Harry Lewis-Barclay


Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Samuel Lewis Barclay was an Australian-born army officer and sportsman who played first-class cricket and was a quarter-finalist at the 1925 Wimbledon Championships.

Military career

Having served as a captain in the Australian Imperial Forces in the First World War, he transferred to the Indian Army in 1917 and to the British Army's Royal Corps of Signals in 1927. He retired as a lieutenant-colonel in 1946.

Cricket

On 13 November 1926, Lewis-Barclay made his first-class debut, for Southern Punjab, against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club from England. The match was played in Lahore and Lewis-Barclay opened the bowling for Southern Punjab, claiming figures of 3-75, which included the wicket of the MCC captain Arthur Gilligan. After amassing 285 runs in the first innings, the MCC dismissed Southern Punjab for just 89 and enforced the follow-on. Southern Punjab were eight wickets down and still trailing the MCC when Lewis-Barclay came to the crease in the second innings. He made 14 not out and managed to save the match with number 11 Barkat Ali. On 18 November he made another first-class appearance against the MCC in Lahore, this time for Northern India. He had Test player Maurice Tate caught and bowled and again dismissed Gilligan, to finish with figures of 2-68 in the MCC's only innings. His other two first-class matches were played in 1928, for the British Army, against the Royal Air Force cricket team at Kennington Oval and the Royal Navy cricket team at Lord's.

Tennis

Lewis-Barclay competed at the Wimbledon Championships five times, in 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930 and 1931. He made the third round in 1922 but had his best performance in 1925, when he beat Theodore Mavrogordato, Monty Temple, Percival Davson and Henry Mayes, to make the quarter-finals, where he lost to eventual finalist Jean Borotra.

Death

Lewis-Barclay died 20 April 1956. He is buried at St Andrew's church, Totteridge, north London.