| ||||
| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | George Robert Canning Harris | |||
| Born | 3 February 1851 St Ann's, Trinidad | |||
| Died | 24 March 1932 (aged 81) Throwley, Kent | |||
| Batting style | Right-handed | |||
| Bowling style | Right-arm roundarm fast | |||
| Role | Batsman | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | England | |||
| Test debut (cap 13) | 2 January 1879 v Australia | |||
| Last Test | 11 August 1884 v Australia | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 1870–1911 | Kent | |||
| 1871–1895 | Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) | |||
| 1871–1874 | Oxford University | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Test | FC | ||
| Matches | 4 | 224 | ||
| Runs scored | 145 | 9,990 | ||
| Batting average | 29.00 | 26.85 | ||
| 100s/50s | 0/1 | 11/55 | ||
| Top score | 52 | 176 | ||
| Balls bowled | 32 | 3,446 | ||
| Wickets | 0 | 75 | ||
| Bowling average | 0 | 23.44 | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | 0 | 1 | ||
| 10 wickets in match | 0 | 0 | ||
| Best bowling | - | 5/57 | ||
| Catches/stumpings | 2/- | 190/– | ||
| Source: Cricinfo, | ||||
Colonel George Robert Canning Harris, 4th Baron Harris, (3 February 1851 – 24 March 1932), generally known as Lord Harris, was a British colonial administrator. He was also an English amateur cricketer, mainly active from 1870 to 1889, who played for Kent and England as captain of both teams. He had a political career from 1885 to 1900 and was for much of his life a highly influential figure in cricket administration through the offices he held with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The full span of Harris' first-class cricket career was from 1870 to 1911, at 42 seasons one of the longest on record, though he made only seven appearances after 1889 when he relinquished the Kent captaincy so his essential playing career was from 1870 to 1889. He appeared in 224 first-class matches, including four Test matches, as a righthanded batsman who bowled right arm fast with a roundarm action. He scored 9,990 runs in first-class cricket with a highest score of 176 among eleven centuries and held 190 catches. He took 75 wickets with a best analysis of five for 57.
Harris was born in St Ann's, Trinidad, and died in Throwley, Kent. Initially called The Honourable George Harris, he was the son of George Harris, 3rd Baron Harris. He was educated at Eton College, where he was captain of the cricket team in 1870, and then went up to Christ Church, Oxford. He had made his first-class debut for Kent in August 1870 and played for the Oxford University team from 1871 to 1874. In 1871, Harris captained Kent for the first time, in succession to South Norton, and led the team when available until 1889. He inherited the Harris barony following the death of his father on 23 November 1872, a few weeks after Harris had toured North America with R. A. Fitzgerald's XI. This team included W. G. Grace with whom Harris formed a close friendship. After he left Oxford, Harris became actively involved in cricket administration when elected Kent's club president for 1875; he had already been on the committee since 1870. He was the club secretary from 1875 to 1880 and retained long-term committee membership. Harris played in four Tests between January 1879 and August 1884, all as captain. He led the English cricket team in Australia and New Zealand in 1878–79 and was a central figure in the events of 8 February 1879 when a crowd riot erupted at a match in Sydney.
From 1885 to 1900, Harris had a career in politics, including a much-criticised tenure as Governor of the Presidency of Bombay. His political posts were Under-Secretary of State for India from 25 June 1885; Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for War from 4 August 1886 to 1890; Governor of the Presidency of Bombay from 1890 to 1895; and Lord in Waiting to Queen Victoria from 16 July 1895 to 4 December 1900.
On his return from India, Harris was elected president of MCC for 1895. He became a significant figure in cricket administration, wielding considerable influence, through his MCC offices; following his presidential year, he was a trustee of the club from 1906 to 1916 and treasurer from 1916 until his death in 1932. He was closely associated with Lord Hawke, whom many considered to be Harris' "disciple", and the two effectively controlled English cricket from the 1890s to the 1930s. Harris had very strong principles based on a profound respect for the Laws of cricket which he defended utterly. He was especially keen to impose rules about illegal bowling actions and, in county cricket, residential qualifications. Harris was a controversial figure, revered by cricket's MCC-based establishment.