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221-459: Percy George Herbert Fender (22 August 1892 – 15 June 1985) was an English cricketer who played 13 Tests for his country and was captain of Surrey between 1921 and 1931. An all-rounder , he was a middle-order batsman who bowled mainly leg spin , and completed the cricketer's double seven times. Noted as a belligerent batsman, in 1920 he hit the fastest recorded first-class century , reaching three figures in only 35 minutes, which remains

442-456: A public school education who had then gone to one of Cambridge or Oxford University . Society insisted that such people were "officers and gentlemen" whose destiny was to provide leadership. In a purely financial sense, the cricketing amateur would theoretically claim expenses for playing while his professional counterpart played under contract and was paid a wage or match fee; in practice, many amateurs claimed more than actual expenditure, and

663-576: A representing Public Schools XI against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord's . His success for St Paul's continued in 1910, but his school career came to an abrupt end following an argument between his father and the High Master of the school. The dispute concerned a cricket match which Fender had played without parental permission, and his father was unhappy that cricket was taking precedence over academic studies. Fender

884-487: A "fourth or fifth bowler in a strong bowling side", but Surrey's weakness in bowling meant that he had to do far more work than was ideal for his style and approach. Despite his experimentation, critics regarded him as a reliable bowler using his primary method, and The Times described him as "subtle in flight and with artful variations". Fender fielded mainly at slip . He possessed quick reactions and could move quickly to catch balls hit some distance from him. His technique

1105-459: A "ludicrous business" that was "thankfully abolished" and said he was glad there would be "no more fancy caps". Charles Williams commented that amateurism in the highest levels of cricket had become "so ludicrous in its presentation and corrupt in its practice" that its end was a necessity, but he praised other aspects of the concept – its so-called "Corinthian spirit" whereby a game was played with "honour and verve" – which he believed had value and

1326-464: A Ball Game), which describes a rural cricket match, has a scene in which the teams dispute the rules of the match, each insisting on their own code of laws. Arbitration falls to a character called Nestor , clearly based on the Homeric ruler, who imposes his Justas Leges , acceptable to both teams. The context is uncertain but the phrase can be taken to mean an "established code". Goldwin, incidentally,

1547-468: A Queen's Coroner for the county of Surrey , and therefore a gentleman, bore written testimony as to a parcel of land in Guildford. Derrick, then aged 59, stated that when he was a schoolboy he and his friends had played cricket on the land (i.e., c.1550). Records from the early years of the 17th century show that cricket, having apparently been a children's game, was increasingly taken up by adults and

1768-463: A barrister, but his family could not afford the costs. By 1914, he was working for the firm of paper manufacturers and stationers of which his father was managing director. Although he permitted Fender to play cricket, his father believed that sport and a business career were incompatible. Fender disagreed, suggesting that the influential contacts made in county cricket offset the lost working time. To aid his business career, Fender moved to London during

1989-463: A captain of England, an embarrassing problem". His Wisden obituary concluded: "He was one of the most colourful figures in the cricket world for many years ... and was widely regarded as the shrewdest county captain of his generation". While still a cricketer, Fender wrote for several London newspapers and magazines, and also broadcast on the radio. Although remaining in England, he commented on

2210-433: A change bowler [one who bowls while the main bowlers are rested]—the best in England, as he has been aptly described—he became by force of circumstances the chief attacking force". He bowled mainly leg spin, but often bowled successfully at medium pace. Wisden praised his inspirational captaincy, and concluded: "Over and above all this he was, by general consent, by far the best of the county captains, never losing his grip of

2431-494: A clash with the highly influential Lord Harris in 1924, his England career was effectively ended. Further disagreements between Fender and the Surrey committee over his approach and tactics led the county to replace him as captain in 1932 and to end his career in 1935. A very recognisable figure, the amiable Fender was very popular with his team and with supporters. Cartoonists enjoyed caricaturing his distinctive appearance, but he

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2652-484: A class apart from the professional. The outlook of the two classes contrasted in that most of the amateurs played primarily for enjoyment, while most of the professionals took the game, as their living, very seriously indeed. Of underlying importance to the concept of amateurism were the schools, universities and other centres of education in which cricket was played, both as a curricular and extracurricular activity. The public schools (e.g., Eton , Harrow , Winchester ) and

2873-565: A collared shirt with short or long sleeves; long trousers; woolen pullover (if needed); cricket cap (for fielding) or a safety helmet; and spiked shoes or boots to increase traction. The kit is traditionally all white, and this remains the case in Test and first-class cricket, but in limited overs cricket, team colours are now worn instead. i) A used white ball. White balls are mainly used in limited overs cricket , especially in matches played at night, under floodlights (left). The essence of

3094-609: A common example, were part-time players of necessity as they could only commit to cricket during the school or university holidays (say, late July to mid-September). Those in other forms of employment relied for availability on occasional holidays or, in some cases, being given time off by their employers. There were employers who hired well-known cricketers for commercial prestige reasons and so were keen to see them take part in big matches. In terms of cause and effect, however, availability and remuneration were effects only. The real distinction between amateur and professional, encapsulated by

3315-454: A fence, part of the stands, a rope, a painted line, or a combination of these; the boundary must if possible be marked along its entire length. In the approximate centre of the field is a rectangular pitch (see image, below) on which a wooden target called a wicket is sited at each end; the wickets are placed 22 yards (20 m) apart. The pitch is a flat surface 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, with very short grass that tends to be worn away as

3536-514: A firm of stationers , and Lily, née Herbert. Born in Balham , Surrey , in 1892, he was encouraged to play cricket by his mother's family who were involved in Brighton club cricket, and from the age of eight he attended cricket matches to watch Sussex when visiting them. First educated at St George's College, Weybridge , then at St Paul's School, London , Fender did not excel academically, but

3757-508: A formality. During the MCC tour of Australia, England lost every game of the five-match Test series. Fender played infrequently and with little success during the early part of the tour. Douglas rarely used him as a bowler, and for the first Test, he was omitted from the team at the last minute and was twelfth man . He was eventually selected for the third Test; Jack Hearne was unavailable owing to illness, and Fender had recently been successful in

3978-479: A gentleman could become a member but the club from its very beginning employed or contracted professionals. Thomas Lord himself was a professional bowler at the White Conduit who was given the job of finding the ground that was afterwards named after him. Lord's immediately began to stage first-class matches and these attracted the crowds that some members had originally sought to avoid. MCC teams soon adopted

4199-477: A good start with bat and ball; thereafter, despite occasional successes, he lacked consistency. Surrey finished third in the Championship, and Fender contributed 1,004 runs and 84 wickets in all first-class matches. Once again, Fender was a candidate for the England captaincy—South Africa played a Test series that season, and the MCC were to tour Australia in 1924–25. The eventual appointment of Arthur Gilligan

4420-744: A great deal from Warwick Armstrong 's captaincy of the Australians. Fender had greater success for Surrey in 1921. For the second year in succession Surrey played Middlesex in the final game of the season, to decide the County Championship, and again they lost. They finished second in the table, but were hampered throughout the season by a lack of quality bowling. Wisden praised Fender's intelligent handling of his modest bowling resources, and stated that much of Surrey's success came from his captaincy. Several of Surrey's victories were very close, and had come after Fender declared . Fender took

4641-621: A highly popular format, putting the longer formats at risk. The new shorter format also introduced franchise cricket, with new tournaments like the Indian Premier League and the Australian Big Bash League . The ICC has selected the T20 format as cricket's growth format, and has introduced a T20 World Cup which is played every two years; T20 cricket has also been increasingly accepted into major events such as

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4862-465: A partnership of 171 runs in 42 minutes with Alan Peach . Although acknowledged to be a fast innings, Fender's century was not recognised as a record at the time; cricket records were not widely kept or studied, and other innings were believed to have been quicker. Surrey went on to win the match. Chosen for the Gentlemen v Players, Fender had his first success in the fixture, hitting 50 in 40 minutes,

5083-400: A position of strength or regained the initiative if earlier batsmen had failed. Fender also used non-regular bowlers in an attempt to unsettle batsmen. His innovative approach included the introduction of caps with larger peaks to shade his players' eyes from the sun, and he recruited a baseball coach to improve their throwing. Although often a candidate in the press to captain England, Fender

5304-491: A professional and in November 1878, the haughtily worded dictum of the amateur-dominated Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was: "that no gentleman ought to make a profit by his service ( sic ) in the cricket field". They also added an empty threat that anyone found guilty of profiteering would be barred from taking part in the Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's. In practice, many leading amateurs were paid for playing, and it

5525-511: A rain-affected match. A series of other controversial incidents further antagonised the committee. As a result, Fender was dismissed in January 1932, a move rumoured in the press for some time and which was quickly leaked. The club released a statement which said Fender would only stand down if a suitable replacement could be found, before Jardine was officially appointed in March. It is likely that

5746-595: A record as of 2024. On the basis of his Surrey captaincy, contemporaries judged him the best captain in England. As early as 1914 Fender was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year . After war service in the Royal Flying Corps he re-established himself in the Surrey team and became captain in 1921. His captaincy inspired the team to challenge strongly for the County Championship over

5967-417: A support bowler to the main attack—and established a reputation as an excellent slip fielder . A teammate judged that Fender was the "making" of the team, and Wisden commented that "he always seemed the right man in the right place". A late replacement in the Gentlemen v Players game at Lord's, Fender was not particularly successful but made a good impression on critics. The season ended prematurely because of

6188-473: A tour game. The tour manager Frederick Toone had suggested that Fender should replace Douglas as captain, an idea which had the support of two of the team's leading professionals, but Douglas refused. Fender made his Test debut on 14 January 1921 but achieved little with bat or ball, partly owing to his lack of match practice in the preceding weeks. He dropped a catch from Charles Kelleway , who went on to score 147 runs. Nevertheless, Fender retained his place in

