Gerry Chalk

Who was Gerry Chalk?

Frederick Gerald Hudson Chalk DFC was an English cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman who played first-class cricket for Oxford University, Kent and Marylebone Cricket Club between 1931 and 1939.

Chalk was born in Sydenham and initially played first-class cricket while at Oxford University, making several appearances over three years, and in the latter stages of his university career, appearing simultaneously at Kent.

After his university career had finished, Chalk got his chance to appear for Kent on a more regular basis, having received his cap in his first year at the club. He appeared in the County Championship for the first time at the age of 22 in 1933, scoring a self-assured 73 runs in a partnership approaching 200 with teammate, Kent stalwart Frank Woolley. Thanks to Chalk's persistent batting and pairing with Woolley on various occasions, Kent finished within the top three places in the 1933 table, and more-or-less maintained this form over the next three years.

With the Second World War to contend with, the County Championship was not to be played again during Chalk's lifetime. Chalk was a pilot in the Royal Air Force during World War II and perished at the age of 32 in 1943 in Louches, France. Chalk's extended family of cricket-playing relatives included William Greenstock, Harold Prest, and the group of cricketing brothers known as Fostershire, all of whom played first-class cricket with varying degrees of success throughout their life.