Cloudsley Henry Bullock Marsham was born on 10th February 1879 to a strong cricketing family. His father, the Reverend Cloudsley Dewar Bullock-Marsham and several uncles played variously for Oxford University and Kent. Cloudsley initially played for Eton in the 1890’s before going on to play for Oxford University for three successive years from 1900, becoming captain in his last year. He went on to captain the Kent County Cricket Club, succeeding Cutherbert Burnup in 1904.
In 1906 Cloudsley captained Kent when playing against Lancashire at Canterbury, a match that was famously painted by Albert Chevalier Tayler, a well-known English portrait and genre painter. The painting was commissioned by Kent at the suggestion of chairman Lord Harris (then commanding REKMR) to celebrate their first County Championship title win.