Cecil Paris

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Cecil Paris

| image =

| country = England

| fullname = Cecil Gerard Alexander Paris

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|9|20|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Kirkee, Bombay Presidency,
British India

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1998|4|4|1911|9|20|df=yes}}

| death_place = Winchester, Hampshire, England

| heightft =

| heightinch =

| batting = Right-handed

| bowling = Right-arm off break

| club1 = Hampshire

| year1 = 1933–1948

| club2 = Marylebone Cricket Club

| year2 = 1939

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 100

| runs1 = 3,730

| bat avg1 = 22.88

| 100s/50s1 = 2/19

| top score1 = 134*

| deliveries1 = 438

| wickets1 = 4

| bowl avg1 = 54.00

| fivefor1 = –

| tenfor1 = –

| best bowling1 = 1/10

| catches/stumpings1 = 75/–

| date = 25 August

| year = 2009

| source = http://www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/18413.html ESPNcricinfo

}}

Cecil Gerard Alexander Paris (20 August 1911 — 4 April 1998) was an amateur English first-class cricketer who played for Hampshire County Cricket Club eitherside of the Second World War, including as captain in 1938. Later in his life, he was a prominent cricket administrator. He was the first chairman of the Test and County Cricket Board and succeeded the Duke of Edinburgh as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1975. He also held every administrative office at Hampshire until 1989. During the Second World War, Paris was a liaison officer for General Bernard Montgomery and was awarded the Czechoslovak War Cross. By profession, he was a solicitor and was a partner in his family's long-established Southampton law firm.

Cricket and military service

The son of soldier Alexander Lloyd Paris, he was born in British India at Kirkee in August 1911. He was educated in England at The King's School, Canterbury, where he captained the school cricket team.{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/cecil-paris-18413|title=Player profile: Cecil Paris|publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=17 July 2023}} Paris made his debut in first-class cricket for Hampshire against Worcestershire at Bournemouth in the 1933 County Championship, in what was his only appearance that season.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6786/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Cecil Paris|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=17 July 2023|url-access=subscription}} He became a regular member of the Hampshire team under the captaincy of Lionel Tennyson, making sixteen appearances in 1934, which decreased to 12 appearances in 1935. It was in 1935 that he played for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players fixture at Folkestone. He scored his maiden first-class century against Northampton in 1935, making 134 not out, with Wisden remarking that in his innings he hit "all round the wicket with marked skill and accuracy of timing". Later in that season, during an innings defeat at Portsmouth against Yorkshire, Paris scored 51 of Hampshire's 94 runs in their second innings. He was appointed vice-captain to Dick Moore in 1936, making 21 appearances during the season. The following season he featured in just fifteen matches, before making 28 appearances in 1938 when he took over the captaincy from Moore; this was the only season in which he passed 1,000 runs, though he failed to record a century during it.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6786/f_Batting_by_Season.html|title=First-Class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Cecil Paris|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=17 July 2023|url-access=subscription}} The official history of Hampshire County Cricket Club notes that he "captained the side with immense concentration and effort",{{cite book|title=The History of Hampshire County Cricket Club|first1=Peter|last1=Wynne-Thomas|first2=John|last2=Arlott|first3=Victor|last3=Isaacs|date=1988|publisher=Christopher Helm|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_4ewAAAACAAJ|isbn=9780747000013|language=en}} but despite this Hampshire found themselves finishing in 14th place by the end of the season and Paris was replaced as captain for 1939 by George Taylor. He played just two County Championship matches in 1939, in addition to playing for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Surrey at Lord's.

Paris served in the British Army during the Second World War,{{cite book|title=Cricket in the Second World War|first=John|last=Broom|year=2021|publisher=Pen and Sword History|page=38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C4E0EAAAQBAJ|isbn=9781526780201|language=en}} being commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant in June 1939.{{London Gazette|issue=34634|date=9 June 1939|page=3887}} He gained the war substantive rank of captain in October 1941, having graduated from the intermediate staff course prior to this appointment; he was conferred the temporary rank of major at the same time.{{cite book|title=The Quarterly Army List|year=1946|publisher=HM Stationery Office|location=London|page=506|url=https://deriv.nls.uk/dcn23/8991/89916080.23.pdf|language=en}} He later served in the war as a liaison officer for General Bernard Montgomery. During his role as liaison officer between Montgomery and the 1st Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade under Major General Alois Liška, Paris was awarded the Czechoslovak War Cross, the Czechoslovakian version of the British Military Cross. After the war, Paris maintained his connection with the Royal Artillery by serving in the Territorial Army. He received the Territorial Decoration in September 1950, at which point he still held the rank of captain;{{London Gazette|issue=39022|date=22 September 1950|page=4744|supp=y}} he would eventually retire from the Reserve of Officers in May 1962, with the rank of honorary major.{{London Gazette|issue=42661|date=27 April 1962|page=3505|supp=y}}

