Rowland Ryder (1914 – 13 February 1996) was an English schoolmaster, journalist, biographer and cricket writer.

Life and work

Ryder's father, also called Rowland Ryder, was the secretary of

Warwickshire County Cricket Club Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class cricket, first-class county cricket, county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of ...

from 1895 to 1944, and young Rowland spent much of his childhood at

Edgbaston Cricket Ground Edgbaston Cricket Ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England, is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club and its T20 team Birmingham Bears. Edgbaston has also been the venue for Test matches, One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Int ...

, Warwickshire's headquarters. He was educated at

King Edward's School, Birmingham King Edward's School (KES) is an independent school (UK), independent day school for boys in the British Public school (UK), public school tradition, located in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Founded by Edward VI of England, King Edward VI in 1552, it ...

and

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, serving in the

Royal Armoured Corps The Royal Armoured Corps is the armoured arm of the British Army, that together with the Household Cavalry provides its armour capability, with vehicles such as the Challenger 2 and the Warrior tracked armoured vehicle. It includes most of the Ar ...

with the Eighth Army in Egypt, and in the British Liberation Army in Europe. Ryder wrote three biographies, all with a military theme: on the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

English nurse

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape ...

, on the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

German general

Johann von Ravenstein Johann "Hans" Theodor von Ravenstein (1 January 1889 – 26 March 1962) was a German general (''generalleutnant'') in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He commanded the 21st Panzer Division from May 1941 until being made a prisoner of war in la ...

, and on the Second World War British general (and later President of

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

)

Oliver Leese Lieutenant General Sir Oliver William Hargreaves Leese, 3rd Baronet, (27 October 1894 – 22 January 1978) was a senior British Army officer who saw distinguished active service during both the world wars. He commanded XXX Corps in North Afric ...

. The second chapter of Ryder's only cricket book, ''Cricket Calling'', a collection of essays published a few months before he died, is titled "The Essence of Cricket", and opens with this sentence: "Cricket is not so much a game as an extension of being English: a gallimaufry of paradoxes, contradictions, frightening logic and sheer impossibilities, of gentle courtesy and rough violence." In another chapter, "The Unplayable Jeeves", Ryder recounts his correspondence with

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

which established that Wodehouse had named his famous character

Jeeves Jeeves (born Reginald Jeeves, nicknamed Reggie) is a fictional character in a series of comedic short stories and novels by English author P. G. Wodehouse. Jeeves is the highly competent valet of a wealthy and idle young Londoner named Bertie W ...

after the Warwickshire bowler

Percy Jeeves Percy Jeeves (5 March 1888 – 22 July 1916) was a first-class cricketer from England, playing 50 first-class matches in his career, all but one for Warwickshire County Cricket Club from 1912 to 1914. He played one match for the Players agains ...

, whom Wodehouse had seen playing in a county match at

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

in 1913.Ryder, pp. 93–98.

Bibliography

Books

*''Edith Cavell'' 1975 *''Ravenstein: Portrait of a German General'' 1978 *''Oliver Leese'' 1987 *''Cricket Calling'' 1995

Articles for ''Wisden''

*"The Pleasures of Reading ''Wisden''", 1965 edition, pp. 95–100 *"Warwickshire the Unpredictable", 1968, pp. 124–30 *"And

Gilligan Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show ''Gilligan's Island'' and its many sequels. Gilligan, affectionately called "little buddy" by the "Skipper", is the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone first mate of t ...

Led Them Out", 1970, pp. 124–30 *"The Great Wicket-Keepers: From

Tom Sueter Thomas Sueter (17 April 1750 – 17 February 1827) was an English cricketer who represented Hampshire as a member of the Hambledon Club. Sueter was a left-handed batsman and, with his contemporary William Yalden, one of the two most famous w ...

Alan Knott Alan Philip Eric Knott (born 9 April 1946) is a former cricketer who represented England at international level in both Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODI). Knott is widely regarded as one of the most eccentric characters in cricket and as o ...

", 1972, pp. 137–45 *"The Warwickshire Way", 1973, pp. 127–34 *"The Glorious Uncertainty", 1974, pp. 117–22 *" Gilbert Jessop – The Most Exciting Cricketer of Them All", 1975, pp. 137–42 *" F.R. Foster – A Prince of the Golden Age", 1976, pp. 134–40 *" E. J. ('Tiger') Smith", 1980, pp. 96–102

References

External links

''Wisden'' 1997, Obituaries in 1996
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryder, Rowland 1914 births 1996 deaths People educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford English biographers Cricket writers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Armoured Corps soldiers