6409-512: A wager concerning a cricket match at Lewes . The earliest known newspaper report of a first-class match was in the Foreign Post dated Wednesday, 7 July 1697: "The middle of last week a great match at cricket was played in Sussex ; there were eleven of a side, and they played for fifty guineas apiece". The high stakes on offer confirm the importance of the fixture and the fact that it

6630-538: A well-known figure in society and the daughter of a Manchester jeweller, whom he had met in Monte Carlo in 1923. The couple had two children; Ruth died suddenly in 1937 from Bright's disease . Fender remarried in 1962, but his second wife, Susan Gordon, died in 1968. Fender was played in the Bodyline miniseries by John Gregg . The series represents Fender as a bon viveur who had a considerable influence on

6851-416: A winner or tie.) The wicket-keeper (a specialised fielder behind the batter) and the batters wear protective gear because of the hardness of the ball, which can be delivered at speeds of more than 145 kilometres per hour (90 mph) and presents a major health and safety concern. Protective clothing includes pads (designed to protect the knees and shins), batting gloves or wicket-keeper's gloves for

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7072-403: Is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field , at the centre of which is a 22-yard (20-metre; 66-foot) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails (small sticks) balanced on three stumps . Two players from the batting team, the striker and nonstriker, stand in front of either wicket holding bats , while one player from the fielding team,

7293-484: Is aimed at a mark (the wicket) and driven away from it". It is generally believed that cricket originated as a children's game in the south-eastern counties of England, sometime during the medieval period . Although there are claims for prior dates, the earliest definite reference to cricket being played comes from evidence given at a court case in Guildford in January 1597 ( Old Style , equating to January 1598 in

7514-453: Is certain that cricket was being played c.  1550 by boys in Surrey . The view that it was originally a children's game is reinforced by Randle Cotgrave 's 1611 English- French dictionary in which he defined the noun " crosse " as "the crooked staff wherewith boys play at cricket", and the verb form " crosser " as "to play at cricket". One possible source for the sport's name

7735-423: Is drawn four feet in front of the bowling crease and parallel to it; although it is drawn as a 12 ft (3.7 m) line (six feet on either side of the wicket), it is, in fact, unlimited in length. The return creases are drawn at right angles to the popping crease so that they intersect the ends of the bowling crease; each return crease is drawn as an 8 ft (2.4 m) line, so that it extends four feet behind

7956-656: Is known, through numerous references found in the records of ecclesiastical court cases, to have been proscribed at times by the Puritans before and during the Commonwealth . The problem was nearly always the issue of Sunday play, as the Puritans considered cricket to be "profane" if played on the Sabbath , especially if large crowds or gambling were involved. According to the social historian Derek Birley , there

8177-570: Is the Old English word " cryce " (or " cricc " ) meaning a crutch or staff. In Samuel Johnson 's Dictionary , he derived cricket from " cryce , Saxon, a stick". In Old French , the word " criquet " seems to have meant a kind of club or stick. Given the strong medieval trade connections between south-east England and the County of Flanders when the latter belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy ,

8398-464: Is the earliest mention of adult participation in cricket and it was around the same time that the earliest known organised inter-parish or village match was played, at Chevening, Kent . In 1624, a player called Jasper Vinall died after he was accidentally struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex. Cricket remained a low-key local pursuit for much of the 17th century. It

8619-402: Is thought, a " wicket gate " through which sheep were herded), that the batter must defend. The cricket historian Harry Altham identified three "groups" of "club ball" games: the "hockey group", in which the ball is driven to and from between two targets (the goals); the "golf group", in which the ball is driven towards an undefended target (the hole); and the "cricket group", in which "the ball

8840-417: Is widely believed that the most famous amateur cricketer, W. G. Grace , made more money out of cricket than any genuine professional. In Charles Williams' view, the dictum was very subtly worded because it did not forbid amateurs from making money from cricket off the field of play . In fairness to Grace, he was a general practitioner who had to pay for a locum tenens to run his medical practice while he

9061-579: The Asian Games . The resultant growth has seen cricket's fanbase cross one billion people, with 90% of them in South Asia. T20's success has also spawned even shorter formats , such as 10-over cricket (T10) and 100-ball cricket , though not without controversy. Outside factors have also taken their toll on cricket. For example, the 2008 Mumbai attacks led India and Pakistan to suspend their bilateral series indefinitely. The 2009 attack on

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9282-702: The British Empire had been instrumental in spreading the game overseas, and by the middle of the 19th century it had become well established in Australia , the Caribbean , British India (which includes present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh ), New Zealand , North America and South Africa . In 1862, an English team made the first tour of Australia. The first Australian team to travel overseas consisted of Aboriginal stockmen who toured England in 1868 . In 1876–77, an England team took part in what

9503-473: The Commonwealth and were involved in village cricket as a pastime which, after the Commonwealth expired in 1660, they continued to indulge when they returned to London. The Restoration was effectively completed during the spring of 1660 and one of its immediate results was an increase in gambling, mostly by the gentry, on cricket and other sports. In Harry Altham 's view, the same period "was really

9724-465: The Dukes of Richmond , exerted their honour code of noblesse oblige to claim rights of leadership in any sporting contests they took part in, especially as it was necessary for them to play alongside their "social inferiors" if they were to win their bets. In time, a perception took hold that the typical amateur who played in first-class cricket, until 1962 when amateurism was abolished, was someone with

9945-629: The Gentlemen v Players fixture which was first arranged by Lord Frederick Beauclerk in 1806 and played annually from 1829 to 1962, was social status within the English class structure. Amateurs (the Gentlemen) belonged to the upper and middle classes; professionals (the Players) invariably came from the working class. It was perceived that the amateur held a higher station in life and was therefore

10166-792: The Hambledon Club and, in London, with a convivial club called the "Je-ne-sais-quoi" which met at an establishment called the Star and Garter on Pall Mall . The original Lord's ground was opened in May 1787 and was intended to be the private preserve of the same gentlemen's club, which from 1782 had become known as the White Conduit Club , based in Islington , and would soon reconstitute itself as Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Only

10387-545: The Kent and Sussex teams led by Stead and the 2nd Duke of Richmond in the 1720s. As players themselves, they captained their teams and it was gentlemen like them, and the friends whom they invited to play, who established cricket's amateur tradition. Professionals were paid a match fee for taking part. Thus, a Sussex team of the 1720s might be captained by Richmond and include not only additional gentlemen like his fellow patron Gage but also professionals like Thomas Waymark . That

10608-580: The Long Parliament (1642–60) banned theatres and other social activities that met with Puritan disapproval, but there is no actual evidence of cricket being prohibited, except as previously that it was not allowed on Sundays. For example, three men were prosecuted at Eltham in Kent for playing cricket on a Sunday in 1654. Oliver Cromwell had established the Protectorate the previous year, so

10829-472: The West Indies . Women's cricket , which is organised and played separately, has also achieved international standard. The most successful side playing international cricket is Australia , which has won eight One Day International trophies, including six World Cups , more than any other country, and has been the top-rated Test side more than any other country. Cricket is one of many games in

11050-437: The bona fide travelling and hotel expenses that they were entitled to claim. Although concerns about shamateurism were widespread, the abolition of amateurism was actually the result of interaction by two irresistible forces: An example of the latter is cricket authorities ending the Gentlemen v Players fixture after amateurism was abolished (and with it the raison d'etre for the fixture) on 31 January 1963, and introducing

11271-504: The "Coronation Match" to celebrate the accession of the unpopular George IV "and it was a suitably murky affair". The fixture survived and managed to struggle through the 1820s and 1830s, when it was necessary to handicap the Players to give the Gentlemen a competitive chance. It became annual (often played more than once per season) from 1829. The teams were evenly matched in the early 1840s when Alfred Mynn and Nicholas Felix were in

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11492-401: The "club ball" sphere that involve hitting a ball with a hand-held implement. Others include baseball (which shares many similarities with cricket, both belonging in the more specific bat-and-ball games category ), golf , hockey , tennis , squash , badminton and table tennis . In cricket's case, a key difference is the existence of a solid target structure, the wicket (originally, it

11713-613: The 1760s, and it is believed that there was no standard. The Hambledon professionals objected and their senior bowler Thomas Brett wrote out a formal protest that was signed by himself, his captain Richard Nyren and senior batsman John Small , all three being professional players. Brett's action brought about a change in the Laws, as confirmed in 1774, whereby the maximum width of the bat was set at four and one quarter inches. This ruling remains intact. In May 1775, master batsman Small

11934-458: The 17th century ended, cricket in the words of David Underdown was "embedded in the culture of many English social groups" – the aristocracy, the merchant class, the working class and even "the delinquents". The aristocracy was the group that advanced the cause of amateurism and did so, in several fields of activity, with the purpose of publicly asserting their political and social authority to emphasise, as Underdown said, "what they fondly believed

12155-545: The 1820s to the 1860s, the influence and status of amateurism steadily rose to a zenith that Derek Birley called the Amateur Ambuscade and Harry Altham called the Halcyon Days of Amateur Cricket . Standards of play at the fee-paying schools and at the two great universities rose to an unprecedented height that remains unsurpassed. Having said that, credit for the prolonged success of the Gentlemen against

12376-467: The 18th century but the professionals certainly had a voice, as illustrated by two famous incidents. In September 1771, when Chertsey played Hambledon at Laleham Burway , Chertsey's Thomas White introduced a bat that was fully as wide as the wicket. He was not actually cheating because there was no limit on bat size at the time, rather he was probably making a point in order to force an issue because straight bats were still new, having been introduced in

