Edward Stephen Massey Poyntz (27 October 1883 – 26 December 1934) was an English first-class cricketer, who played for Somerset in the early twentieth century.
The youngest son of the Chief Constable of Essex, Poyntz made his county cricket debut in 1905, hitting a half-century to help Somerset win their only match of that season.
[2] His father had achieved the rank of Major in the Royal Marines, and having served as the Chief Constable of Nottingham from 1872 until 1881,[3] held the equivalent position in Essex at the time of his youngest son's birth.
Poyntz senior was a cricket enthusiast, and during his time in Nottingham, he ran the police team, and wrote effusively in his reminiscences about watching Nottinghamshire face Yorkshire and Surrey.
[5] The family had moved to Gotham House in Tiverton, north Devon, and after leaving school, Poyntz followed his older brother Hugh into the Somerset side.
Facing Lancashire, Poyntz was called upon as Somerset's ninth bowler in their opponent's second innings: only the captain Daniell and the wicket-keeper, Harry Chidgey, did not bowl.
Initially the county asked Arthur Newton, who was at that time 50 years old, to serve as captain, but after consideration he declined the role, and Poyntz was appointed instead.
The team that he inherited remained a poor one: the Wisden summary in 1913 stated that they had, "no temptation to deal at any great length with the doings of Somerset".
Rare optimism was shown by Newton and Poyntz, with the latter claiming that it was due to "a lot of bad luck that they [Somerset] did not finish half way up the table instead of at the bottom.
[10] The start of the First World War during the summer of 1914 resulted in the cancellation of some matches, along with a number of players joining the armed forces, disrupting the end of the cricket season.
[29] He received promotion to Lieutenant,[30] and then Captain in 1915,[31] before being transferred to the 2nd Battalion in December of that year, serving in the Somme under the command of his brother, Major Hugh Stainton Poyntz.
A right-handed batsman, he is described as lacking "technique and consistency" by David Foot,[28] but obituaries suggest that his shortage of talent was offset by application of effort.
David Foot portrays an element of caricature about Poyntz, describing him as, "a tall man who slammed his hair back with a distinctive parting in the middle.
"[28] He also related a story from a Somerset teammate in which Poyntz claimed that he could trace him family all the way back to William the Conqueror, and had a massive coat of arms in his Bristol flat.