| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas William Spencer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 22 March 1914 Deptford, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 1 November 1995 (aged 81) Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Tommy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-pace | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1935–1946 | Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Umpiring information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tests umpired | 17 (1954–1978) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODIs umpired | 6 (1972–1975) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: [1], 17 December 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas William Spencer | ||
| Date of birth | 22 March 1914 | ||
| Place of birth | Deptford, England | ||
| Date of death | 1 November 1995 (aged 81) | ||
| Place of death | Seaton Delaval, Northumberland, England | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| –1933 | Hastings & St Leonards | ||
| 1933 | Bexhill | ||
| 1934–1936 | Tunbridge Wells Rangers | ||
| 1936 | Fulham | 0 | (0) |
| 1936–1937 | Lincoln City | 4 | (1) |
| 1937–1938 | Ashford | ||
| 1938–1939 | Sittingbourne | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Thomas William Spencer OBE (22 March 1914 – 1 November 1995) was a London-born English first-class cricketer for Kent and an international umpire. He additionally played for Lincoln City in the Football League.
Spencer played 76 matches for Kent[1] either side of World War II as an attacking batsman. His batting average was 20.1; he took one wicket for 19 runs from the 5 overs he bowled; and took 36 catches. Although Spencer won his County Cap, his career was disrupted by the war in which he served in the Royal Air Force.
At the suggestion of Frank Chester, Spencer joined the first-class umpire's list in 1950 and was appointed to his first Test in 1954. For reasons he never understood he had to wait 15 years before he was asked again. "I was a bit disgusted," he told The Northern Echo years later, "but I was determined to plod on and become a bloody good county umpire." Spencer eventually stood in 17 Test matches (the last in 1978) and six ODIs including the first at Lord's in 1972 and the first World Cup final in 1975. For the last 20 years until his retirement in 1980 he travelled to matches by train rather than car which he said allowed him to rest his eyes between appointments. In all, Spencer stood in a record 570 County championship matches and 701 first-class fixtures, a total second only to Chester.
Spencer was with his local club Hastings & St Leonards[2] until September 1933 after which he had a short spell with Bexhill[3] of the Sussex County League. He moved on to Southern League club Tunbridge Wells Rangers[4] and then in July 1936 was signed by Second Division Club Fulham,[5] but he did not make any league appearances for them. In November 1936 Spencer joined Lincoln City[6] of Division 3 North and played in four league matches scoring one goal[7] which he scored on 25 December 1936 against Rotherham United. From the 1937–38 season he returned to playing non-league football in the Kent League, firstly for a season with Ashford[8] and then for the 1938–39 season with Sittingbourne.[9]
Spencer was a natural sportsman, and in addition to playing cricket he was a footballer with Fulham, Lincoln City and, in wartime, Watford.[7] He claimed to have played four sports professionally, the other two being table tennis and boxing. After retiring from cricket he moved into professional coaching at Wrekin School and for many years he wintered coaching at St. Patrick's Christian Brothers' College, Kimberley in South Africa.[10]
Spencer was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1976 Birthday Honours.[11]
In later life he lived for many years in the North East, during June 1981 he wrote a series of historic career articles in the Newcastle based Sunday Sun newspaper.[12] His death in 1995 was reported in his local media,[13] but overlooked in the wider cricketing world. His obituary did not appear in Wisden or The Cricketer until 2003.