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Edward Liddle's International Profiles
The Hon Louis Guy Scott
  • Born 23 April 1850 London
  • Died 23 April 1900 Batchworth House, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire
  • EducationEton
  • Occupation Gentleman Farmer
  • Debut 2 September 1869 v United South of England XI at Rathmines
  • Cap Number 92
  • Style Hand unknown
  • Teams None known

Louis Scott has proved most difficult to identify. I am, however, fairly certain that the person described here is the cricketer. Obviously any information to the contrary or further details about this person would be most gratefully received. Louis Scott was a member of the family of the Earl of Clomell (the spelling shown here is correct.). The family had extensive estates in Co Kildare, not, as might be supposed, Tipperary.

Louis was educated at Eton where he was not a regular member of the College 1st XI, if indeed he played for the side at all, and would seem to have been still on holiday in Ireland at the time of the match in which he appeared. . The winter - or Michaelmas - Term then began somewhat later. The match between Ireland and I Zingari was a 12 a side game played at the Vice Regal ground on a wicket which was unfit for a major- or indeed any - contest. The ground had been out use for a few years and specially reopened for the game. Into the bargain the weather was far from perfect, the visitors having the worst of it, Ireland winning by 151 runs.

Only one batsman, William Hone (Senior) reached double figures in both innings and Ireland owed much to him and also to fighting knocks from Tom Casey in the first innings and WS Ashton and JR Roberts in the second. The star performer, however, was the Dublin University academic JP Mahaffy who had 13 wickets in the match, including 9-14 in the first innings. One of the few bowlers to enjoy bowling with a wet ball on a wet wicket, he was a slow underarmer who, on this occasion, confused the IZ batsmen as much as his brilliant but varied and unfocused lectures were said to confuse his students!

Louis, in company with most of the batsmen in the match, failed twice. Batting at No 8, he was bowled by the slow left arm roundarmer Richard Marsham for 0 in the first innings and in the second, stumped by Richard Tryon off the pace of the Lord Lieutenant's ADC Henry Awkright. Tryon was not a regular keeper so this would have been a good piece of work. Louis did however - if this identification is correct - gain the distinction, which he still holds, of being the youngest player to have appeared for Ireland.

Thereafter there is no record of Louis Guy Scott having played again in any match of importance. He married The Hon Inna Georgina Watson-Milles in 1885. The 1891 Census shows them living in Warwickshire, with a daughter also called Inna, Louis being described as a farmer.

However by the time of his death, at which time he was both the uncle and heir of the then Earl, they were living at Batchworth House Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, the house is now occupied by a firm of electrical engineers. In his Will he left Inna £31664-7s-10d - a considerable sum in today's terms.