Cyril Alliston
Personal information
Full name
Cyril George Prat Alliston
Born(1891-11-01)1 November 1891
West Kensington, London
Died21 July 1973(1973-07-21) (aged 81)
Southport, Lancashire
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1922Kent
Only First-class1 July 1922 Kent v Warwickshire
Source: CricInfo, 5 April 2021

Cyril George Prat Alliston (1 November 1891 – 21 July 1973) was an English businessman and cricketer who played in one first-class cricket match for Kent County Cricket Club in 1922. Alliston worked in the cotton printing business and served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I.

Early life

Alliston was born at West Kensington in London in 1891, the son of Paul and Augusta Alliston.[1][2] His paternal grandfather, Sir Frederick Alliston, had established the family firm, Alliston and Co, in London in 1857.[3] The company was in the cotton printing business, and Alliston's father was active in the business, becoming the company chairman by 1914.[2][4] The family lived in Beckenham and Alliston was educated at Repton School where he played cricket and football in the school teams, and was a member of the school's Officer Training Corps.[2][5][6][7]

Military service

After leaving school, Alliston moved to Canada where he worked as a book-keeper. Following the start of World War I, he enlisted in the Edmonton Regiment of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in January 1915 at Grouard, Alberta. He transferred with the 49th battalion to Europe and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in August whilst at Shorncliffe Army Camp in Kent.[2][7]

Alliston's battalion transferred to France later in the year and was serving in the Ypres Salient when he was wounded in the abdomen in March 1916. After time in hospital at Boulogne and in London, he returned to Canada on leave and was discharged in September, unfit for further military service.[2]

Professional life and cricket career

Soon after his discharge, Alliston returned to England where he began working for the family firm in London. He was granted the Freedom of the City of London in 1920 and was a freemason. He continued to play club cricket for Beckenham and in 1922 made his debut for Kent's Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship, taking six wickets against Bedfordshire. His only match for the county First XI came later in the same year against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in the County Championship. He did not score in his only innings and was not required to bowl as Kent bowled Warwickshire out cheaply twice.[2] He played in two more Second XI matches the following season but only took one more wicket.[2][8]

Towards the end of the 1920s Alliston moved to Southport where he became the company's representative in the key cotton industrial area of north west England. He played cricket for Southport and Birkdale, captaining the side in 1931 and 1944–1945 and making over 200 appearances. He was one of the club's vice-presidents.[2][8]

Family

Alliston married Marjorie Pert. Their son Maurice played alongside Alliston in Southport sides.[2] Alliston died at Southport in 1973 aged 81.[1][9]

References

  1. 1 2 Cyril Alliston, CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part Two: 1919–1939, pp.8–9. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2021-04-05.)
  3. ↑ Alliston and Co, Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  4. ↑ 1914 Who's Who in Business: Company A, Grace's Guide to British Industrial History. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  5. ↑ Messiter M (ed) (1910) Repton School Register 1557–1910, p.459. Repton: AJ Lawrence. (Available online at Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 2021-04-05.)
  6. ↑ Messiter M (ed) (1922) Repton School Register: supplement to 1910 edition, p.255. London: Edson. (Available online at Internet Archive. Retrieved 2021-04-05.)
  7. 1 2 Alliston, Cyril George Prat, Personnel Records of the First World War, Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  8. 1 2 Cyril Alliston, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-03-19.
  9. ↑ Alliston, Cyril George Prat, Obituaries in 1973, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1974. Retrieved 2021-04-05.

Cyril Alliston at ESPNcricinfo

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