12597-667: The 18th century were the Dukes of Richmond; Edwin Stead ; Sir William Gage ; Frederick, Prince of Wales ; Lord John Sackville ; John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset ; Sir Horatio Mann ; George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea and, into the 19th century, Lord Frederick Beauclerk . They were all members of the nobility or the gentry, they all played cricket (Beauclerk and, to a lesser degree, Dorset were very good players) and they all gambled on matches. To boost their chances of winning wagers, some patrons formed their own county-class teams such as

12818-511: The 1920 season, his leg still troubled him for the remainder of his career; he was left with a minor limp, and long spells of fielding left him in pain. Surrey's official captain for 1920, Cyril Wilkinson , missed much of the 1920 season and was unavailable for the opening matches. As the only amateur in the team who was expected to play regularly, Fender was appointed as captain in Wilkinson's absence. Years later Fender stated that he had found

13039-528: The 1924–25 Ashes series for the Sunday Express and became involved in an argument which arose during the tour over the merits of professional captaincy; Fender believed professionals would make good captains. He also wrote about the 1926 series, and drew criticism from Australians when he called their sportsmanship into question. He later wrote regularly for the Evening News and The Star ; to

13260-436: The 1930s, Wally Hammond switched status from professional to amateur so that he could captain his country. Some of the amateur captains (e.g., W. G. Grace , Stanley Jackson , C. B. Fry and Peter May) were unquestionably worth their places in the England team on the grounds of their technical ability. The earliest definite mention of cricket is in a court case on Monday, 17 January 1597 (Julian date) in which John Derrick ,

13481-412: The 1936 season Holmes suggested to Fender that he should play fewer games for Surrey that year. Rather than do so, Fender preferred not to play at all, and he informed the committee that he would no longer represent the county. The committee publicly thanked Fender, but the reasons for the sudden termination of his county career are unclear; rumours suggested that some factions at Surrey wanted Fender out of

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13702-708: The 19th century. The game's governing body is the International Cricket Council (ICC), which has over 100 members, twelve of which are full members who play Test matches. The game's rules, the Laws of Cricket , are maintained by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London . The sport is followed primarily in South Asia , Australia , New Zealand , the United Kingdom , Southern Africa , and

13923-529: The Allied invasion of Europe . Later, he was posted to various parts of the world in his role in movements. In the 1920s, Fender was approached four times to stand for Parliament as a Conservative Party candidate and declined each time. Between 1952 and 1958, he served as a Conservative member on the London County Council for Norwood and later was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of London. In

14144-515: The Ashes series in 1926, but Arthur Carr was chosen. In his survey of England cricket captains, Alan Gibson suggests that Fender and Carr were the only two realistic candidates by that time—other county captains either lacked the skill to play Tests or had already been tried and discarded. When Carr was dropped before the final Test, the journalist Home Gordon reported that a "certain amateur"—Gibson suggests this must have been Fender—was waiting by

14365-480: The Championship, hampered once again by their lack of bowlers; their batsmen frequently made large scores but the team could not bowl out the opposition and many games were drawn. Fender's batting continued to be effective, but he demonstrated a more restrained approach and improved his defence. Again, he had a heavy bowling workload given the lack of support, and Wisden said that he bowled with "pronounced spin and variety of device". Fender's form dipped in 1924 after

14586-399: The County Championship, but lost their final match, against Middlesex, when a victory would have made them champions. Surrey needed 244 to win but Fender's instruction to his batsmen to attempt to score quickly had an adverse effect, and he later blamed himself for the defeat. Nevertheless, his optimism and inventiveness were appreciated by his teammates and he was appointed permanent captain by

14807-470: The Gentlemen team but then, of the 25 matches from July 1844 to July 1865, the Players won 23 with one draw and only one win for the Gentlemen. In 1865, W. G. Grace came into the Gentlemen team and the picture changed completely with the Gentlemen dominant for the next twenty years. From the mid-1880s, the batsmen on each side were usually strong but the hallmark of the Players from that time became their greater strength in bowling and fielding, areas in which

15028-440: The Gentlemen v Players fixture was played 8, 10 and 11 September 1962 at Scarborough. The Players, under the captaincy of Fred Trueman , won by 7 wickets. The Gentlemen scored 328 and 217; the Players replied with 337 and 212–3. Ken Barrington , with exactly 100, scored the last century in the series. In 1801, an antiquarian book about English sport noted that cricket had become "exceedingly fashionable, being much countenanced by

15249-631: The Gentlemen were relatively weak after Grace was past his best. The teams remained evenly matched until the end of the 19th century but in the 130 encounters between 1900 and 1962, the Gentlemen won only 15, with the Players winning 57 and 58 being drawn. The Gentlemen's last victory, at Scarborough in September 1953, was achieved after the Players had scored 532–5 declared ( Len Hutton 241) in their first innings. The Gentlemen, captained by Hutton's Yorkshire colleague Norman Yardley , replied with 447–8 declared (Peter May 157). Hutton sportingly declared

15470-426: The Gentlemen. Thanks mainly to Lambert's contribution, the Gentlemen won. The match was not a success but Beauclerk organised a repeat two weeks later, also at Lord's. This time, only Lambert was given, while Beldham joined the Players. The joint efforts of Beauclerk and Lambert earned another win for the Gentlemen. The seed for the long-running series had been planted but the fixture was not revived until 1819. Cricket

15691-553: The Gillette Cup limited overs knockout competition (which was also the first sponsored cricket competition) in its place. There were contrasting views about the end of amateurism and the passing of Gentlemen v Players. Some traditionalists like E. W. Swanton and the editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack lamented the "passing of an era". On the other hand, social change had rendered the whole concept an anachronism, and Fred Trueman spoke for many when he described amateurism as

15912-482: The Grace brothers had been notorious for submitting excessive expense claims but, when an official enquiry was held into their activities in January 1879, the outcome was an official whitewash and they continued to profit. In the 20th century, there were cases of amateur players being given a nominal job, such as county club assistant secretary. Sometimes, there were allegations of surreptitiously paid bonuses over and above

16133-440: The MCC cricketers on the journey to England, to play a further five Tests in 1921. Once again, some newspapers suggested Fender should captain the England team, but Douglas was initially retained; as the series progressed, several writers lamented the fact that Fender was overlooked. Fender began the season poorly and was not picked for the first three Tests, all of which were won by Australia. The England selectors tried 30 players in

16354-468: The MCC in 1922–23, but strong competition from the larger distilling companies meant that it was only a short-lived success. After the Second World War, he had to rebuild his wine firm, which had suffered from wartime trade restrictions and hardships, this time assisted by his son. He and Robert also established a paper merchants called Fender Brothers, although he later relinquished his shares in

16575-577: The MCC. However, tours at the time often left many amateurs out of pocket. To offset their costs, Fender and his teammate Rockley Wilson wrote for several newspapers and magazines during the tour. Their comments were unpopular in Australia, particularly in the final Test when Wilson criticised the behaviour of the Australian spectators. Fender was barracked several times by the crowds when reports reached Australia of his newspaper columns; occasionally,

16796-584: The Middle Dutch phrase for hockey, " met de (krik ket)sen " ("with the stick chase"). Gillmeister has suggested that not only the name but also the sport itself may be of Flemish origin. Although the main object of the game has always been to score the most runs , the early form of cricket differed from the modern game in certain key technical aspects; the North American variant of cricket known as wicket retained many of these aspects. The ball

17017-489: The Players through the 1870s belongs essentially to W. G. Grace , who became an amateur by special MCC invitation. None of the Grace brothers attended public school or university; they learned how to play at home and in local club cricket. This period of amateur dominance, encompassing as it did the so-called Golden Age of cricket , lasted until an erosion set in after the First World War which ultimately resulted in

17238-450: The Players' second innings at 165–6 to give the Gentlemen a feasible target of 251 in the final sessions. Thanks to an innings of 133 by Bill Edrich , they won by 5 wickets. Meanwhile, social change after the Second World War was leading inexorably to a reaction against the concept of amateurism in English cricket and, on 31 January 1963, all first-class cricketers became nominally professional as, in effect, "Players". The last edition of

17459-574: The Puritans were fully in control, but the defendants were charged with "breaking the Sabbath", not with playing cricket. It is believed that Cromwell himself was an early gentleman participant, having played both cricket and football as a young man. It was during the second half of the 17th century that, in Roy Webber 's words, "the game took a real grip" especially in the south-eastern counties. The nobility withdrew to their country estates during

17680-524: The Sri Lankan team during their tour of Pakistan led to Pakistan being unable to host matches until 2019. In 2017, Afghanistan and Ireland became the 11th and 12th Test nations. In cricket, the rules of the game are codified in The Laws of Cricket (hereinafter called "the Laws"), which has a global remit. There are 42 Laws (always written with a capital "L"). The earliest known version of

17901-478: The Surrey committee were becoming disillusioned with Fender as captain after he had missed matches in 1930 to work as a journalist. Another point of contention was that Fender, against the wishes of the committee, preferred to keep in-form professional players in the team instead of playing amateurs when they were available. There were disagreements over expenses, and the committee disapproved when Fender declared Surrey's innings closed after one ball, to make up time in

18122-432: The Surrey crowds. During the season Fender scored 820 runs, often very quickly, and took 83 wickets including some through experimenting with leg spin bowling. According to Wisden his worth was measured by more than figures: "As a match winning factor he is a far greater force on a side than his records would suggest." In an already powerful Surrey side he batted aggressively, bowled more frequently than at Sussex—mainly as

18343-510: The Tests for a newspaper; in the 1930 season, he scored 700 runs and took 65 wickets. Meanwhile, the Australian victory in the Test series owed much to Bradman, who scored 974 runs in seven innings, breaking several records in the process. His success, and the manner of it, concerned the English authorities, and Fender among others believed that success against Bradman was to be found in adopting new tactics. In his newspaper reports that summer, Fender

