Frank Foster (cricketer)
A brilliant, all-round cricketer whose explosive batting and sharp bowling defined Warwickshire's first Championship win before a tragic accident ended his career.
1889–1958 (age 69)·English cricketer·Birthday: January 31·The Lost Generation
Biography
Frank Foster emerged from Birmingham as a cricketing force of nature. An amateur in an increasingly professional age, he played for Warwickshire with a ferocious competitive spirit. A left-handed batsman who could dismantle attacks and a left-arm medium-pace bowler of nagging accuracy, he was the engine of his county side. His zenith came in 1911, a season of almost mythical status, where he captained Warwickshire to their first-ever County Championship title, contributing over 1,300 runs and 116 wickets. He played a handful of Tests for England, including the 1911-12 Ashes tour, but his style was perhaps best suited to the cut-and-thrust of county cricket. The First World War intervened, and a severe motorcycle accident while serving left him unable to play first-class cricket again, closing the book on a career that burned intensely but all too briefly.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Frank was born in 1889, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1889
Frank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1889Born
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1894Started school
President: Grover Cleveland
1902Became a teenager
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1905Could drive
Einstein publishes the theory of special relativity
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Could vote
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1910Turned 21
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1919Turned 30
Treaty of Versailles signed; Prohibition ratified
President: Woodrow Wilson
1929Turned 40
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1939Turned 50
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1949Turned 60
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Died at 69
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
Key Achievements
- Captained Warwickshire to their inaugural County Championship title in 1911.
- Achieved the rare 'double' in 1911, scoring 1,383 runs and taking 116 wickets.
- Played Test cricket for England, including in the victorious 1911-12 Ashes series in Australia.
- His bowling average of 20.75 in the 1911 season remains one of the most dominant in championship history.
Did You Know?
He wrote a controversial and lively autobiography titled 'Cricketing Memories'.
His brother, Peter Foster, also played first-class cricket for Warwickshire.
After his accident, he worked as a cricket journalist and coach.
He served as a Captain in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during WWI.
“A left-arm bowler must be a constant puzzle, each delivery a new question.”
