Controversies in 1855

7 incidents documented

George Parr — 'The Lion of the North' Established as England's Premier Batsman, 1855

Nottinghamshire and All-England elevens

1855-07-01

With Fuller Pilch's retirement in 1854, George Parr of Nottinghamshire assumed the mantle of England's premier batsman. Known as 'the Lion of the North' for his ferocious pull shot to leg — the celebrated stroke that hit the ball into the elm tree at Trent Bridge that would bear his name — Parr was the acknowledged best in the country from 1855 until the emergence of W.G. Grace in the late 1860s.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#1850s

⭐Mild

Edgar Willsher — Kent's Left-Arm Fast Roundarm Bowler Emerges, 1855

Kent and All-England elevens

1855-06-01

Edgar Willsher of Rolvenden, Kent, emerged in the mid-1850s as one of the fastest left-arm roundarm bowlers in England, taking 1,393 first-class wickets across a career lasting until 1875. He was the central figure in the overarm bowling controversy of 1862, when he was repeatedly no-balled by umpire John Lillywhite at The Oval, but in the 1850s he was simply the most dangerous left-arm bowler in the country.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#1850s

⭐Mild

The Oval Enlarged and Improved — Surrey Invest in England's Second Ground, 1855

Surrey Cricket Club and the Duchy of Cornwall

1855-04-01

In 1855 Surrey Cricket Club renewed its lease on The Oval with the Duchy of Cornwall for a further twenty-one years at a modest rent, invested in re-laying the square and constructed new seating. The improvements secured The Oval's position as England's second ground, a venue fit for the largest fixtures in the country and, eventually, for international cricket.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#1850s

⭐Mild

John 'Foghorn' Jackson — The Fastest Bowler in England Through the 1850s

Nottinghamshire and All-England Eleven

1855-07-01

John 'Foghorn' Jackson of Bungay was through the 1850s and early 1860s the fastest roundarm bowler in England, a right-arm quick of exceptional pace and hostility. Playing principally for Nottinghamshire and the All-England Eleven, he took 796 first-class wickets at 10.52, a remarkable average for the era, and was feared by even the best professional batsmen for the speed he could generate on the rough, unprepared pitches of the period.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#1850s

⭐Mild

Yorkshire Cricket — The County's Rising Strength in the 1850s

Yorkshire and northern county elevens

1855-07-01

Yorkshire cricket in the 1850s was played across several grounds — Sheffield, Leeds, Harrogate, Hull — without a formal county club or a single home ground. Despite this organisational informality, the standard of cricket was high enough that Yorkshire sides were competitive against the strongest counties, and the Sheffield club in particular produced several players who appeared in North of England representative sides. Yorkshire County Cricket Club would be formally constituted in 1863.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#1850s

🏏Moderate

Umpiring Standards and Player Disputes in the 1850s Cricket

Various county and representative sides

1855-07-01

Umpiring in the 1850s was a notoriously contentious business. Ex-professionals stood as umpires but were often accused of favouring their county's interests; the laws gave batsmen and bowlers little formal right of appeal; and the growing overarm controversy made no-balling — technically required but socially dangerous — a minefield for the men in white coats. Player disputes with umpires were frequent and sometimes ended matches.

#roundarm-era#early-victorian#1850s

⭐Mild

Surrey's 21-Year Oval Lease and Champion County Years — F.P. Miller's Captaincy, 1855

Surrey CCC

1855-04-01

In 1855 Surrey County Cricket Club secured a fresh 21-year lease on the Kennington Oval, the market-garden site they had occupied since 1845. Under their amateur captain F.P. Miller — first elected to lead the side in 1851 — Surrey would be acclaimed Champion County in 1850, 1854, 1856 and 1857 and recognised as the leading side again in 1858, 1859 and 1864, dominating the decade through professional strength and Miller's tactical command.

#surrey#the-oval#fp-miller