18564-729: The abolition of amateurism in 1962. Gentlemen v Players became the most famous match of the 19th century, albeit challenged by North v South and by the annual matches between the All-England Eleven (the AEE) and the United All-England Eleven (the UEE), until international cricket and the official County Championship began. In amateur circles, it was one of three main events of the cricket season. The others were The University Match between Oxford and Cambridge, which

18785-540: The authority of the patrons. For example, the Duke and Mr Brodrick selected an umpire each, as well as all the players, and only they were allowed to address the umpires. In 1744 and again in 1774, the first versions of what are now known as "The Laws of Cricket" were coded by the "Noblemen and Gentlemen" who, in 1744, frequented the Artillery Ground in London. By 1774, they were associated in cricketing terms with

19006-482: The ball 132 yards. Fender's aggressive approach made him an inconsistent scorer, but Surrey had a strong batting side and his hitting power was more valuable to the team than if he had played in more orthodox fashion. The side's batting strength meant that Fender rarely had to play defensively, although he could do so if the situation demanded. Originally a fast-medium bowler—a style to which he sometimes reverted when Surrey were short of bowlers—Fender's main bowling style

19227-482: The ball bounced and turned in a different fashion from the turf on which cricket was played in England. He began in good batting form, scoring 96 in the first match, and he passed fifty on two other occasions, including an uncharacteristically defensive innings of 60 in the third Test, but his batting faded as the tour progressed. He was generally successful as a bowler, but proved expensive in the Tests. However, his best bowling performance according to his teammates came in

19448-454: The ball hits the striker's wicket and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease line in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings (playing phase) ends and the teams swap roles. Forms of cricket range from traditional Test matches played over five days to

19669-440: The ball in different directions while playing the same stroke. Among his favoured shots were the drive, pull and cut . Other than his 35-minute century, he played many innings in which he scored quickly, and the cricket historian Gerald Brodribb has calculated that Fender was among first-class cricket's fastest scorers, with an average rate of 62 runs an hour. He also recorded several notably powerful hits, including one which sent

19890-424: The ball, he took over 60 wickets in each season, although with higher bowling averages than earlier in his career. Having played regularly for the Gentlemen against the Players throughout his career, he made his last appearance in the match in 1934. He continued to be an effective member of the county team, which he occasionally led when the regular captain—initially Jardine, later, Errol Holmes —was absent. Prior to

20111-474: The ball, which is a hard, solid spheroid made of compressed leather with a slightly raised sewn seam enclosing a cork core layered with tightly wound string. The earliest known definite reference to cricket is to it being played in South East England in the mid-16th century. It spread globally with the expansion of the British Empire , with the first international matches in the second half of

20332-422: The bat; in 1928, he scored 1,376 runs at 37.18, his highest average in a season, and in 1929 he scored 1,625 runs, his highest run aggregate. He was less successful with the ball: in 1928 he took 110 wickets but his bowling average rose to 28, and took 88 wickets at an average of over 30 in 1929. His good form at the start of 1929 led to his recall to the England team, and he played one Test against South Africa. This

20553-592: The batsman he varied the position from which he bowled and the height of his arm, and occasionally bowled deliberate full tosses or long hops to surprise them. Fender hoped that, in his eagerness to score from an apparently innocuous ball, the batsman would mis-hit, a tactic he would often try when the batsman was playing defensively. Fender's love of experimentation and his surprise variations made him difficult for batsmen to face, but produced inconsistent results and he sometimes conceded many runs. His Wisden obituary suggests that Fender would have been better employed as

20774-449: The batting team are on the field at any given time. The order of batters is usually announced just before the match, but it can be varied. The main objective of each team is to score more runs than their opponents, but in some forms of cricket, it is also necessary to dismiss all but one of the opposition batters (making their team 'all out') in their final innings in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn (not ending with

20995-451: The beginnings of this trend could be observed in the 1770s when the Hambledon Club paid match fees to its players. While the gentlemen were happy to play in the same team as the professionals, a form of apartheid was created off the field (e.g., separate changing rooms and gateways as mentioned above). Conscious of their higher social status, they used the fact that they were not paid a match fee to declare themselves amateurs, though not in

21216-407: The best bowling performances of his career when he took six wickets in 11 balls against Middlesex, to become the first player in first-class cricket to take six wickets in so few deliveries. This remained a record until 1972 when Pat Pocock took seven wickets in 11 balls. Fender went on to take seven wickets in 19 balls; his final analysis was seven for 10. The following two seasons were his best with

21437-529: The bowler, bowls the ball toward the striker's wicket from the opposite end of the pitch. The striker's goal is to hit the bowled ball with the bat and then switch places with the nonstriker, with the batting team scoring one run for each of these exchanges. Runs are also scored when the ball reaches the boundary of the field or when the ball is bowled illegally . The fielding team tries to prevent runs from being scored by dismissing batters (so they are "out"). Means of dismissal include being bowled , when

21658-421: The bowling crease, but is also, in fact, unlimited in length. Before a match begins, the team captains (who are also players) toss a coin to decide which team will bat first and so take the first innings . "Innings" is the term used for each phase of play in the match. In each innings, one team bats, attempting to score runs , while the other team bowls and fields the ball , attempting to restrict

21879-442: The brave decision to include a lob bowler , Trevor Molony , in three games; lob bowling had practically died out from first-class cricket by this time, and Molony was the last specialist underarm bowler selected in county cricket. But Molony met with fairly limited success and faded out of cricket. Owing to the lack of penetrative alternatives, Fender had to use his own bowling frequently, and often conceded many runs. Wisden said he

22100-438: The club for the following season. Against Northamptonshire in one of the last games of the 1920 season, Surrey had passed Northamptonshire's score and were in a dominant position when Fender batted. He was dropped early on but batting in a carefree, highly aggressive style, reached 100 runs in 35 minutes, as of 2021 still the fastest individual century on record in first-class cricket. In total, he scored 113 not out and shared

22321-451: The club. In the event, Fender played two first-class matches in 1936, captaining MCC teams against Oxford and Cambridge universities; these were his final appearances in first-class cricket. In all first-class matches, he scored 19,034 runs at an average of 26.65, and took 1,894 wickets at 25.05. He continued to play minor cricket for some time, and maintained his association with the sport for many years. His most notable appearance came after

22542-414: The code was drafted in 1744, and since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London . Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played on a cricket field (see image of cricket pitch and creases) between two teams of eleven players each. The field is usually circular or oval in shape, and the edge of the playing area is marked by a boundary , which may be

22763-451: The company. Meanwhile, he maintained his connections with Crescens Robinson and followed his father as chairman of the company from 1943 to 1968. The press closely followed the flamboyant Fender's activities in his personal life, reporting his attendance and activities at dances, the theatre, horse races and shooting . As such, he had a high profile, and was easily recognisable to the general public. In September 1924, he married Ruth Clapham,

22984-403: The course of several seasons, despite a shortage of effective bowlers. Alongside his forceful though sometimes controversial leadership, Fender was an effective performer with bat and ball, although he lacked support as a bowler. From 1921, he played occasionally in Tests for England but was never particularly successful. Despite press promptings, he was never appointed Test captain, and following

23205-475: The course of the summer, many of whom critics did not consider to be of suitable quality. Fender began to take wickets consistently in the middle of the season, and scored a century in the Gentlemen v Players match, so he was chosen for the fourth Test. The game was drawn, affected by rain. Fender scored 44 not out and took two for 30 in the game. The final match was also a rain-ruined draw; Fender retained his place but had little success. He later said that he learned

23426-430: The cricket pitch. Fender made himself more unacceptable by mocking establishment figures such as Leveson Gower; a teammate later remarked that Fender "was often his own worst enemy". Fender also believed that the controversy over his journalism in 1921 counted against him with the MCC committee. According to Wisden , Fender's limited success at Test level "may have saved the selectors, who were thought never to favour him as

23647-412: The critical stage in the game's evolution" with a kind of "feudal patronage" being established as the nobility took control of the sport, their interest fuelled by the opportunities for gambling that it provided, and this set the pattern for cricket's development through the 18th century. The post-Restoration period saw the first "great matches" as cricket evolved into a major sport, a significant aspect of

23868-454: The crowds chanted "Please Go Home Fender", making a play on his initials. Fender made light of this, joining in by conducting the barrackers. In subsequent tours, the MCC forbade cricketers from writing about matches in which they were playing. On his way home, Fender wrote an account of the tour which was published as Defending the Ashes . However, he did not elaborate on his own opinions, and left out any controversy. The Australian team joined

24089-495: The derisive term "shamateur" was coined to describe the practice. The game underwent major development in the 18th century to become England's national sport . Its success was underwritten by the twin necessities of patronage and betting. Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and, in the middle years of the century, large crowds flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury . The single wicket form of

24310-432: The distinction between amateurs and professionals was abolished and all first-class players became nominally professional. On the face of it, the distinctions between amateurs and professionals in first-class cricket were their availability and their means of remuneration. The professional cricketer received a wage from his county club or, if he went on a tour, a contracted fee paid by the tour organiser. In both cases, there

24531-411: The double again with 1,043 runs and 112 wickets. After the season, he joined a short tour of Jamaica led by Lord Tennyson , playing three first-class matches. In the following seasons, Surrey dropped steadily down the Championship table. Fender failed to reach 1,000 runs in 1927, although his average of 31.96 was his best for five seasons; he also took 89 wickets at 25.75. That season, he achieved one of

24752-477: The double with 1,042 runs and 137 wickets. Surrey finished second in the table and by the end of the season had not lost a Championship match at the Oval for five years. However, they never challenged the champions, Yorkshire, and this proved to be the last time under Fender's leadership that the team finished near the top of the Championship table. In the view of the press, Fender remained a potential England captain for

