A History of Oxted & Limpsfield Cricket Club
  1. Two Hundred Not Out and still Batting !
  2. A Limpsfield love affair
  3. Before 1850
  4. Early First Class Cricketers : William Martingell and Charles Payne
  5. The MacNivens of Perrysfield
  6. 1850-1900
  7. Limpsfield - A High Street of Cricketers
  8. The Brasier's of Limpsfield
  9. A Memorable Innings from Evelyn Marmaduke Leveson-Gower
  10. HDG Leveson Gower
  11. Before you in the order - The Cricket “Giants” at Limpsfield
  12. Oxted's Cricketing Corinthians
  13. 1901-1950
  14. Neville Knox, Surrey & England
  15. Reverend Marten’s Catch
  16. Leonard Moulding : Headmaster and Cricketer
  17. Strolling out from Limpsfield
  18. The Limpsfield Cricketer , the Actor and the Plot to kill Churchill (The Mystery of BOAC Flight 777)
  19. 1951-2000
  20. Tony Lock - Limpsfield, Surrey and England
  21. The Case of Errol Holmes and the Friendly Antipodeans
  22. "The Gaffer" of Limpsfield - by EM "Ted" Rose
  23. The Memories of John Davies
  24. Ted Rose's Limpsfield Jottings
  25. 3 Oxted Cricketing Legends (George Jarrett remembers)
  26. Gruesome Gesticulation, and crafty 24-yarders : George Jarrett remembers.... Norman Higgs and Vic Farmer
  27. When Imran Khan didn't play for Limpsfield : George Jarrett remembers...
  28. George Jarrett Remembers...The Sherjan Brothers - Limpsfield's Bowling Stalwarts
  29. 2001-Present
  30. Cricket across Four Generations : The Powell Family
  31. From Over There to Over Here : Some of our Overseas Players
  32. The Battle of Crockham Hill
  33. In Memoriam .... Those who have been finally given out
  34. In Memoriam - David Adamson 29 December 1939 to 6 October 2021
  35. In Memoriam - Les Brown (27 November 1936 – 28 January 2021)
  36. In Memoriam : Richard Gracey (with thanks to Ted Rose)
  37. In Memoriam : Nick Heroys (with thanks to Ted Rose)
  38. In Memoriam - Colin Smith
  39. Comments and additional notes
A History of Oxted & Limpsfield Cricket Club
  1. Two Hundred Not Out and still Batting !
  2. A Limpsfield love affair
  3. Before 1850
  4. Early First Class Cricketers : William Martingell and Charles Payne
  5. The MacNivens of Perrysfield
  6. 1850-1900
  7. Limpsfield - A High Street of Cricketers
  8. The Brasier's of Limpsfield
  9. A Memorable Innings from Evelyn Marmaduke Leveson-Gower
  10. HDG Leveson Gower
  11. Before you in the order - The Cricket “Giants” at Limpsfield
  12. Oxted's Cricketing Corinthians
  13. 1901-1950
  14. Neville Knox, Surrey & England
  15. Reverend Marten’s Catch
  16. Leonard Moulding : Headmaster and Cricketer
  17. Strolling out from Limpsfield
  18. The Limpsfield Cricketer , the Actor and the Plot to kill Churchill (The Mystery of BOAC Flight 777)
  19. 1951-2000
  20. Tony Lock - Limpsfield, Surrey and England
  21. The Case of Errol Holmes and the Friendly Antipodeans
  22. "The Gaffer" of Limpsfield - by EM "Ted" Rose
  23. The Memories of John Davies
  24. Ted Rose's Limpsfield Jottings
  25. 3 Oxted Cricketing Legends (George Jarrett remembers)
  26. Gruesome Gesticulation, and crafty 24-yarders : George Jarrett remembers.... Norman Higgs and Vic Farmer
  27. When Imran Khan didn't play for Limpsfield : George Jarrett remembers...
  28. George Jarrett Remembers...The Sherjan Brothers - Limpsfield's Bowling Stalwarts
  29. 2001-Present
  30. Cricket across Four Generations : The Powell Family
  31. From Over There to Over Here : Some of our Overseas Players
  32. The Battle of Crockham Hill
  33. In Memoriam .... Those who have been finally given out
  34. In Memoriam - David Adamson 29 December 1939 to 6 October 2021
  35. In Memoriam - Les Brown (27 November 1936 – 28 January 2021)
  36. In Memoriam : Richard Gracey (with thanks to Ted Rose)
  37. In Memoriam : Nick Heroys (with thanks to Ted Rose)
  38. In Memoriam - Colin Smith
  39. Comments and additional notes
Neville Knox, Surrey & England
A History of Oxted & Limpsfield Cricket Club 14 of 39

14. Neville Knox, Surrey & England


A genuinely fast bowler who represented both Limpsfield and Oxted CC in the late Victorian/ early Edwardian era was Neville Knox, also of Dulwich College, Surrey and England, described by Jack Hobbs, his Surrey team mate, as the fastest bowler he had ever seen.

It is also worth noting that, as a Dulwich schoolboy, Knox’s opening bowling partner was known on occasions to be the author PG Wodehouse.

Because of the extremely hard nature of the Oval pitches at the time and his desire to continue his profession as a singer, Neville Knox's first class career was short, but he was undoubtedly the fastest bowler of his time and one of the fastest bowlers ever to play for England – probably capable of speeds over 150 km/h (93 mph).

Knox’s star blazed briefly, but brightly, enjoying two very good seasons in 1905 and 1906. His twelve wickets for 174 against the Players at Lord's (5-73 and 7-110) at Lord’s in July 1906 is remembered as perhaps the fastest bowling ever seen in the history of Gentlemen v Players games.

In that match, one of the Professionals playing, seeing the speed at which Knox and Brearley were bowling, allowed himself to be bowled and walked off, saying “I’m sorry, Sir, but I’ve got a wife and family to think about”.

Knox always bowled flat out, off a long and winding run, with an “unusual” action that combined an undeniable off-break. Most observers thought he would not be able to keep this up for long, and so it proved. He developed severe problems with his shins, which left him permanently lame, and played first class Cricket only irregularly after 1906.

In 1904, Knox returned figures for Oxted CC of 7-6 against Edenbridge CC and in 1914 against Westerham CC took 9 for 14.

The following year, on Limpsfield Common, no less a figure than WG Grace declined to take first strike against Knox, 'preferring to take a look'.

Knox’s wicket haul for Oxted in 1909 was 40 wickets at 9.87.

He was married at St Mary’s Church in 1909 and the Gravestone of his parents Sir Ralph Henry and Lady Georgina Knox is located in the Churchyard.

His elder brother Frank also played for Oxted and was a First Class Cricketer, captaining Oxford University in 1901.