Greatest Cricket Moments

Lillywhite & Broadbridge Engaged as MCC Bowlers — 1839

1839-05-15MCCMCC engages William Lillywhite and James Broadbridge as practice bowlers, 18391 min readSeverity: Mild

Summary

In 1839 the MCC formally engaged William Lillywhite and James Broadbridge as paid practice bowlers at Lord's — bringing the Sussex roundarm pair, by now in their forties, onto the MCC ground staff. The arrangement marked the moment at which the world's leading club institutionalised roundarm bowling at its own headquarters, a decade after the law had been changed.

What Happened

Lillywhite was forty-seven and Broadbridge slightly older when MCC engaged them in 1839. Both had been Sussex regulars for two decades. The wage was £1 a week in season plus match fees; both also continued to play for Sussex and in major matches. Their presence at Lord's made it impossible for the lingering critics of roundarm to argue that the style was somehow not 'proper' MCC cricket. The engagement is conventionally treated as the final domestic acceptance of roundarm.

Timeline

1828

Roundarm legalised to elbow height

1835

Roundarm legalised to shoulder height

1839

Lillywhite & Broadbridge engaged as MCC practice bowlers

1864

Overarm bowling fully legalised

⚖️ The Verdict

The formal acceptance of roundarm bowling at the heart of the establishment game.

Legacy & Impact

The Lord's engagement of Lillywhite and Broadbridge is the moment historians point to as the practical end of the underarm-roundarm controversy.

Tags

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#william-lillywhite#james-broadbridge#mcc#lords#1839#iconic-moment

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