24973-494: The double; as of 2021, only Peter Walker has also done so. Fender completed the double in 1922 with 1,169 runs and 157 wickets, Surrey finished third in the Championship, and once again the lack of effective bowling hindered the team. Wisden described the team's success as "nothing less than a triumph for Mr Fender". Despite damp weather which did not suit his style, he bowled more than his share of overs, often because there were few alternative bowlers. Wisden said: "Essentially

25194-405: The earliest known contest that is generally considered a First Class match. The patrons and other players from the gentry began to classify themselves as " amateurs " to establish a clear distinction from the professionals, who were invariably members of the working class , even to the point of having separate changing and dining facilities. The gentry, including such high-ranking nobles as

25415-401: The end of the 1914 season, Fender had convinced his father that he could successfully combine cricket and business. His improvement as a cricketer was recognised when was chosen as one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year for 1914. As a player, Fender quickly made an impact for Surrey. He took a hat-trick in his second game, and scored a century in his fifth, to establish his popularity with

25636-543: The evolution being the introduction of professionalism. Members of the nobility and gentry who returned to London after the Restoration were keen to develop cricket and brought with them some of the "local experts" from village cricket whom they now employed as professional players. Altham wrote that within a year or two of the Restoration, "it became the thing in London society to make matches and form clubs". In 1694, accounts of Sir John Pelham record 2 s 6 d paid for

25857-399: The existence of players like him who were nominally amateur but, in terms of their financial gain, de facto professional. Grace himself was said to have been paid more money for playing cricket than any professional. The last two decades before the First World War have been called the " Golden Age of cricket ". It is a nostalgic name prompted by the collective sense of loss resulting from

26078-562: The fee-paying ("public") schools. Even so, headmasters of the time were not convinced that inter-school rivalry was a good thing and, when Eton played Harrow at Lord's in 1805, the match was organised by the boys themselves, among them Lord Byron . Like everything else, cricket struggled as the Napoleonic Wars wore on and very few matches were played when the conflict escalated from 1810 to 1814. MCC were accused by some critics of not providing leadership or vision but in fact MCC kept

26299-437: The field after discovering that he did not need them. Contemporary critics believed that Fender's handling of a limited bowling side while Surrey captain in the 1920s, and his achievements in taking the county to high positions in the County Championship, made him the best captain in England. Teammates and opponents praised his captaincy skills, and described him as the best they had known. His Times obituary stated: "[Fender]

26520-452: The field, lanky, bespectacled, curly-haired, slouching along, hands deep in pockets and wearing a grotesquely long sweater, he was immortalised by cartoonist Tom Webster ". This appearance made him a favourite of cartoonists generally, and Fender enjoyed this fame, particularly the cartoons of Webster who drew Fender in a long sweater before he ever wore one; Fender then adopted them to match his image. Similarly, he continued to wear glasses on

26741-456: The field. His captaincy was very effective; his flair, quick-wittedness, and willingness to use unconventional tactics were most unusual at the time. This was rapidly noticed by the public, who appreciated Surrey's entertaining brand of cricket. Several games were won by Surrey after Fender used unorthodox methods to force the pace. In addition, Fender's batting and bowling performances swayed several games in Surrey's favour. Surrey finished third in

26962-442: The field. On scorecards, the amateur would be listed initials first and a professional teammate initials last: for example, P. B. H. May and Laker, J. C. In one notably laughable instance, when the professional Fred Titmus was walking out to bat, the public announcer stated that there was a mistake in the printed scorecards being sold at the ground: "F. J. Titmus should read Titmus, F. J." The "Gentlemen and Players" distinction

27183-421: The first clear indication that the gentry were involved (notwithstanding Derrick's own status) is in the record of an ecclesiastical court held in 1629. In this, Henry Cuffin, a curate at Ruckinge in Kent , was prosecuted by an Archdeacon 's Court for playing cricket on a Sunday evening after prayers. He claimed that several of his fellow players were "persons of repute and fashion". For the next two centuries,

27404-646: The first limited overs Cricket World Cup in 1975 . Sri Lanka joined the ranks in 1982. Meanwhile, South Africa was banned by the ICC due to apartheid from 1970 until 1992. 1992 also brought about the introduction of the Zimbabwe team . The 21st century brought with it the Bangladesh Team , who made their Test debut in 2000. The game itself also grew, with a new format made up of 20-over innings being created. This format, called T20 cricket , quickly became

27625-422: The first professionals. Although the gentry were happy to play with and against the working class, they still retained a sense of social distinction and so, by the 19th century, the word "amateur" had taken on a peculiar meaning of its own in cricket terms that was redolent of social status and implied respectability. The amateurs insisted upon separate dressing rooms and, at some grounds, even a separate gateway onto

27846-563: The game alive and maintained a profile. There was a discernible change in the type of membership as the war progressed. As the 1820s began, the aristocrats like Dorset, Winchilsea and Colonel Lennox had gone and MCC's leading lights then, besides Beauclerk, included E. H. Budd, a civil servant, and William Ward, a banker. Having been founded by "noblemen and gentlemen", MCC now belonged to the "gentlemen" and, as such, they were keen to maintain their "declaration of social realities" by matching teams of Gentlemen against teams of paid Players. From

28067-572: The game and managing his side with a judgement that was seldom at fault." During the season, Fender began to wear glasses in an attempt to cure headaches; the remedy worked, although he later discovered there was nothing wrong with his eyesight, and the lenses he wore were little more than plain glass. The first time he wore glasses, Fender scored 185 in 130 minutes against Hampshire . Other rapid scoring feats included 91 in 50 minutes against Leicestershire and 137 in 90 minutes against Kent . There were no Tests in 1922, but Sydney Pardon wrote that Fender

28288-450: The game at county level led to the creation of the county clubs , starting with Sussex in 1839. In December 1889, the eight leading county clubs formed the official County Championship , which began in 1890. The most famous player of the 19th century was W. G. Grace , who started his long and influential career in 1865. It was especially during the career of Grace that the distinction between amateurs and professionals became blurred by

28509-424: The game progresses (cricket can also be played on artificial surfaces, notably matting). Each wicket is made of three wooden stumps topped by two bails . As illustrated, the pitch is marked at each end with four white painted lines: a bowling crease , a popping crease and two return creases . The three stumps are aligned centrally on the bowling crease, which is eight feet eight inches long. The popping crease

28730-432: The game quickly grew from 500 tests in 84 years to 1000 within the next 23. Cricket entered a new era in 1963 when English counties introduced the limited overs variant. As it was sure to produce a result, limited overs cricket was lucrative, and the number of matches increased. The first Limited Overs International was played in 1971, and the governing International Cricket Council (ICC), seeing its potential, staged

28951-602: The game" whose accounts were "well-observed and analytical". Wisden found his writing outspoken at times, but rated his four tour books as among the best available. In 2012, the cricket journalist Steven Lynch wrote that Fender "can probably be credited with revolutionising the [cricket] tour book. Previously they were often travelogues, but Fender included serious in-depth analysis of the play, backed up with copious statistics". Fender worked for his father's stationery business, including periods spent in France and Belgium, up until

29172-488: The gentry saw cricket as a gambling sport akin to prizefighting and horse racing . The earliest mention of cricket-related gambling is in a 1646 court case that concerned non-payment of a wager. In 1652, another court case accused a gentleman called John Rabson, Esq. and other defendants who were all working class, revealing that cricket had crossed the social divide. From the start of the English Civil War ,

29393-421: The greatest Test batter of all time. To curb his dominance, England employed bodyline tactics during the 1932–33 Ashes series . These involved bowling at the body of the batter and setting a field, resulting in batters having to choose between being hit or risk getting out. This series moved cricket from a game to a matter of national importance , with diplomatic cables being passed between the two countries over

29614-529: The hands, a safety helmet for the head, and a box for male players inside the trousers (to protect the crotch area). Some batters wear additional padding inside their shirts and trousers such as thigh pads, arm pads, rib protectors and shoulder pads. The only fielders allowed to wear protective gear are those in positions very close to the batter (i.e., if they are alongside or in front of him), but they cannot wear gloves or external leg guards. Subject to certain variations, on-field clothing generally includes

29835-407: The highest score for the Gentlemen in the match; it may have influenced his selection for the MCC team to tour Australia. Some sections of the press suggested Fender should captain that team, but Reginald Spooner was initially appointed by the MCC; when he was unavailable, J. W. H. T. Douglas became captain. Fender was included in the team, and the press regarded his selection as

30056-504: The historian G. M. Trevelyan wrote (admittedly concerning a period about a hundred years later): "If the French noblesse had been capable of playing cricket with their peasants, their chateaux would never have been burnt". Patronage was of vital importance to the growth and development of cricket in the 18th century. It is extremely doubtful if cricket would ever have become a national sport without patronage and gambling. The key figures in

30277-528: The incident. During this time, the number of Test nations continued to grow, with the West Indies , New Zealand and India being admitted as full Test members within a four-year period from 1928 to 1932. An enforced break during the Second World War stopped Test Cricket for a time, although the Partition of India caused Pakistan to gain Test status in 1952. As teams began to travel more,

30498-429: The irritation of other journalists, he became the first man to use a typewriter in the press box. Fender wrote four books on cricket tours: his 1920–21 account Defending the Ashes , an account of the 1928–29 tour which he covered as a journalist, and books about the 1930 and 1934 Australian tours of England. A fifth book, more autobiographical in nature, followed later. The Times described Fender as "an astute critic of

30719-434: The last game of the tour, against South Australia , Fender took 12 wickets, including seven for 75 in the first innings. In general, he withstood the hot weather better than his teammates, but his weak leg made fielding painful on the hard ground. In all first-class games on the tour, he scored 325 runs at 27.08 and took 32 wickets at 32.71. As an amateur, Fender was not paid for the tour, but some of his expenses were paid by

