

Photos from SCCC Players, Photographs and Statistics – available in the Museum and Library and the Museum Archive.
Samuel (Sammy) Moses James Woods (13 April 1867 – 30 April 1931) was an Australian, who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey. At cricket—his primary sport—he played over four hundred first class matches in a twenty-four-year career. The majority of these matches were for Somerset, whom he captained from 1894 to1906.
After Somerset’s achievements in the 1890 season, they were granted first-class status and admission to the County Championship in 1891, which resulted in Woods playing more first-class cricket than in any previous season. He continued to bowl well throughout the season, and finished as Somerset’s leading wicket taker in the Championship in 1891, claiming 72 of his 134 wickets for the county. He took ten wickets, and scored a half-century in the match against Yorkshire at Park Avenue, Bradford, and in so doing reached 100 first-class wickets in a season for the first time. Later in the same month, Woods opened the Somerset bowling alongside Ted Tyler against Gloucestershire. The pair claimed five wickets each, bowling Somerset’s local rivals out for 25 runs from just 14.2 overs.The total was the lowest score Gloucestershire had made in an innings to that point, and remains their third lowest total. Woods claimed a further three wickets in Gloucestershire’s second innings, and Somerset completed an innings victory on day two of the match.
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