Basil Samuel
Foster
Male
England
1882-02-12
Malvern, Worcestershire, England
1959-09-28
Hillingdon, Middlesex, England
From Wikipedia: Basil Foster - Wikipedia
Basil Samuel Foster was an English actor and cricketer who played 34 first-class matches in the early 20th century. He was the inspiration for the P.G. Wodehouse character Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright, having become a stage actor so that he could also play county cricket.
One of the seven Foster brothers who played for Worcestershire, he made his first-class debut for that county against Kent in August 1902, but scored only 4 and 0 as Worcestershire lost by nine wickets. He played against Surrey a few days later, taking three catches, and against Hampshire the following June, but made ducks in both his innings.
Foster did not play first-class cricket again until 1906, when he made 27 and 26 for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against Worcestershire at Lord’s. Between then and early May 1912, he played mostly for MCC, making 15 appearances for them in all while turning out only four more times for Worcestershire. It was for MCC that he made his two half-centuries: 86 (from number eight) against the South Africans in 1907, and 74 against Leicestershire in 1910.
After his last match for MCC, Foster returned exclusively to county cricket, but now with Middlesex. For his new county he made 12 first-class appearances, but in 15 innings never scored more than 35. His final game came against Kent in late August, but only one day's play was possible in the match and Foster made just 8 in his only innings before being caught and bowled by Woolley.
Foster made his stage début in 1906, as Norman Popple in Mr Popple of Ippleton by Paul Rubens, at the Marlborough Theatre, Holloway, London. In The Dollar Princess of 1909, the Daily Mirror critic wrote that Foster (Earl of Quorn) and Gabrielle Ray (Daisy) “make a fine pair, and play to each other splendidly”.
In 1907, Foster played cricket against P.G. Wodehouse in the Actors against Authors game at Lord’s. Foster later collaborated with Wodehouse, portraying the lead role in the 1928 New Theatre production of A Damsel in Distress, as well as the role of Psmith in the 1930 Shaftesbury Theatre production of Leave It To Psmith; both productions were adapted by Wodehouse and Ian Hay from novels written by Wodehouse. Foster became manager of the Richmond Theatre in 1939.
1910 - 1926
1
19
9
1920 - Isle of Wight Championships (Amateur)
Round 1
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
Roland Binet
6-0
6-4
Round 2
Maurice A. Ferrier 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
6-4
9-7
Final
Henry Alfred Carless 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
7-5
6-8
6-3
Semifinals
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
Sir William Oliver Evelyn Meade-King
6-2
3-6
6-3
Final
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
A.T. Hill
3-6
6-3
6-3
Round 2
Monty Temple 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
6-3
6-3
Round 1
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
Frederick Alexander Lindemann
6-3
6-2
Round 2
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
Douglas Ingram
6-1
6-2
Round 3
Clark Hopkins 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
1-6
6-4
9-7
Quarterfinals
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
J.A. Frost
6-3
6-3
Semifinals
D.F. Belchamber 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
7-5
4-6
6-4
Round 2
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
Arthur Murray Cooper
4-6
6-2
6-1
6-2
Round 3
Major Thomas Brinsley Nicholson 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
10-8
6-1
6-4
Round 2
Hope M. Crisp 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
6-4
6-2
6-0
Round 1
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
bye
Round 2
Hubert de Bertoult 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
w.o.
Round 2
Basil Samuel Foster 1 *
C. Simmons
6-2
6-3
Round 3
Robert Wallet 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
6-1
6-4
Round 1
Charles Gladstone Allen 1 *
Basil Samuel Foster
6-3
6-0