30940-441: The late 1970s, Fender became blind, and moved in with his daughter, although continuing to run his business. He travelled to Australia in 1977 to attend celebrations that marked 100 years of Test cricket and was the oldest man there. In 1983, Fender's 35-minute record for the fastest ever first-class century was equalled by Steven O'Shaughnessy in contrived circumstances. Fender sent a congratulatory telegram to O'Shaughnessy and

31161-461: The main universities (i.e., Oxford and Cambridge ) produced most of the first-class amateur players and standards of amateur cricket rose during the 19th century through rivalry between the schools and then at university. As early as the 17th century, there is evidence that sporting types among the well-to-do relished strong competition and welcomed the opportunity to play against the best performers, who tended to be working class and in time became

31382-413: The modern calendar). The case concerned ownership of a certain plot of land, and the court heard the testimony of a 59-year-old coroner , John Derrick , who gave witness that: Being a scholler in the ffree schoole of Guldeford hee and diverse of his fellows did runne and play there at creckett and other plaies. Given Derrick's age, it was about half a century earlier when he was at school, and so it

31603-552: The name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch (in use in Flanders at the time) " krick " ( -e ), meaning a stick (crook). Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word " krickstoel " , meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church that resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket. According to Heiner Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University , "cricket" derives from

31824-448: The newer Twenty20 format (also known as T20 ), in which each team bats for a single innings of 20 overs (each "over" being a set of 6 fair opportunities for the batting team to score) and the game generally lasts three to four hours. Traditionally, cricketers play in all-white kit , but in limited overs cricket , they wear club or team colours. In addition to the basic kit, some players wear protective gear to prevent injury caused by

32045-457: The nobility and gentlemen of fortune". In another work a year later, the fashion for cricket was deplored because it was (and remains) a dangerous activity, the writer saying that the country expects very different from those of "rank and fortune" than from those of "the labouring classes". The determining factor in cricket's future as an "exceedingly fashionable" sport was its popularity, handed down through generations from old boys to new boys, in

32266-503: The now age-old formula of "gentlemen" and "players" in the same team. Very early in its history, MCC claimed ownership of the Laws and re-published them on 30 May 1788. In the 21st century, MCC still retains copyright of the Laws although it is now the International Cricket Conference (ICC) which has power of regulation. The "noblemen and gentlemen" may have had the final word in cricket's governance during

32487-456: The outbreak of war in 1914, but when he returned from active service found the business frustrating. With his father's approval, he left the firm to start his own wine business with his brother Robert. The business thrived, in part owing to Fender's wide range of connections, and he remained chairman and managing director of the company until 1976. For a time, Fender produced his own whiskey brand, which he tried to sell when touring South Africa with

32708-596: The outbreak of war in August 1914. Surrey had by then established a commanding lead in the County Championship table, and as their nearest challengers had no objection, the MCC declared them as county champions. Immediately following the cancellation of county cricket in 1914, Fender enlisted in the army, joining the Inns of Court Regiment . Commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers , Fender found he disliked

32929-405: The phone for news that he was to captain England. In the event, Percy Chapman took over for the final match and England regained the Ashes. However, Streeton believes that by this stage, Fender was never likely to be chosen; he played in a Test trial match and for the Gentlemen against the Players, but Greville Stevens was preferred in the England team. In all first-class matches, Fender completed

33150-493: The pitch by Surrey players to assist their bowlers, and intimidation of both the opposition and umpires. The cricket writer Martin Williamson suggests that "in an era where gentlemen played by the rules, Fender was adroit at stretching the Laws to snapping point." Fender's attitude towards amateurs also brought him into opposition with others. His disinclination to play amateurs in the Surrey team unless they were talented enough

33371-500: The press, which judged him to lack playing ability and suggested that the selectors favoured those associated with Lord's—Mann was Middlesex captain. Mann appointed Fender his vice-captain on the journey to South Africa, but played every match on the tour to leave Fender with no opportunity to lead the side. England won the Test series 2–1, but Fender had some difficulties playing on the matting pitches used in South Africa, on which

33592-626: The professional players were more skilled technically. On occasion, as in the Yorkshire team of the 1920s, a ridiculous situation arose wherein the de facto captain was the senior professional (e.g., Wilfred Rhodes ) and the nominal amateur captain "did what he was told". The idea of amateur captains only was applied to Test cricket from 1888. Some English touring teams to Australia until then had been all-professional, having been launched as private ventures, but England did not appoint another professional captain until Len Hutton in 1952 though, in

33813-445: The remainder of 1918 and 1919, missing the resumption of county cricket in 1919. While incapacitated, Fender attempted to gain a place at Caius College, Cambridge , but was turned down owing to the restriction his injury placed upon his cricket, and his stated desire to concentrate on academic interests to further his business career; the university interviewing panel only wanted him as a cricketer. Although he recovered in time to play in

34034-433: The remainder of the 1912 season. In total, he scored 606 runs at an average of 24.24, and, bowling medium pace , took 16 wickets at an average of 25.50. In 1913, Fender was a regular member of the Sussex county side. In the first two months of the season, he made a considerable impact; in 21 innings with the bat, he scored six fifties and one century. His reputation as an exciting, big-hitting batsman grew quickly, and he

34255-597: The routine and regimentation of army life, thinking it tedious. With the help of the cricketer Pelham Warner , who worked in the War Office, in 1915 he was transferred to the Royal Flying Corps , which was more to his sense of adventure. Fender was initially stationed in London, where he was involved in work repelling Zeppelin attacks, before being sent to India in 1916. However, soon after his arrival, he became seriously ill with dysentery , possibly cholera and several other diseases. He returned to England to recover but

34476-403: The same road. Fender, privately furious with Harris, publicly defended Jeacocke, and the press supported him; the rules were altered the following season to allow Jeacocke to continue to play for Surrey. Fender was chosen in the MCC team to tour South Africa in 1922–23, but despite support from journalists, he was not chosen as captain. Frank Mann led the team; his appointment was criticised in

34697-412: The scoring and dismiss the batters. When the first innings ends, the teams change roles; there can be two to four innings depending upon the type of match. A match with four scheduled innings is played over three to five days; a match with two scheduled innings is usually completed in a single day. During an innings, all eleven members of the fielding team take the field, but usually only two members of

34918-557: The second Test, when he took four for 29 on the first day; all the South Africans found it difficult to bat against him, and he later described it as one of the best bowling spells of his career. He played in all five Tests, scoring 128 runs at an average of 14.22 and taking 10 wickets at 41.80, while in all first-class games, he scored 459 runs at 22.95 and took 58 wickets at 19.58. In 1923 Fender enjoyed his best all-round season, scoring 1,427 runs and taking 178 wickets. The former

35139-441: The sense of someone playing the game as a spare-time hobby because they were either investing in each game by wagering or by claiming expenses for travel and accommodation. They styled themselves amateurs in order to erect a barrier between themselves and the working class professionals. The concept was a reflection not only of social status but also of the military mindset which perceived three separate classes: officers, sergeants and

35360-432: The side. That year Surrey had few effective bowlers; Fender was the leading wicket-taker with 109 wickets in County Championship games. In all first-class matches he took 124 wickets at an average of 21.40 to reach 100 wickets in a season for the first time. Inconsistent with the bat, particularly in the latter half of the season, he scored 841 runs at 20.51. In almost every match Fender contributed, either with bat, ball or in

35581-448: The situation embarrassing, as he realised there were better qualified professional players who could have been appointed instead. He led the team to victory in his first two matches in charge, and ten of his first twelve games. Wilkinson resumed the leadership at several points during the season, but his return in the final weeks coincided with a poor run of results. He consequently withdrew for two crucial games, and allowed Fender to captain

35802-399: The so-called "Coronation Match" could have killed the fixture. The Gentlemen were all out for 60 and then the Players steadily amassed 270–6, a large score given pitch conditions at the time, with Thomas Beagley scoring 113 * , the first century in the series. Sometime during the second day, the Gentlemen got fed up of fielding and conceded defeat. Derek Birley remarked that it was called

36023-591: The so-called "other ranks". That classification was even extended to marriage in terms of "officers and their ladies, sergeants and their wives, other ranks and their women". Assertion of authority was always an amateur trait and in no way was this more emphatically asserted than in the taking of full responsibility for drafting and agreeing, among themselves only, the Laws of cricket . The sport had rules from time immemorial but, as with football, subject to local variations. William Goldwin 's 1706 poem In Certamen Pilae (On

36244-443: The sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match, its popularity peaking in the 1748 season . Bowling underwent an evolution around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch (bounce) the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batter. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old "hockey stick" shape. The Hambledon Club

36465-413: The sport is that a bowler delivers (i.e., bowls) the ball from their end of the pitch towards the batter who, armed with a bat , is "on strike" at the other end (see next sub-section: Basic gameplay ). The bat is made of wood, usually Salix alba (white willow), and has the shape of a blade topped by a cylindrical handle. The blade must not be more than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) wide and

36686-419: The strategy of Bodyline , where fast bowlers bowled at the batsmen's leg stump , frequently pitching the ball short and hitting him. The tactic was contentious, and created much ill-feeling between the players. Fender did not cover the tour as a journalist, as his newspaper sent Jack Hobbs instead. However, during the tour Jardine wrote to inform Fender that much of his information had been correct and that he

36907-399: The subject of attention and controversy—he often declared, contrary to orthodox tactics at the time, before his side had built up a big lead or even before they reached the opposition's first innings total. One of his favoured approaches was for the batsmen in the lower middle-order to hit out at the bowling, no matter the state of the match; if successful, the team either quickly consolidated

