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Ignatius Rice Cricketer

William Ignatius Rice (1883–1955), known in religion as Dom Ignatius Rice, O.S.B. , was an English Benedictine monk of Douai Abbey, a headmaster of Douai School (1915–1952), and a first-class cricketer. He was reputedly "the only monk whose cricket performances were reported by Wisden". In 1917-1918 Dom Ignatius served as a military chaplain on the Western Front. During his 37 years as headmaster, he was an important influence on the development of Douai School, re-established in England in 1903, seeing it into the Headmasters' Conference in 1920. In the 1930s David Matthew, later Apostolic Delegate for Africa, congratulated him on the fact that: "no Catholic school has been so free from the influence of Arnold of Rugby as Douai has been. " He was a close friend of G. K. Chesterton for over thirty years, being one of four priests mentioned by Chesterton's biographer, Maisie Ward, as "especially intimate" with him.