Howard Francis

Howard Henry Francis (26 May 1868 – 7 January 1936) was a South African cricketer who played in two Test matches in 1899.

Howard Francis

Francis in 1899
Personal information
Full name	Howard Henry Francis
Born	(1868-05-26)26 May 1868 Clifton, Bristol, England
Died	7 January 1936(1936-01-07) (aged 67) Sea Point, Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa
Batting	Right-handed
International information
National side	South Africa
Test debut (cap 41)	14 February 1899 v England
Last Test	1 April 1899 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1890–1894	Gloucestershire
1895/96–1902/03	Western Province
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 2 25 Runs scored 39 529 Batting average 9.75 12.90 100s/50s 0/0 0/1 Top score 29 55 Catches/stumpings 1/– 13/1
Source: Cricinfo, 16 February 2020

Francis was born in Clifton, Bristol, England. A batsman, he played for Gloucestershire from 1890 to 1894 before moving to South Africa in 1895. There he played for Western Province from 1895–96 to 1902–03. His highest first-class score was 55 for Gloucestershire against Middlesex at Clifton in 1894, when he and Jack Board added 137 for the ninth wicket out of a team total of 225.^[1]

Francis was the top-scorer on either side when Lord Hawke's XI played the first match of their tour in 1898–99 against a Western Province XIII, scoring 45 in the first innings batting at number three.^[2] Three weeks later he also top-scored, with 33, in the first innings for Cape Colony against Lord Hawke's XI in the first first-class match of the tour.^[3] He played for South Africa in the two Test matches that followed, but was unsuccessful. However, he top-scored batting at number three in South Africa's second innings in the First Test, scoring 29 out of a team total of 99.^[4]

Francis was also a footballer, playing for Clifton until he moved to South Africa.^[5]

Francis worked as a shipping clerk in Cape Town. He married Maria Kate Roskelly there in April 1903.^[6]