Dictionary of National Biography, 1912 supplement/Lohmann, George Alfred
LOHMANN, GEORGE ALFRED (1865–1901), Surrey cricketer, second of five children of Stewart Lohmann, member of the London Stock Exchange, by his wife Frances Watling, of a Gloucestershire family, was born at Kensington on 2 June 1865. After education at Louvain school, Wandsworth, he was for a time employed in the settlement department of the Stock Exchange. He showed early promise as a cricketer with the Church Institute Club at Wandsworth Common (1876–8); in 1883 he attracted the notice of Walter William Read [q. v. Suppl. II], and turning professional, first appeared for Surrey at the Oval in 1884. As a medium pace bowler he met with great success in 1885, when he took 150 wickets with an average of 14½ runs a wicket. His most brilliant seasons were from 1888 to 1890, when in first-class cricket he took 209, 202, and 220 wickets respectively. Lohmann played in the Gentlemen v. Players matches from 1886 to 1896. He visited Australia thrice: in 1886–7 and 1887–8, both times with Shaw and Shrewsbury's teams, and in 1891–2 with Lord Sheffield's team. His best bowling performances were against the Australians at Sydney, where in February 1887 he took 8 wickets for 35 runs, in Jan. 1892, 8 for 68, and in Feb. 1888, with John Briggs [q. v. Suppl. II], he bowled unchanged through both innings. As a bowler he took the Australian cricketer Spofforth as his model, and cultivated great variety of pace; he had a high delivery and a swinging run, and was largely responsible for the cultivation of the off theory. He had no equal as a 'head' bowler, with his command of subtle devices for getting batsmen out, and a unique capacity for fielding his own bowling. As a batsman he was a good hitter, and in May 1889 at the Oval he scored 105 for Surrey v. Essex, adding with Sharpe 149 for the last wicket. As a fieldsman his catches at coverslip were marvellous, and gave that position a new importance in first-class cricket. His fine all-round play was largely the means of restoring Surrey to her leading position among the cricketing counties.
Lung trouble in 1892 compelled him to go to South Africa, where he remained in 1893-4. On his return he played for Surrey in 1895 and 1896. In 1896 he finally appeared at Lord's for England v. Australians. Differences with the Surrey club in that year led to his retirement from first-class cricket. He subsequently returned to South Africa, and died unmarried of consumption at Matjesfontein on 1 Dec. 1901. There in 1902 the Surrey Cricket Club erected a marble tombstone to his memory.
[The Times, 2 Dec. 1901; Daft's Kings of Cricket (with portrait, p. 233); Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack, 1902, p. liii; W. G. Grace's Cricketing Remimscences, 1899; Giants of the Game, ed. R. H. Lyttelton, pp. 68-61; Pycroft's Cricket Chat, 1886, p. 32-5; private information; notes from Mr. P. M. Thornton.]