on the voyage home from Australia he attempted suicide. At the end of December 1899 he caught a chill whilst attending the funeral of fellow Yorkshire player John Thewlis. His condition quickly deteriorated and he died a few days later in Huddersfield, aged just 44. An interesting feature of Bates' Test career was that all 15 of his matches were played outside England, which is still the Test record for most matches in a complete career without ever playing at home. His son William Bates had a long first-class career with Yorkshire and Glamorgan. References External links 1855 births 1900 deaths England Test cricketers English cricketers Players cricketers Players of the North cricketers Cricketers from Huddersfield Test cricket hat-trick takers United North of England Eleven cricketers Yorkshire cricketers C. I. Thornton's XI cricketers North v South cricketers Over 30s v Under 30s cricketers Lord Londesborough's XI cricketers R. Daft's XI cricketers