37128-498: The team for the remainder of the series. In the fourth Test, he took five for 122, and achieved five for 90 in the fifth and final game. He led the English Test bowling averages with 12 wickets at an average of 34.16, and was the only England spin bowler to make the ball turn on the hard Australian pitches, though he was not particularly accurate . With the bat, he scored 59 in the fourth Test and passed 40 in two other innings. In

37349-502: The team through using one gate to enter the field, and stopped the practice of separate lunches and teas. He planned to end the tradition of using separate changing rooms, until stopped by the professional Hobbs. Fender's proposals shocked senior cricket figures, and caused another clash with the influential Lord Harris; allied to other disagreements between the pair, it may have ended his England career. The deeply conservative cricket establishment may also have resented Fender's unorthodoxy on

37570-659: The tips; upon healing, they remained stiff and numb for the rest of his life. Fender remained in Horwich at the start of the 1911 cricket season and played several times for Manchester Cricket Club . He was on the verge of selection for Lancashire when he had to return to Brighton. That season he played twice for Sussex; the following year, in his second match for the county, he scored his maiden first-class century, against Oxford University . He followed this by taking five for 42 (five wickets taken and 42 runs conceded) against Surrey . After these successes, Fender played regularly for

37791-527: The total length of the bat not more than 38 inches (97 cm). There is no standard for the weight, which is usually between 2 lb 7 oz and 3 lb (1.1 and 1.4 kg). Amateur status in first-class cricket Amateur status had a special meaning in English cricket . The amateur in this context was not merely someone who played cricket in his spare time but a particular type of first-class cricketer who existed officially until 1962, when

38012-470: The two subsequently met, Fender joking about keeping O'Shaughnessy's bat as a souvenir. In his final years, he moved into a nursing home and died there on 15 June 1985. As a batsman, Fender's approach was aggressive; whatever the circumstances he hit the ball very hard, and his ability to play a variety of strokes made it difficult for captains to place fielders effectively. He batted with his weight mainly on his front foot and used powerful wrist-work to send

38233-426: The uncertainty arose because Jardine took his time in accepting the position. Fender supported Jardine's appointment, and pledged to continue playing under his captaincy. Fender played less frequently in the following seasons, as his appearances were restricted by journalistic and business requirements. He scored over 400 runs in each season between 1932 and 1935 and scored two centuries in that time, both in 1933. With

38454-478: The view of journalists, he was the most deserving candidate. One writer suggested that Lord's "resented" Fender's success, and that politics prevented his appointment. At that time it was usual for amateurs and professionals to enter the field of play from different gates; Fender's habit was to use the same gate as his professionals. This brought a rebuke for Fender from Lord Harris, who said: "We do not want that sort of thing at Lord's, Fender". Surrey finished fourth in

38675-535: The war, but the period did produce some great players and memorable matches, especially as organised competition at county and Test level developed. In 1844, the first-ever international match took place between what were essentially club teams, from the United States and Canada , in Toronto ; Canada won. In 1859, a team of English players went to North America on the first overseas tour . Meanwhile,

38896-469: The war, when he captained an "Old England XI", featuring many former England players, against Surrey in 1946 in a match to celebrate Surrey's centenary. During the Second World War, Fender joined the Royal Air Force , reaching the rank of Wing Commander. He worked in southern England with a responsibility for moving men and equipment, and was mentioned in dispatches for his role in preparations for

39117-486: The wicket without disturbing it, and Small won the match for Hambledon. Like Brett before him, Stevens protested and his petition was granted soon afterwards, although research has discovered that the introduction of the third stump in practice was gradual and the two-stump wicket did continue in places for a number of years yet. Lord Frederick Beauclerk was the leading "amateur" player of the Napoleonic period but he

39338-544: The winter of 1913–14. Fender was qualified by his birthplace to play for Surrey, and the county was eager to register him for the County Championship. Fender attended to business matters before and after each day's play, and often combined Surrey's trips to away matches with business meetings. Socially, Fender became a familiar figure in clubs and at the theatre. He became friends with the actor Jack Hulbert and developed an interest in musical theatre, for which he provided financial support; he also wrote lyrics for some songs. By

39559-554: The young Douglas Jardine, and is seen as epitomising an English establishment disdain for Don Bradman on his emergence as a Test cricketer. The series appears to exaggerate Fender's reluctance about giving up the captaincy of Surrey for Jardine. These are the books of which Fender was the main author. Note: Tate achieved an additional double in the 1926–27 Indian season Cricket First-class cricket One Day International Limited overs (domestic) Twenty20 International Twenty20 (domestic) Other forms Cricket

39780-431: Was Sussex in 1839, followed in the 1840s by Cambridgeshire , Kent , Nottinghamshire and Surrey ; in the 1860s by Hampshire , Lancashire , Middlesex and Yorkshire ; and then by Derbyshire and the Grace family's Gloucestershire in 1870. The abolition of amateur status in 1962 was partly the result of long-established disillusionment with the hypocrisy known as "shamateurism". The amateur was, by definition, not

40001-603: Was bowled underarm by the bowler and along the ground towards a batter armed with a bat that in shape resembled a hockey stick ; the batter defended a low, two-stump wicket ; and runs were called notches because the scorers recorded them by notching tally sticks. In 1611, the year Cotgrave 's dictionary was published, ecclesiastical court records at Sidlesham in Sussex state that two parishioners, Bartholomew Wyatt and Richard Latter, failed to attend church on Easter Sunday because they were playing cricket. They were fined 12 d each and ordered to do penance . This

40222-544: Was a "great upsurge of sport after the Restoration " in 1660. Several members of the court of King Charles II took a strong interest in cricket during that era. Gambling on sport became a problem significant enough for Parliament to pass the 1664 Gambling Act, limiting stakes to £ 100, which was, in any case, a colossal sum exceeding the annual income of 99% of the population. Along with horse racing , as well as prizefighting and other types of blood sport , cricket

40443-528: Was a reflection of the higher status enjoyed by officers above other ranks in the British Army , and of employers above the workforce in commerce and industry. It therefore seemed natural to most 19th century English people, of all classes, to have a similar distinction in sport. This perception of amateurs as officers and gentlemen, and thereby leaders, meant that any team including an amateur would tend to appoint him as captain, even though most if not all of

40664-495: Was a scholar of both Eton and Cambridge. In 1727, ahead of two games to be patronised by them, the 2nd Duke of Richmond and Alan Brodrick, 2nd Viscount Midleton , drew up Articles of Agreement to determine the terms and conditions applicable to their matches. This document, which has been preserved, is cricket's oldest set of written rules. Many of the rules are concerned with pitch dimensions, means of dismissal, scoring runs, etc. but there are some striking points which emphasised

40885-462: Was a sharp captain, quick to observe the slightest opportunity of advantage and ready to gamble on his ability to exploit it. His keen eye for weakness in an opponent and ability to extract and employ the best powers of his own players caused him often, and with reason, to be described as the best county captain who never captained England. No more flexible thinker on cricket ever lived." Always willing to take risks in order to win, Fender's main objective

41106-503: Was adapting his tactics accordingly. Fender later insisted that his role was minor in creating the strategy, but he was close to both Jardine and Arthur Carr , who discussed the plans before the tour began; some writers suggested that the original idea was Fender's. Early in 1931 Fender offered to resign as Surrey's captain, to give Jardine more experience of leadership before he assumed the England captaincy, but Surrey declined. Fender scored 916 runs and took 84 wickets that season. However,

41327-407: Was also well known outside cricket for his presence in bohemian society . In addition to his cricket career, Fender worked in the wine trade, had a successful career in journalism, and wrote several well-received books on cricket tours. He continued working well into the 1970s, even after going blind. He died in 1985 at the age of 92. Fender was the elder son of Percy Robert Fender, the director of

41548-407: Was badly disrupted by the Napoleonic Wars, especially between 1810 and 1814. The 1819 match was won by the Players, who had the unquestionably amateur Lord Strathavon as a "given man", against a Gentlemen team that was all-amateur and included their best players Beauclerk, E. H. Budd and William Ward . As in 1806, the game attracted little interest but MCC were determined to persevere. In 1821,

41769-514: Was chosen in the representative Gentlemen v Players matches at Lord's and The Oval . His performances for the Gentlemen, a team of amateurs, were unsuccessful, and the failure affected his form for the rest of the season. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack commented that he was not worth his place in the team in these latter months. Even so, he reached 1,000 first-class runs in a season for the first time: 1,163 runs at an average of 23.73. He also took 34 wickets at 35.08. Fender initially wanted to be

41990-491: Was common practice at the Scarborough Festival , despite their claims to the contrary. When Fender next played at Lord's, the furious Lord Harris summoned Fender to admonish him. Fender always regretted his indiscretion and believed it finished any chance he had of the England captaincy. Fender played in the first two Tests, without much success, and was dropped; he played only one more Test in his career. Gilligan

42211-530: Was critical of Bradman during one spell in the final Test when he batted unconvincingly against fast bowler Harold Larwood on a pitch affected by rain. Fender passed this information on to his Surrey colleague Douglas Jardine , who was later named England captain for the MCC tour of 1932–33 . Over the following months, Australian journalists kept Fender informed of developments in batting in that country, information which he passed on to Jardine. Jardine later conceived

42432-424: Was criticised in the press, which again speculated why Fender was not chosen. Fender's prospects of leading England receded further when he clashed once more with Lord Harris. The MCC had rebuked two county committees for covering their pitches prior to matches against the South Africans during a spell of wet weather. Fender pointed out in a letter published by the press that Lord Harris and the MCC were aware that this

42653-400: Was eleven-a-side suggests that two strong and well-balanced teams were assembled. No other details were given but the report provides real evidence to support the view that "great matches" played for high stakes were in vogue in the years following the Restoration. One of the main cricket patrons at the time was Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond , resident at Goodwood House in Sussex. As

