Lionel Palairet (1870–1933) was an English amateur cricketer who played for Somerset and Oxford University. A graceful right-handed batsman, he was selected to play Test cricket for England twice in 1902; an unwillingness to tour during the English winter limited his Test appearances. For Somerset, he frequently opened the batting with Herbie Hewett. In 1892, they shared a partnership of 346 for the first wicket, an opening stand that set a record for the County Championship and remains Somerset's highest first-wicket partnership. In that season, Palairet was named as one of the "Five Batsmen of the Year" by Wisden. Over the following decade, he was one of the leading amateur batsmen in England. He passed 1,000 first-class runs in a season on seven occasions, and struck two double centuries. After 1904, he appeared infrequently for Somerset, though he played a full season in 1907 when he was chosen to captain the county. He retired from first-class cricket in 1909, having scored over 15,000 runs. Contemporaries judged Palairet to have one of the most attractive batting styles of the period, and his obituary in The Times described him as "the most beautiful batsman of all time".
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Palairet
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1792:
French Revolution: Due to an overwhelming fear that foreign armies would attack Paris and prisoners would revolt, thousands of people were summarily executed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_Massacres
1864:
American Civil War: Union forces entered Atlanta, Georgia, a day after the Confederate defenders fled the city, bringing the Atlanta Campaign to a close. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Campaign
1946:
The interim government of India, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru (pictured), was formed to assist the transition of India from British rule to independence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interim_Government_of_India
1957:
President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam became the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo_Dinh_Diem_presidential_visit_to_Australia
1990:
Transnistria unilaterally declared its independence from what was then the Moldavian SSR of the Soviet Union, but it remains only a partially recognised state. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnistria
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
punctilio: A fine point in exactness of conduct, ceremony or procedure. Strictness in observance of formalities. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/punctilio
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Whoever becomes imbued with a noble idea kindles a flame from which other torches are lit, and influences those with whom he comes in contact, be they few or many. How far that influence, thus perpetuated, may extend, it is not given to him here to see. --Henry George https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Henry_George