Frank Cobden was the leading light of Radnorshire cricket during the second half of the 19th century with the right-arm fast bowler making a name for himself in June 1870 in the annual Varsity Match between Oxford and Cambridge Universities as, at the age of twenty, he took a hat-trick during the final over of the game to clinch a historic victory for Cambridge by just two runs.
With Oxford chasing 179 to win, the game went on past seven o’clock on the final day with both sides still in the hunt. But Frank, bowling at great speed from the Nursery End, settled the contest with the second, third and fourth deliveries of what proved to be the final over, having Sam Bourne caught at mid-off, before clean bowling Will Stewart and Tom Belcher.
Born at Lambley in Nottinghamshire in 1849, Frank had been educated at private schools in the Home Counties, including Highgate, Brighton College and Harrow, before going up to Cambridge for whom he also appeared in the 1871 and 1872 Varsity Matches, but with less dramatic effect.
After coming down, he moved to the Welsh Borders and played cricket for both Shropshire and Herefordshire. During the 1880s, he moved to mid-Wales where his family owned land and held business interests besides becoming the leading light with the Radnorshire club, as well as acting as the local representative of the South Wales Cricket Club.
Frank had first played for the South Wales club in 1878 when he took 5/41, and opening the bowling with CP Lewis, against the Australians at Swansea. He also appeared for a XXII of Montgomeryshire against the United England Eleven in 1882 before making two further appearances for the South Wales club during August 1883. In the first, against Bryn-y-Neuadd at Llanfairfechan he top-scored with 67 and claimed half a dozen wickets in the drawn game. He then travelled with his colleagues to Shrewsbury for the two-day contest with Shropshire – a match in which he only scored a single and claimed three wickets.
August 1883 also saw Frank feature in a South Wales XI which played their counterparts from North Wales at Llanfairfechan, with the former Cambridge Blue scoring 67 again and claiming five wickets in the drawn contest. He was on the move again in the 1890s as he purchased Tan-y-Bwlch Hotel in Capel Curig. He sold the property in 1907 but remained in Caernarvonshire for the rest of his life. Cobden’s Hotel , as it became known, is still popular with walkers and other visitors to Snowdonia. It is also reputed to be haunted by the ghost of Frank’s daughter, Evelyn.
COBDEN, Frank Carroll
Born – Lambley, Notts, 14 October 1849.
Died – Capel Curig, Caernarvonshire. 7 December 1932.