Harry Altham Harry Surtees Altham , CBE , DSO , MC ( 30 November 1888 at Camberley , Surrey – 11 March 1965 at Fulwood , Sheffield ) was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator , historian and coach . His Wisden obituary described him as " among the best known personalities in the world of cricket " . He died of a heart attack just after he had given an address to a cricket society . Altham was educated at Repton School and Oxford University and served in the British Army during World War I as a Major with the 60th Rifles . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) and the Military Cross ( MC ) , and was mentioned in despatches on three occasions . He was a schoolmaster and a cricket coach at Winchester College , a position that he held for thirty years , and was also the housemaster of Chernocke House . Altham ' s son , Richard , played in two first - class matches for Oxford University in 1947 - 1948 . Playing career . Harry Altham was a right - handed batsman . The Repton side which he captained in 1908 has been described as possibly the strongest school eleven of all time . His first - class career lasted from 1908 to 1923 . He played for Surrey from 1908 to 1912 and also for Oxford University , obtaining a Blue in 1911 and 1912 . On joining the staff at Winchester College , he moved from Surrey to Hampshire and played for Hampshire from 1919 to 1923 . Altham played in 55 first - class matches in all , scoring 1 , 537 runs at an average of 19 . 70 . He made one century , a score of 141 against Kent at Canterbury in 1921 . Administration . Altham served on the MCC Committee from 1941 until his death in 1965 . He was Treasurer from 1949 until 1963 and President in 1959 . He was a member of the Hampshire Committee for over forty years and the President of the club from 1946 until his death . He was also Chairman of the English Test selectors in 1954 . Historian . Altham ' s celebrated " History of Cricket " began as a serial in " The Cricketer " magazine and first appeared in book - form in 1926 . Revised editions appeared in 1938 , this time in collaboration with E . W . Swanton , and then in 1947 and 1948 , both with Swanton and in 1948 including an introduction by Pelham Warner . A further revised edition ( now in two volumes , the first by Altham covering the period until 1914 and the second by Swanton covering from 1914 onwards ) appeared in 1962 and is listed below , along with his histories of Lord ' s and the MCC , and of Hampshire : Swanton himself clarified the nature of Altham ' s contribution to " A History of Cricket " . " In the obituary written in the factual , anonymous vein generally adopted by Wisden , " he wrote , " I notice for the first time what can only be described as a howler . The second paragraph of the piece begins : ' Altham collaborated with E . W . Swanton in a book , " The History of Cricket " . . . ' . . . The first edition of " A History of Cricket " ( note the indefinite article ) was written by Harry when I was a boy . It was twelve years later , in 1938 , that he honoured me by asking me to collaborate with " him " , in a Second Edition . This I did , and so continued with three subsequent editions , as the junior and subservient partner , until the last appeared in two volumes some three years before his death . " The ever - modest Altham , however , provided his own verdict ( in the book ' s fourth edition in 1948 ) : " This not - inconsiderable labour I could not have undertaken by myself , but I was fortunate enough to secure the collaboration of Mr . E . W . Swanton whose broad shoulders readily sustained by far the greater part of the burden . " Writing in 1956 , A . A . Thomson said of the " History of Cricket " that it was " a massive record of the game from first beginnings out to the undiscovered ends , written with authority and affection , accuracy and charm " . A collection of Altham ' s writing , edited and revised by Hubert Doggart , was published after his death , namely " The Heart of Cricket : A memoir of H . S . Altham " ( Hutchinson ' The Cricketer ' , 1967 ) . Coaching . As well as coaching at Winchester for many years , Altham was Chairman of the MCC Youth Cricket Association and President of the English Schools Cricket Association . He was appointed Chairman of a Special Committee to inquire into the future welfare of English cricket in 1949 , saying , " If only we can get enough boys playing this game in England , and playing it right , it is quite certain that from the mass will be thrown up in some year or another a new Compton , a new Tate , a new Jack Hobbs , and , when that happens , we need not worry anymore about our meetings with Australia . " Perhaps most important of all , Altham was the author of the first edition of the " MCC Cricket Coaching Book " , published in 1952 . Honours . He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( CBE ) in 1957 .