Harry Gage was another member of the mercantile elite of South Wales – with no birthplace or family association with the region – who found time to mix business with pleasure by playing county cricket for Glamorgan.    

Born into a farming family in South Bristol, the all-rounder first made a name for himself playing for the Long Ashton club and winning a place in the Somerset Colts team of 1882. Harry plus his wife and young family moved to Swansea in 1889 where, together with his younger brother Frank, they set up a tobacconist’s business.    

Harry joined the Swansea Cricket and Football Club, and after some decent performances, he was chosen in May 1892 to play at the St. Helen’s ground for Glamorgan in their trial match against a Colts XXI. Batting at number four, he scored 17 and 9, besides returning figures of 10-2-23-5 in the Colts first innings. He added three more wickets with his seamers in their second innings and in July played at St. Helen’s once again for Glamorgan in the two-day game against Monmouthshire. He made a steady 32 in the first innings and claimed a couple of wickets during a nine-over spell.    

His business commitments meant that he only made one further appearance at county level, in 1893 in the match at Exeter against Devon. Harry and his family subsequently moved to live in Stanwell Road in Penarth having opened a new tobacconists shop and cigar dealership in the well-to-do resort. The success of the business saw them later move to Radyr, another bijou suburb, besides opening a new branch of the business in Pontypridd, for whom Harry also played cricket.    

He was also a useful golfer and was a member of Radyr Golf Cub. However, in 1905 his wife Margaret suddenly died and the following year, he also passed away. having contracted pneumonia, with many of his close friends saying that he had never really recovered from the loss of his beloved wife.

GAGE, Henry Frederick (‘Harry’).

Born – Abbots Leigh, Bristol 1861.
Died – Radyr, Cardiff, 12 October 1906.

Batting and Fielding Record  

	M	I	NO	RUNS	AV	100	50	CT	ST
MC Friendly	3	6	1	78	15.60	–	–	2	–

Bowling Record  

	Balls	M	R	W	AV	5wI	10wM
MC Friendly	115	4	59	10	5.90	1	–

Career-best performances  

Minor County Friendlies – 32 v Monmouthshire at St. Helen’s, Swansea, 1892 and 5/23 v Colts XXI at St. Helen’s, Swansea, 1892.