Profile of Harry Creber by Dr.A.K.Hignell - Hon Statistician and Historian to Glamorgan CCC

---

Player:

H Creber

---

The left-arm spin of Harry Creber was an integral part of Glamorgan`s success in the Minor County Championship. Creber made his debut in 1898 and he still managed to make 33 first-class appearances in the early 1920`s.

 

Creber moved from the Liverpool area to join Swansea C.C. in 1898 as their professional-groundsman. His early career with Glamorgan contained a number of remarkable returns - in 1899 he took 13/93 against Monmouthshire, 10/88 against the M.C.C., 12/137 versus Wiltshire and in the games against Berkshire 14/147 at Reading, followed by 14/124 at the Arms Park. Other impressive hauls included 13/84 against Wiltshire in 1903 and 11/110 against the same opponents in 1904, and were testiment to Creber`s accuracy, subtle spin, and clever variations of pace and flight.

 

However, his greatest prize came in 1905 when he became the club`s first bowler to take 100 wickets in a season. He repeated the feat in 1906 with 103 wickets in Minor County matches, and claimed ten wickets in a match on six occasions. Twice during his illustrious career, Creber came agonisingly close to becoming the first Glamorgan player to take all ten wickets in an innings. In the 1903 match against the Philadelphians at Cardiff, he took 9/91 against the touring side, and in 1908 against Carmarthenshire, he finished with career-best figures of 9/56.

 

Creber was past his best by the time Glamorgan were elevated to the County Championship, but he still managed to claim 95 wickets at the age of 50, including 7/47 against Hampshire at Swansea in 1922. He retired from county cricket in 1922 season, but remained as the groundsman at St.Helen`s until his death in 1939.

 

(Article: Copyright © 2000 Dr.A.K.Hignell)