Frank Guttridge was a sportsman who had something of a track record of switching teams and allegiances, and then switching back again.
At football he played for Notts Country, moved across to Nottingham Forest and then, after five seasons, moved back to County. Eventually, in 1895, he changed yet again, signing for the North-West side Nelson where he finished his footballing career. Guttridge played mainly as a full back and was part of a particularly parsimonious Notts County defence in the 1888-89 season.
As a cricketer, Guttridge was rather better known and played in 107 First-Class matches though here again, he moved to-and-fro. Having made his Nottinghamshire debut in 1889, against Derbyshire, and his first First-Class appearance later that same season v Gloucestershire, he took a professional engagement with Horsham CC and thus gained residential qualification for Sussex. He stayed with his adopted county for three seasons with mixed fortunes; he made his top First-Class score of 114 against Oxford University (his only hundred) and exactly 50 against his home county in a match at Brighton but The Country Vicar newspaper is quoted as saying of him: “Guttridge was quite a good all-rounder and failed to play up to his true form in First-Class matches”.
He was principally a fast right-arm bowler who took 176 First-Class wickets – 80 of those for Notts – at 29.99, best figures of 7-35 whilst with Sussex. He scored 1,206 runs at 16.98 and his highest innings for Nottinghamshire was 79. After he finished playing both sports, he became a cricket umpire from 1910-1912.
Frank Herbert Guttridge was born in Nottingham on 12 April 1867 and died in his home city on 13 June 1918.
May 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 211