Bruce Hylton-Stewart

{{short description|English musician, schoolteacher, and cricketer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}

{{Use British English|date=March 2013}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Bruce Hylton-Stewart

| image =

| country = England

| fullname = Bruce de la Coeur Hylton-Stewart

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1891|11|27|df=yes}}

| birth_place = New Brighton, Cheshire, England

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1972|10|1|1891|11|27|df=yes}}

| death_place = Marlborough, Wiltshire, England

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm fast-medium

| role = All-rounder

| family =

| club1 = Somerset

| year1 = {{nowrap|1912–1914}}

| type1 = FC

| debutdate1 = 17 June

| debutyear1 = 1912

| debutfor1 = Somerset

| debutagainst1 = South Africans

| lastdate1 = 1 September

| lastyear1 = 1914

| lastfor1 = Somerset

| lastagainst1 = Essex

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 36

| runs1 = 1,003

| bat avg1 = 17.59

| 100s/50s1 = 1/2

| top score1 = 110

| deliveries1 = 2,805

| wickets1 = 58

| bowl avg1 = 28.70

| fivefor1 = 2

| tenfor1 = 0

| best bowling1 = 5/3

| catches/stumpings1 = 17/–

| date = 9 November

| year = 2008

| source = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/3/3644/3644.html CricketArchive

}}

Bruce de la Coeur Hylton-Stewart (27 November 1891 – 1 October 1972) was a musician and schoolteacher who played first-class cricket for Somerset and Cambridge University between 1912 and 1914.

Born at New Brighton and brought up also in Cheshire, where his father Charles Henry Hylton Stewart was a minor canon of Chester Cathedral.{{cite web | url = http://www.thepeerage.com/p4740.htm#i47397 | title = Person Page 4740 | publisher = thePeerage.com | accessdate = 2008-11-09}}{{Unreliable source?|failed=y |date=February 2013}} Hylton-Stewart was educated at Bath College,{{Cite book | title = Wisden Cricketers' Almanack | edition = 1973 | publisher = Wisden | chapter = Obituaries, 1972 | pages = 1009 }} then went up to Peterhouse, Cambridge, with an organ scholarship.{{cite news |title=University Intelligence |newspaper=The Times |location=London |date=21 February 1910 |page=6}} He was a right-handed lower or middle order batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler.

He first appeared in first-class cricket in the Somerset match against the South Africans in 1912, when he replaced the injured Harry Chidgey after the game had started.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/8/8729.html | title = Somerset v South Africans | date = 1912-06-17 | publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 2008-11-09}} Two weeks later, he made his only appearance of the 1912 season for Cambridge University, and then from mid-July appeared fairly regularly for Somerset for the rest of the season. His batting was not successful, but he had one sensational day as a bowler, taking five wickets for three runs in 14 balls against Worcestershire at Stourbridge: these remained the best bowling figures of his first-class cricket career.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/8/8867.html | title = Worcestershire v Somerset | date = 1912-08-19 | publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 2008-11-09}}

In 1913, Hylton-Stewart played 11 first-class matches, most of them in the second half of the season and all of them for Somerset. He took five wickets in an innings for a second time, this time five for 72 against Yorkshire at Park Avenue, Bradford.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/9/9062.html | title = Yorkshire v Somerset | date = 1913-06-30 | publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 2008-11-09}} His batting improved as well, and he made his first score of more than 50, an unbeaten 72 against Sussex at Bath.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/9/9113.html | title = Somerset v Sussex | date = 1913-07-31 | publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 2008-11-09}}

The 1914 season was Hylton-Stewart's most successful as a batsman – he made 520 runs at an average of 20.80 per innings. After two matches for Cambridge in mid-season, he again played most of Somerset's matches in the second half of the year. Batting now in the middle order, he made his only first-class century, 110, made in 105 minutes out of an innings of 220, against Essex at Leyton.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/9/9373.html | title = Essex v Somerset | date = 1914-07-20 | publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 2008-11-09}} And late in the season, he made 91 against Worcestershire at Taunton.{{cite web | url = https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/9/9423.html | title = Somerset v Worcestershire | date = 1914-08-13 | publisher = CricketArchive| accessdate = 2008-11-09}}

During the First World War Hylton-Stewart was commissioned in the British Army and served with school Officers' Training Corps (OTC), first at The Leys School and then at Haileybury.{{London Gazette |issue=29489 |date=25 February 1916 |page=2113}} He remained with the Haileybury OTC until 1929 when he resigned his commission.{{London Gazette |issue=33487 |date=19 April 1929 |page=2597}}

Hylton-Stewart did not return to first-class cricket after the First World War but played Minor Counties cricket for Hertfordshire up to 1927.

Hylton-Stewart taught at Marlborough College 1934–54 and then was Director of Music and organist at St James's Church, Piccadilly, 1954–70.{{cite book |title=Marlborough College Register 1903–1996 |page=41}} He died at Marlborough.