Wisden obituary
Fred Barratt, fast bowler and powerful hitter, died in Nottingham General Hospital on January 29, aged 52. Playing first for the county at Lord's in 1914 against M.C.C., he took eight wickets for 91 runs, but did not bowl when the club followed-on 194 behind. He finished that season with 115 wickets at 21.80 runs apiece. After the war he was slow in finding his old form, but in 1923 he dismissed 101 men at an average of 18.54 and also became a very free scorer. In 1928 he did the double with 1,167 runs, average 29.17, and 114 wickets at 25.18 each. The first Nottinghamshire man to accomplish this feat since John Gunn in 1906, he punished all kinds of bowling with great freedom, thanks largely to sure driving. He excelled against Glamorgan at Trent Bridge, hitting up 110 in eighty-five minutes; and at Coventry 139, also not out, off the Warwickshire bowlers. W. Walker helped to add 196 in eighty-five minutes, a short boundary giving Barratt such an opportunity to exercise his strength that he hit seven 6's and eighteen 4's. Nottinghamshire declared with 656 for three wickets, then the highest total for the loss of so few men. He reached Test honours in 1929 at Old Trafford against South Africa, but did little, two wickets for 38 runs being his reward while men of less pace were supreme. Going on tour with M.C.C. side, captained by A. H. H. Gilligan, in the winter of 1930, Barratt, with nine wickets for 93, helped to beat South Australia by 239 runs, and seven Victoria batsmen fell to him for 105, among his victims being W. H. Ponsford and H. L. Henry, both dismissed very cheaply in each innings. He was not effective in the four Test matches in New Zealand. Altogether in first-class cricket he took 1,126 wickets at 24.27 runs apiece and scored 6,347 runs, average 15.25.
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack