Photo from SCCC Players, Photographs and Statistics – available in the Museum and Library.

John Daniell, (12 December 1878 – 24 January 1963) was captain of Somerset for 13 of the 15 seasons in which first-class cricket was played between 1908 and 1926, he acted as occasional secretary and general organiser for the county over many other years.
In the summer of 1898, he was picked for six Somerset matches by captain Sammy Woods. Up to 1904, he played a few matches each season for Somerset, but was not that successful.
In 1899, The Prophet, as he was then usually known, was also chosen to play for England at football and he gained seven caps between then and 1904, twice being captain
At the end of the 1907 season, with the county club’s finances in disarray and fixtures with several other counties under threat, Palairet, the then captain, told the annual meeting of the club that he was not willing to continue. It appeared possible that the Club would be wound up, but Daniell, newly returned to England and back as the protégé of Woods, who remained county secretary, agreed to take on the captaincy for 1908.
The professional staff was cut to just three and Daniell embarked on the policy that was to serve Somerset well for many years: recruiting players from far and wide, particularly from the public schools and the English universities, but also from overseas. The policy did not bring the county any great successes, though at times the team could surprise even the best opponents, but Somerset cricket was rarely dull, and the club remained in business.
His main role, though, was as an aggressive captain who used all means at his disposal to make up for the playing deficiencies of the Somerset sides of his time.
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