Major Hugo Light played once for Glamorganshire having served in the Crimean War with the 68th Light Infantry.
Born in Italy in 1834, his father had been the British Crown’s judicial representative in Queen’s County in Ireland besides serving with the 7th Dragoon Guards and working at the British Consulate in Genoa. Like his father, Hugo was educated at Eton before joining the 68th Light Infantry and seeing active service in the Crimean War. Amongst his duties was acting as bodyguard to Lord Raglan, for which he was later presented with the Crimean War Medal on 18 May 1855 by Queen Victoria.
After the War, his military duties took him to Ireland as well as the Garrisons in Manchester and Colchester, with the cricket-loving major playing for both of their cricket teams. In 1870 he left the
Guards and moved to South Wales where, together with his business partners Charles Palmer and Frank Montagu Morgan, Hugo created a brokerage specializing in the shipping of coal. It was during this time, whilst he was playing for Cardiff CC, that the Old Etonian was drafted into the Glamorganshire side which met Breconshire at Brecon. Batting at number eleven, he scored 2 and 0 as the home side won by an innings.
His business partnership was dissolved in May 1877 with Hugo returning to Italy to live in Florence. In 1886 he married Margaret Lucy Bailey but tragically seven years later he died of pneumonia, aged 58, whilst on a visit to London.
LIGHT, Major Hugo Shelley
Born: Villa Majon, Genoa, Italy, 11 May 1834.
Died: Queensgate, London, 8 August 1893.