Following the war, he briefly returned to first-class for Hampshire in the 1948 County Championship, making four appearances. In total, Paris made 98 first-class appearances for Hampshire. In these, he scored 3,660 runs at an average of 22.87; he made two centuries and 18 half centuries. A capable fielder, he took 75 catches in his 100 first-class matches.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6786/f_Batting_by_Team.html|title=First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Cecil Paris|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=17 July 2023|url-access=subscription}} Besides playing cricket, he also played squash and rugby union (for the Hampshire county team in the latter).

Administrative career and later life

Paris was the first chairman of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), formed in 1968.{{cite web|url=https://schoolscricketonline.co.uk/kings-canterbury/|title=King's Canterbury|website=www.schoolscricketonline.co.uk|access-date=18 July 2023}} His chairmanship was seen by John Arlott as beneficial to the nascent Professional Cricketers' Association, with Paris recognising its potential before many players did so; he secured a £750 annual grant to keep the association alive until membership amongst players became the norm.{{cite book|title=A Social History of English Cricket|first=Derek|last=Birley|year=2013|publisher=Aurum Press|location=London|page=274|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uav0AgAAQBAJ|isbn=9781845137502|language=en}} An early challenge to his chairmanship of the TCCB came in 1969, when ITV took the TCCB to the High Court for alleged breach of contract when the broadcasting contract for cricket went to the BBC; the High Court found in favour of the TCCB.{{cite book|title=Anyone But England: Cricket, Race and Class|first=Mike|last=Marqusee|year=2016|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|location=London|pages=111–112|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GDV8DQAAQBAJ|isbn=9781448216697|language=en}}{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000271/19690228/881/0032 |title=ITV companies lost cricket |work=Liverpool Echo |page=32 |date=28 February 1969 |access-date=18 July 2023 |url-access=subscription |via=British Newspaper Archive}} Other challenges during his twelve-month chairmanship included facilitating the expansion of one-day cricket and the D'Oliveira affair. J. A. Bailey noted that he "handled skilfully the need to balance change with cricket's essential regard for tradition". Following the end of his twelve-month tenure, the chairmanship passed to Maurice Allom. In 1975, he was nominated by the Duke of Edinburgh to succeed him as president of the MCC,{{cite web|url=https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-club/our-history|title=Our History|website=www.lords.org|access-date=18 July 2023}} and conversely, chairman of the International Cricket Conference. He was succeeded at the end of his one-year tenure by William Webster. In an administrative capacity for Hampshire, Paris also held every office of note at the club: cricket chairman; club chairman; and president from 1984 to 1989.{{cite book|title=The Character of Cricket|first=Tim|last=Heald|year=2015|publisher=Dean Street Press|page=213|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KMxCCQAAQBAJ|isbn=9781910570272|language=en}} Following the end of his presidency, Paris became a patron of the club alongside Lord Denning.

By profession, Paris was a solicitor, having passed his law examination with third-class honours in August 1935.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003142/19350810/223/0009 |title=Passed Law Final |work=Hampshire Advertiser |location=Southampton |page=9 |date=10 August 1935 |access-date=18 July 2023 |url-access=subscription |via=British Newspaper Archive}} He became a partner in his family's well-established law-firm Paris, Smith and Randall in Southampton in 1938, the same year that he had assumed the Hampshire captaincy. His association with the firm lasted until his retirement in 1982. Paris was involved in philanthropy alongside Sir Donald Acheson during the 1980s, helping to raise £4 million for a CT scanner for the Wessex region. Paris died at Winchester in April 1998. He had been married to Winifred Anna Blanche Richardson, having married her in September 1937 at Corbridge, Northumberland.{{cite news |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002445/19370913/100/0005 |title=Northern news in brief |work=Newcastle Journal |page=5 |date=13 September 1937 |access-date=18 July 2023 |url-access=subscription |via=British Newspaper Archive}} Following his death, the Cecil Paris Memorial Fund was founded under the auspices of the Hampshire County Cricket Youth Trust, where money raised through the fund would be used to support Hampshire's community and ethnic coaching programmes.