Alfred Mynn of Goudhurst in Kent — six feet one inch tall, eighteen to twenty stone in his prime, and capable of bowling fast roundarm at speeds contemporaries described as terrifying — emerged through the 1830s as cricket's first true giant. Nicknamed 'the Lion of Kent', he was the central fast bowler of his era, the pre-eminent single-wicket cricketer, and the figure around whom the great Kent eleven of the late 1830s and 1840s was built.
Fast bowling of the 1830s was newly possible because of the 1828 and 1835 roundarm law changes. The new style allowed bowlers to deliver from height with a long arm action; Mynn's combination of size, strength and accuracy was the first to fully exploit the freedom.
Mynn was born at Twisden Lodge near Goudhurst in Kent on 19 January 1807 and grew up at Bearsted, where he and his elder brother Walter played village cricket from boyhood. By the late 1820s the brothers were playing for Kent. Walter was a talented batsman; Alfred had something the cricket world had not seen before — sheer physical presence allied to fast roundarm bowling of devastating effect. He was unusually tall for the era at 6 ft 1 in and weighed close to twenty stone in his prime. His action was a smooth high roundarm with a long stride; the ball came out at speeds that no contemporary bowler could match and rose sharply from a length on the rough pitches of the day. By 1834 he was a regular for the Players against the Gentlemen and the leading bowler in any side he played for. The 1836 single-wicket victories over Dearman cemented his reputation. The Leicester injury of 1836 and the Brighton rematch of 1837 made him a national figure. Off the field he was famously good-tempered, a popular man with a generous nature; his nickname 'the Lion of Kent' was given by friends as much for his courage and bearing as for his on-field power.
19 Jan 1807: Mynn born at Twisden Lodge, Goudhurst, Kent
Late 1820s: Plays for Kent alongside elder brother Walter
Early 1830s: Establishes himself as the fastest bowler in England
1834: Regular for Players against Gentlemen at Lord's
Sep 1836: Beats Dearman by an innings and 107 at Town Malling
Aug 1836: Near-fatal leg injury at Leicester
Aug 1837: Beats Dearman again at Brighton by an innings and 67
19 Jan 1807
Born at Twisden Lodge, Kent
Late 1820s
Begins playing for Kent
Early 1830s
Established as England's fastest bowler
1836
Single-wicket victory over Dearman; near-fatal Leicester injury
1837
Brighton rematch; second victory over Dearman
1842
Imprisoned for debt; rescued by Kent supporters
1861
Dies, aged 54, at Thurnham, Kent
“With his hand uplifted, his body swung free, the great man delivered the ball at a pace which no batsman could face with comfort.”
“And the Lion of Kent, in his might and his pride, / Walked unmatched through the game.”
Mynn dominated single-wicket cricket through the 1840s. Financial problems (a brewing failure, an unsuccessful inn-keeping venture and chronic generosity to friends) dogged him; he spent time in the Queen's Bench debtors' prison in 1842 and only the intervention of Kent supporters secured his release. He died in 1861 at the age of 54 and was buried at Thurnham, Kent. The poet William Jeffrey Prowse wrote 'In Memoriam Alfred Mynn' as a national elegy.
The first great fast bowler of post-roundarm cricket and the dominant single-wicket cricketer of his era — the central male figure of 1830s English cricket alongside Pilch.
Mynn is the prototype of the great fast bowler in cricket history. The line Spofforth, Lockwood, Larwood, Lindwall, Trueman, Lillee and Bond traces back to him. His mythological status as the Lion of Kent — the giant who nearly died for his cricket — has only grown with retelling. The 1907 centenary of his birth was marked by a memorial match at Lord's.
Yorkshire v Essex
1932-06-16
On 15-16 June 1932 Herbert Sutcliffe (313) and Percy Holmes (224*) put on 555 for the first wicket against Essex at Leyton, breaking the world first-class record for any wicket and adding a layer of folklore — including a scoreboard that read 554 for several minutes and a hastily reversed declaration — that has clung to the partnership ever since.
Australia v England
1933-02-14
With the fate of the Bodyline series in the balance and England 216 for 6 chasing 340, Eddie Paynter checked himself out of a Brisbane hospital where he was being treated for acute tonsillitis, taxied to the Gabba in pyjamas and a dressing gown, and batted for nearly four hours to score 83. England drew level on first innings, won the Test by six wickets and the series 4-1.
Australia
1934-09-25
Days after the 1934 Oval Test, Bradman fell seriously ill with appendicitis that progressed to peritonitis. With antibiotics not yet available, he was given little chance of survival; his wife Jessie left Adelaide on a sea voyage to England prepared for the worst. He recovered after weeks of intensive nursing in a London nursing home and returned to first-class cricket the following Australian summer.