Frank Cyril Matthews was born on 15 August 1892 in Willoughby on the Wolds. As far as is known, he received no trial at Trent Bridge before the First World War and his bowling - described as 'ungainly' - was only noticed during the war, when he appeared in Army cricket for Northumberland Fusiliers. He had a trial at Trent Bridge in September 1919 and accepted a post on the ground staff for 1920.
His First-Class debut came in July 1920 against Hampshire at Southampton. He appeared in five matches for the county that year and in 1921 and 1922 he played in some county games; in the latter year took 37 wickets at a cost of 18.02 runs each. In 1924 he had one good match against Kent at Canterbury when he took 8 for 33 in the first innings and 10 for 72 in the match, but this match accounted for more than a quarter of his wickets in 1924.
He left the Trent Bridge staff at the close of 1928 having played 82 First-Class games, of which, remarkably, 80 were in the County Championship, and a dozen matches for the Second Eleven in the Minor Counties Championship. He scored exactly 500 runs in First-Class cricket at just 7.14, with a top score of 34 against Cambridge University in 1925. His bowling was much more effective - he finished with 261 First-Class wickets at 20.42 and a best return of 9-50 v Northants at Trent Bridge in 1923, one of two occasions when he took ten wickets in a match. His match figures that day of 17-89 remain the best match return of any Nottinghamshire bowler - putting him ahead of such luminaries as 'Topsy' Wass, William Clarke and Franklyn Stephenson.
Matthews left Trent Bridge in 1928 to take up an engagement in league cricket.
He died in Nottingham on 11 January 1961.
July 2022
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 322