Middlesex's J. T. Hearne was the epitome of the respectable professional from 1888 to 1923. One of only four men to take over 3,000 first-class wickets, he was also (less famously) one half of the world's first "celebrity" cricketing couple oldebor.wordpress.com/2025/09/29/you…

In 1908, a bookseller from Suffolk, who had been suffering from depression, disappeared in London, prompting a frantic search from his wife. He reappeared almost a month later having been living in the streets with no memory of his former life open.substack.com/pub/lostlives/…

The story of her tragic death made the newspapers in 1934, published with a touch of sensationalism and no little implied moralising. But Toni Corazza was far more than just a journalistic cliche. open.substack.com/pub/lostlives/…

Sport and politics should not mix. Except, in practice, when they can't seem to help themselves. open.substack.com/pub/oldebor77/…

Leonard Peart was found in his photography studio after having shot himself. But like something out of the Strand Magazine, before he died, he had also shot one of his own photographs: a portrait of a woman called Miss Dempster open.substack.com/pub/lostlives/…

Frank Ward spent many years on Lancashire's books, but later struggled with alcoholism. However, he was one of the few such stories with a happy ending because he managed to turn his life completely back around and make a fresh start in New Zealand oldebor.wordpress.com/2025/10/13/a-r…

Lily Woodcock was a barmaid in Limehouse who twice escaped throwing herself in front of a train. But she was not quite the hysterical woman portrayed in the press, nor was her story quite so straightforward #history #Limehouse #biography #asylums open.substack.com/pub/lostlives/…

Two English cricketers appeared in court within twelve months of each other in the mid-1920s, but their paths were very different and perfectly illustrate the divisions in English cricket at the time open.substack.com/pub/oldebor77/…

In 1890, a Liverpool docker called Samuel McKay disappeared during a works outing to Matlock Bath in Derbyshire. And almost no-one seemed to notice. open.substack.com/pub/lostlives/…

Ben Sealy of Trinidad played just one Test match for the West Indies during a long career. Useful rather than essential, he never quite made enough impact to guarantee his place. But in 1933, he was one of the leading players during a tour of England oldebor.wordpress.com/2025/10/27/pop…

The just-completed series in New Zealand — a sort of "pre-Ashes tour" — revived but reversed an odd historical practice. For decades, England only bothered to visit New Zealand if they were going to Australia as well #NZvENG #Cricket #CricketTwitter open.substack.com/pub/oldebor77/…