Born on 10 July 1873 at Leys Farm in Ruddington, Robert Bagguley was a right-hand batsman and a left-arm medium pacer. After playing for the Notts Colts XXII in 1891, he immediately won a place in the County side for a non-First-Class game against Derbyshire in 1891. A few days later he had the astonishing figures of 8-5, including a hat-trick, for Notts Seconds v Surrey Seconds at the Oval. He then took 6-21 against Yorkshire Colts. A day before his 18th birthday, Bagguley made his First-Class debut v Sussex at Hove on 9, 10 and 11 July 1891, when he took 6-74 in Sussex’s first innings. In his second First-Class match against Yorkshire at Sheffield batting at No 10, he scored 37 by brilliant hitting.
Bagguley began the 1892 season well, making 40 not out and taking 14-52 v XXII Colts but after appearing in the first three county games, did not play another First-Class game until July 1893. In 1894 he made 14 First-Class appearances but 5-84 at the Oval was his sole performance worth noting.
Bagguley’s great innings for Notts came on 16 and 17 May 1895 v Sussex at Trent Bridge, when he hit 110 and added 201 with Richard Howitt for the 7th wicket – a club record which stood until 1967. He was surprisingly dropped from the next Notts game, which brought the following retort from Cricket: “Notts defeat at the hands of Leicestershire serves them right for dropping Bagguley after he made 100 in the preceding match. It’s conduct like this on the part of the executive which creates so much indifference, not to say disloyalty on the part of Notts cricketers towards the county’s interests for so many years past.”
Perhaps however, the Notts executive were correct, for though Bagguley was re-installed to the XI, he achieved scarcely anything and his final First-Class game for Notts was against Gloucestershire at Bristol in 1896. In 45 First-Class matches for Nottinghamshire, he scored 661 runs @11.01 and took 38 wickets @23.02.
He played in three other First-Class games, the last being MCC v Worcestershire at Lord’s in 1900, and his complete First-Class record was 766 runs @11.96 and 38 wickets @24.47.
His professional engagements were Lasswade (1889), Birmingham (1890), Nottingham Commercial (1891-92), Notts Castle (1893) and MCC (1893-1902).
He died on 8 October 1946 aged 73 at Brackcliffe Farm in Bradmore, where he had farmed for many years. His younger Percy Bagguley played for Notts Colts in 1896 and elder brother William Bagguley (1866-1936) played one First-Class match for Derbyshire in 1905.
June 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 218
See Robert Bagguley's career stats here