Journalists speculated that MacLaren would join the [[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire]] team as assistant secretary, as he lived in that county, or even move to Australia. Lancashire selected a replacement captain, but when MacLaren returned to England, he re-committed to the club, stating the visit to Australia had improved the health of his wife, and he was reappointed.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 79–81.</ref><ref>Wynne-Thomas, pp. 80–81.</ref>

===Ashes series of 1902===
MacLaren began the 1902 season well and, facing an [[The Ashes|Ashes]] series against Australia, began planning for the Tests; he arranged to receive reports on prospective players from both sides.<ref>Down (1981), p. 83.</ref> England dominated the first Test, scoring 376 and bowling Australia out for 36; rain prevented a result and also heavily curtailed the drawn second Test.<ref name=figures/><ref>Down (1981), pp. 83–84.</ref> The team for the third Test, played in Sheffield, was to be chosen from 12 players picked by the selectors, with the final place contested between [[William Lockwood (cricketer)|Bill Lockwood]] and [[Schofield Haigh]]. However, on the morning of the match, MacLaren, with the approval of the selector Lord Hawke, summoned Barnes from Manchester to play instead of either. The move was unpopular with spectators—their favoured choice, Haigh, was a Yorkshire player—but Barnes took six wickets in the first innings,<ref>Down (1981), pp. 84–85.</ref> although injury reduced his effectiveness in the second innings. England were bowled out in poor light—MacLaren's biographer Michael Down suggests that part of the blame lies with him for not [[Cricket#Influence of weather|appealing against the light]]—and needed an unlikely 339 runs to win in their second innings. MacLaren changed the batting order, asking [[Gilbert Jessop]] to open the batting. Jessop scored fifty, and MacLaren scored 63, but England lost by 143 runs.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 85–86.</ref>

Following the defeat, the England selectors made several changes for the fourth Test; both Barnes and Jessop were left out. MacLaren favoured Jessop's inclusion but the selectors considered him unreliable.<ref name=D87>Down (1981), p. 87.</ref> Although Barnes was not fully fit, later commentators suggested the selectors omitted him because of MacLaren's actions at Sheffield.<ref name=Whimpress/> A further player was added to the squad in case the pitch was affected by rain before the match, but rather than choosing Haigh, the leading wet-pitch bowler in the country,<ref name=D88>Down (1981), p. 88.</ref> Hawke insisted that Sussex's [[Fred Tate]] was included—critics have suggested that Hawke wanted to prevent Haigh's absence from the Yorkshire team, of which Hawke was captain, given the unlikeliness of the extra bowler being needed.<ref name=Whimpress/><ref name=D88/> According to the cricket writer [[Neville Cardus]], when MacLaren saw the list of players in the team, he responded: "My God, look what they've sent me".<ref name=Cardus>{{Cite web| last = Cardus | first = Neville | url = http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/152796.html | title = The gift of captaincy| work = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack  | year = 1964 | publisher = John Wisden & Co | location = London |access-date =10 June 2013}}</ref> MacLaren was angry with Hawke, and when it rained before the match, included Tate in the final eleven at the expense of George Hirst, a leading all-rounder.<ref name=D88/><ref name=G87>Gibson, p. 87.</ref> Gibson suggests that Tate was included by the selectors only "because they thought MacLaren could not possibly pick him" and so he could not make any further late changes to the team; MacLaren, according to Gibson, in turn included Tate out of spite.<ref name=G87/> Other writers have suggested that MacLaren, as a Lancastrian, preferred a Sussex player to a Yorkshire one.<ref name=Whimpress>Whimpress and Hart, p. 51.</ref>

Australia won the [[Toss (cricket)|toss]]. The match began in damp conditions, and before the pitch began to dry, at which point it would become extremely difficult for batting, the Australian opening batsmen scored 135 in 90 minutes; Australia's total reached 173 for one wicket at lunch, and [[Victor Trumper]] scored a century in that time. MacLaren was subsequently criticised for allowing Australia to score so quickly, but claimed that his carefully planned strategy was rendered obsolete when Trumper began to strike the ball out of the ground. MacLaren commented: "I couldn't very well have had a man fielding in the bloody practice ground, now could I?"<ref>Down (1981), pp. 88–89.</ref> The bowlers recovered the situation to some extent, and following a century from Jackson, England trailed by 37 runs after the first innings. In the second innings, Australia collapsed to the England bowlers, but Tate dropped a crucial catch while stationed by MacLaren at the edge of the field. MacLaren also received criticism for this, as Tate was unaccustomed to fielding on the boundary.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 89–90.</ref> Gibson notes that MacLaren "later spent much breath defending himself on this point";<ref name=G87/> although it is not clear how Tate came to be moved—a later interpretation is that MacLaren moved Tate there rather than ask an amateur player to cross the field for a few deliveries—most commentators agree that this was the turning point of the match.<ref>Whimpress and Hart, p. 62.</ref> England were left needing 124 runs to win. MacLaren opened the batting, having batted at number four in the first innings, and tried to score quickly, but was caught from a big hit.<ref name=G87/> According to Gibson, he returned to the dressing room in fury, throwing his bat across the room and saying that he had "thrown away the match and the bloody rubber [series]".<ref name=G88>Gibson, p. 88.</ref> Gibson suggests that the implication that only MacLaren could have guided England to victory must have had a demoralising effect on the remaining batsmen,<ref name=G88/> and speculates that he felt guilty over the composition of a team that looked likely to lose.<ref name="G89" /> Gibson comments: "This does not say much for MacLaren as a captain. Indeed, it has always seemed to me a shocking performance, from the choice of the team to the chuck of the bat."<ref name=G88/> Wickets continued to fall and Tate, the last batsman, was bowled when England needed four runs to win.<ref>Down (1981), p. 91.</ref>

England won the final match by one wicket,<ref>Down (1981), p. 92.</ref> but lost the series 2–1. While contemporary critics did not blame MacLaren, the cricket authorities were less happy. MacLaren believed that the choices of the selectors had made it impossible to win, and continued to write about the series for many years.<ref>Down (1981), pp. 92–93.</ref> He finished the series with 198 runs at 28.28,<ref name=tbat/> and ended the season with 1,254 first-class runs at 32.15.<ref name=fcbatting/>