Controversies in 1830

3 incidents documented

James Cobbett — Surrey's Leading Professional of the 1830s

Surrey; MCC; Players

1830-06-01

James Cobbett of Surrey was the leading professional all-rounder of the early-to-mid 1830s — a hard-hitting batter and accurate roundarm bowler who appeared regularly for the Players in the Gentlemen v Players fixture. He was widely regarded as the best Surrey cricketer between William Lambert's withdrawal in 1817 and the rise of William Caffyn in the 1840s.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#james-cobbett

⭐Moderate

George Brown of Brighton — Fastest Bowler of the 1830s

Sussex; Players

1830-07-15

George Brown of Brighton, often called 'Brown of Brighton', was reputed to be the fastest bowler of the 1830s — and possibly of the entire roundarm era. Stories of his pace bordered on the apocryphal: a long-stop wearing a coat stuffed with straw, a dog killed by a delivery that beat the wicketkeeper, balls that 'bounded over the spectators' heads'. Even allowing for legend, Brown was demonstrably faster than any contemporary.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#george-brown

⭐Mild

Fuller Pilch — England's Leading Batsman of the 1830s

Norfolk, Kent, England

1830-06-01

Through the 1830s the Norfolk-born professional Fuller Pilch was the most consistent batsman in England. Standing six feet tall and using a long forward stride that contemporaries called 'Pilch's poke' — the front foot pushed almost to the pitch of the ball before the bat came down — he reduced the new roundarm bowling to manageable terms when most batsmen were still being shelled out cheaply, and held the title of best bat in England for the better part of two decades.

#fuller-pilch#norfolk#kent