42874-576: Was first played in 1827; and until 1854 the Schools Week at Lord's, involving the teams of Eton, Harrow and Winchester. Cricket was played at the schools and universities in the 18th century but it was never really noteworthy until the Eton v Harrow match of 1805 although, like Gentlemen v Players, that match was followed by a hiatus until it was revived and became established, a few exceptions aside, as an annual fixture at Lord's. The first University Match

43095-592: Was founded in the 1760s and, for the next twenty years until the formation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the opening of Lord's Old Ground in 1787, Hambledon was both the game's greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket . New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century include the three-stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw). The 19th century saw underarm bowling superseded by first roundarm and then overarm bowling . Both developments were controversial. Organisation of

43316-420: Was generally effective with the ball and described his slip fielding as "dazzling", but suggested that perhaps his best batting came for teams other than Surrey. In all first-class matches Fender completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets for the first time; he scored 1,152 runs at 21.33 and took 134 wickets at 26.58. He also took 53 catches to become the first cricketer to pass 50 catches while completing

43537-427: Was his final Test; overall, in 13 Tests, he scored 380 runs at an average of 19.00 and took 29 wickets at 40.86. By that season, Surrey had fallen to tenth in the table. During the MCC tour to Australia in 1928–29 , the Australian batsman Donald Bradman made his Test debut. Covering the tour as a journalist, Fender judged that Bradman "was one of the most curious mixtures of good and bad batting I have ever seen", but

43758-481: Was injured during the series, but the selectors recalled Douglas as captain rather than select Fender. When the team to tour Australia that winter was chosen, Fender was not selected, a decision which upset him deeply. Fender was married at the end of the 1924 cricket season, and in the off-season wrote about the MCC tour of Australia for the Daily Express . In 1925, Fender returned to his best form, completing

43979-467: Was involved in the incident which resulted in the introduction of the third (middle) stump in the wicket . The wicket in 1775 still consisted of two uprights and a crosspiece, as it had from time immemorial. In a single wicket match played at the Artillery Ground, the great Chertsey bowler Lumpy Stevens (another professional) beat Small at least three times only for the ball to pass through

44200-514: Was left weak for much of the following two years. Army doctors were unsure what exactly was wrong with Fender and he remained in their care until 1918. He played some charity cricket in 1917 and 1918, but did not return to light duties with the Royal Flying Corps until the latter year. Just as he seemed to have recovered fully, he fractured his left leg in five places playing football at the end of 1918. He remained on crutches throughout

44421-577: Was never any shortage of ideas in his cricket thinking." While at school, Fender spent his summers with his grandparents in Brighton, which qualified him to play County Cricket for Sussex. When he left school in 1910, he attracted the interest of the club and, after success in both local cricket and second-team matches, he made his first-class debut on 21 July as an amateur in Sussex's County Championship match against Nottinghamshire . He played one other game that season, against Worcestershire , where he

44642-531: Was never chosen to do so. Rumours circulated at the time about the reasons. One suggestion was that he was overlooked because he was Jewish, but Fender said he was not Jewish and in any case did not believe this would have been a problem. Other purported reasons included that he had not been to Oxford or Cambridge, and that he was in the wine trade, which was considered an unsuitable career for a gentleman, but in later life Fender dismissed these as potential factors. In fact, not everyone approved of Fender's captaincy. He

44863-471: Was not convinced by his ability at the time. Bradman came to England with the Australian touring team in 1930 , and was extremely successful; during the course of the season, Fender completely changed his mind—not least when Bradman, particularly determined to succeed against Fender following his criticism, scored 252 against Surrey. Fender played fewer matches than in previous seasons, as he was writing on

45084-475: Was notoriously mercenary, despite his status and his calling as an ordained minister of religion. In 1806, he had the idea of a match between the amateurs and the professionals. To emphasise the social distance between the two, the amateur team would be called the Gentlemen and the paid professionals the Players. Even then, it was not a straight match because Beauclerk selected the two leading professional players Billy Beldham and William Lambert as given men for

45305-401: Was opposed by the Surrey committee—the Surrey president, H. D. G. Leveson Gower , wished Fender to include friends and contacts whom Fender did not consider worth a place in the team. According to E. W. Swanton : "While always highly popular with the teams he led, his relations with the Surrey authorities were also apt to be difficult." Fender attempted to unite the amateurs and professionals in

45526-490: Was perceived to be a gambling sport. Rich patrons made matches for high stakes, forming teams in which they engaged the first professional players. By the end of the century, cricket had developed into a major sport that was spreading throughout England and was already being taken abroad by English mariners and colonisers—the earliest reference to cricket overseas is dated 1676. A 1697 newspaper report survives of "a great cricket match" played in Sussex "for fifty guineas apiece",

45747-483: Was played at Lord's in 1827 and it became an annual fixture from 1838, again played mostly at Lord's. There was no inter-county cricket through the Napoleonic Wars and it was not revived until 1825 when Sussex played four matches, two each against Hampshire and Kent . These county teams were still the largely ad hoc units of the 18th century, reliant on patronage. The first formally constituted county club

45968-512: Was playing cricket, and he had a reputation for treating poor and impoverished patients at a lowered or no fee. C. B. Fry commented that Grace was the only man who became a doctor of medicine "on account of successful operations on the cricket field". The use of the term "shamateurism" apparently originated during the English tour of Australia in 1887–88, a venture from which certain amateurs, notably George Vernon , Andrew Stoddart and Walter Read , were known to be profiting. Long before that,

46189-409: Was proficient in many sports. At St Paul's, Fender began to attract attention as a cricketer. Awarded his school colours in 1908, he remained in the school team for three years. In 1909, he topped the school's batting averages , scoring a century in one match against Bedford School . In the same game, he was criticised by his schoolmaster for bowling lobs . Fender's success led to his selection for

46410-556: Was removed from the school immediately; he still came top of the batting averages for 1910 but although selected, he was not allowed to play at Lord's that summer as he was no longer a schoolboy. Despite his successes, St Paul's cricket masters did not consider him a reliable cricketer; he was criticised for taking too many risks when batting and for experimenting with too many different styles while bowling. Fender's biographer, Richard Streeton, observes that "Fender's experiments were frowned upon from his earliest days but ... already there

46631-481: Was retrospectively recognised as the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia . The rivalry between England and Australia gave birth to The Ashes in 1882, which remains Test cricket's most famous contest. Test cricket began to expand in 1888–89 when South Africa played England. The inter-war years were dominated by Australia 's Don Bradman , statistically

46852-459: Was shaken by the pace of two opposing bowlers. In the two games, Fender scored 19 runs and took one wicket. After the 1910 cricket season, Fender worked in a paper mill in Horwich , Lancashire, to experience paper manufacturing—his father's line of business—at first hand. While feeding paper into a machine, his left hand was trapped in the mechanism and injured. Three of his fingers were crushed at

47073-434: Was sometimes accused of gamesmanship, for example by persuading umpires that conditions were unfit for play until they favoured his team. He occasionally used negative tactics when he was unhappy with the approach of the opposition—in one game where the opposition had not declared, he slowed down play to the extent that one over took 12 minutes to bowl. Opponents recalled other uses of time-wasting tactics, deliberate damaging of

47294-422: Was the only amateur who could be guaranteed a place on ability alone in an England team. Late in the season, Fender was involved in a public dispute with Lord Harris over the qualification of Alfred Jeacocke to play for Surrey. Harris, the influential treasurer of the MCC and chairman of Kent, had noticed that Jeacocke's qualification had lapsed when he moved across the border from Surrey to Kent, albeit living on

47515-426: Was the pattern of first-class English teams until 1962. Waymark, for example, was employed by the Duke of Richmond as a groom and this became a common arrangement between patron and professional in the 18th century. In later years, Lumpy Stevens and John Minshull were employed by their patrons as a gardener and gamekeeper respectively. In the longer term, however, the professional became an employee of his club and

47736-441: Was the popular nature of their rule". Their strategy was to portray themselves as regional and national leaders who nevertheless shared the habits and assumptions of their neighbours, and one of those habits was taking an active part in sport – not only by playing but in the main through conspicuous patronage. The willingness of aristocrats to mix with the working class on the cricket field may have helped to promote social stability;

47957-466: Was the possibility of bonuses being earned. The amateur in theory received expenses only, again paid either by his county club or a tour organiser. Professionals were full-time players during the cricket season and would mostly seek alternative employment in the winter months. The amateur was not always a full-time player during the season and many played by choice as they typically had other means of income or support. Some amateurs, those in education being

48178-462: Was the second best aggregate of his career, the latter his highest total of wickets. Again, there were no Test matches, but Fender played in two Test trials. He was successful in the first match, taking six for 44 and scoring 49 runs, but his performance was overshadowed by continued controversy over the captaincy; Fender was not asked to captain a side in either match. The press questioned why the selectors ignored Fender's captaincy claims even though, in

48399-409: Was to surprise the opposition; legends grew of his successful ploys. Prior to Fender, few county captains displayed tactical imagination; Fender inspired his teams to play forceful, entertaining cricket which made him and his Surrey team very popular. His leadership was often specifically commented on by the press, an unusual occurrence in county cricket reports. In particular, his declarations often were

48620-402: Was unorthodox; he crouched low when waiting for the ball with one leg stretched behind him, like a sprinter ready to begin a race. Good catching was vital in a Surrey side which possessed weak bowling, making his contributions even more important, and critics regarded him as one of the best slip fielders in England. The journalist and cricket writer John Arlott wrote of Fender: "Unmistakable on

48841-401: Was wrist spin, and he could spin the ball effectively. His googly was more of a top spinner and he was adept at using flight and dip, with many of his wickets being bowled or caught behind the wicket. He gripped the ball differently from most wrist spinners, using his thumb and first two fingers, and would attempt any kind of unorthodox delivery if he thought it might be effective. To deceive

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