Gubby Allen (1902–1989) was a cricketer who captained England in eleven Test matches. Born in Sydney, Australia, on 31 July 1902, his family moved to London when he was six. In first-class matches, he played for Middlesex and Cambridge University. A fast bowler and hard- hitting lower-order batsman for England, Allen was appointed captain in 1936 and led the team during the unsuccessful 1936–37 tour of Australia. He captained England in a Test series in the West Indies in 1947–48. He later became an influential cricket administrator who held key positions in the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which effectively ruled English cricket at the time. He was instrumental in the creation of an MCC coaching manual, and worked hard to eliminate illegal bowling actions. As chairman of selectors from 1955 to 1961, he presided over a period of great success for English cricket, during which he worked closely with the Test captain Peter May. In 1963, he became MCC's president, and was made the club's treasurer the following year. In this role, he was deeply involved in the D'Oliveira affair, a controversy over the potential selection of Basil D'Oliveira to tour South Africa. He was knighted in 1986.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gubby_Allen

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1201:

John Komnenos the Fat briefly seized the throne of the Byzantine Empire from Alexios III Angelos, but he was soon caught and executed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Komnenos_the_Fat

1423:

Hundred Years' War: The English and their Burgundian allies were victorious over the French at the Battle of Cravant near Auxerre, France. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cravant

1917:

First World War: The Battle of Passchendaele began near Ypres in West Flanders, Belgium, with the Allied Powers aiming to force German troops to withdraw from the Channel Ports. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Passchendaele

1972:

The Troubles: Free Derry (Free Derry Corner pictured), an autonomous self-declared area of Derry, Northern Ireland, was brought to an end by the British Army's Operation Motorman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Motorman

2002:

Hamas detonated a bomb at the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, killing nine students and injuring about 100 more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_University_bombing

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

ha-ha: 1. A laugh. 2. Something funny; a joke. […] 3. A ditch with one vertical side, acting as a sunken fence, designed to block the entry of animals into lawns and parks without breaking sightlines. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ha-ha

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

NEVER let your guard down! You expect a battle to be fair! — A battle will never be fair!   --Wonder Woman https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman_(2017_film)