David Harris (Hambledon cricketer)
Encyclopedia
David Harris was an English professional cricket
er who played first-class cricket
from 1782 to 1798.
He made 79 known first-class appearances and was mainly associated with Hampshire
when its teams were organised by the Hambledon Club
. As well as playing for Hampshire, Harris appeared for a number of other teams including Berkshire
, Kent
, Surrey
, Marylebone Cricket Club
and several invitation XIs.
Noted for his fast and accurate bowling, Harris was a right arm fast underarm
bowler and a left-handed batsman.
The earliest known mention of David Harris occurs in a minor match at Odiham
on 27 May 1782 when he played for Alresford
and Odiham against a Hampshire County XI. He played for Odiham again in October 1782 in a match against a Berkshire XI, when another Odiham player in the game was one T. Harris.
Harris' first recorded game for Hampshire was against Kent
on 3–5 July 1782, a match which also featured the known debut of Kent's Joey Ring
. Although he was never noted as a batsman, Harris made the top score of 27 in Hampshire's first innings, in which they were dismissed for 87. Harris played three times for Hampshire in the 1783 season, twice against Kent and once against All-England
. He took nine wickets in these matches.
Harris is only recorded once in 1784 when he again played for Odiham in a minor match. In 1785, when few first-class matches took place, Harris played for Berkshire
against Essex
.
On 13 July 1876, Harris had his best known performance to date when he took four 1st innings wickets for Hampshire v. Kent at Windmill Down
, Hampshire winning the game by 1 wicket. This was the match in which Tom Sueter
was given out hit the ball twice
, the earliest recorded instance of this form of dismissal. On 8–12 August of the same year, Harris played for the White Conduit Club
against Kent at Bishopsbourne Paddock
and took six wickets in the match, three in each innings, to help White Conduit to a 164 run victory. White Conduit's big win was due to Tom Walker
and Tom Taylor
becoming the first players known to score a century in the same innings. Walker made 95* and 102, just missing the honour of becoming the first player to score two centuries in a match.
Playing for Sir Horatio Mann
's XI against the Earl of Winchilsea
's XI at the new Lord's Old Ground
on 26–28 May 1788, Harris took 10 wickets in the match with 4 in the 1st innings and 6 in the 2nd. But it was to little avail as Winchilsea's XI won by 106 runs.
By now, Harris' reputation was well established and he played regularly in major matches into the 1790s. He was a frequent taker of wickets and again took ten in a match on 30–31 August 1790 when he guided Hampshire to a 10-wicket win against All-England
at Lord's Old Ground. On 15–17 August 1792, Harris had the best known return of his career when he took 11 wickets in the match for Hampshire against Kent at Cobham Park, including eight in the first innings. Hampshire won by 8 wickets.
His later career was ruined by attacks of gout
and Harris played his final match on 13–15 August 1798 for All-England v. Surrey at Lord's Old Ground. He took five wickets in the 1st innings and his last, subject to the batting order, was when he bowled W Wells for 5. He scored 0* in his final innings and his team won the match by an innings and 1 run.
, who called him "the very best bowler; a bowler who, between any one and himself, comparison must fail".
Nyren described Harris' style and technique in some detail. Harris began from an erect stance "like a soldier at drill" and raised the ball to his forehead before stepping forward. In his delivery stride, he brought the ball from under his arm "by a twist" and nearly as high as his armpit. With this action he would "push it, as it were, from him". Nyren says the speed of the delivery was "extraordinary" and that he could not understand how Harris managed to achieve such speed.
Some line drawings of Harris and other players of the 1790s have survived. Harris is shown in the characteristic pose described by Nyren as he began his action, standing erect with the ball raised over his head. The ball when delivered was pitched very fast and accurately. Harris seems to have got "pace off the pitch" and Nyren has recorded that numerous batsmen received nasty injuries to their unprotected hands from balls that trapped their (ungloved) fingers against the bat handle.
Like Thomas Boxall
and the brothers Tom
and Harry Walker
, Harris used to practice his bowling in a barn during the winter.
by trade.
Nyren, who knew Harris personally, described him as "a muscular, bony man, standing about five feet 9½ inches". Nyren remarked on Harris' personality and looks by saying he had "a remarkably kind and gentle expression" and an "honest face". Harris, said Nyren, was "a man of so strict a principle" and "such high honour".
Harris suffered from gout in his later years and the sources have recorded how he would arrive at a game on crutches and then sit on a chair between deliveries. He was unable to play after 1798 and "latterly, in fact, was quite a cripple". He died in 1803 at Crookham and was buried at nearby Crondall, though no tombstone was erected.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
from 1782 to 1798.
He made 79 known first-class appearances and was mainly associated with Hampshire
Hampshire county cricket teams
Hampshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
when its teams were organised by the Hambledon Club
Hambledon Club
The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...
. As well as playing for Hampshire, Harris appeared for a number of other teams including Berkshire
Berkshire county cricket teams
Berkshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
, Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
, Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
, Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
and several invitation XIs.
Noted for his fast and accurate bowling, Harris was a right arm fast underarm
Underarm bowling
In cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
bowler and a left-handed batsman.
Career
NB: When considering the statistics of an 18th century bowler, it must be remembered that match scorecards at the time were incomplete as full details of dismissals were not recorded. Bowlers were only credited with a wicket if they bowled the batsman out; catches were credited to the fielder only.The earliest known mention of David Harris occurs in a minor match at Odiham
Odiham
Odiham is a historic village and large civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It is twinned with Sourdeval in the Manche Department of France. The current population is 4,406. The parish contains an acreage of 7,354 acres with 50 acres of land covered with water. The nearest...
on 27 May 1782 when he played for Alresford
Alresford Cricket Club
Alresford Cricket Club was one of the strongest cricket teams in England during the late 18th century . It represented the adjacent small towns of New Alresford and Old Alresford in Hampshire...
and Odiham against a Hampshire County XI. He played for Odiham again in October 1782 in a match against a Berkshire XI, when another Odiham player in the game was one T. Harris.
Harris' first recorded game for Hampshire was against Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
on 3–5 July 1782, a match which also featured the known debut of Kent's Joey Ring
Joey Ring
John "Little Joey" Ring was an English cricketer who played for Kent.Joey Ring was one of Kent’s best batsmen in the late 18th century and was employed by Sir Horatio Mann at Bourne as a huntsman...
. Although he was never noted as a batsman, Harris made the top score of 27 in Hampshire's first innings, in which they were dismissed for 87. Harris played three times for Hampshire in the 1783 season, twice against Kent and once against All-England
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
. He took nine wickets in these matches.
Harris is only recorded once in 1784 when he again played for Odiham in a minor match. In 1785, when few first-class matches took place, Harris played for Berkshire
Berkshire county cricket teams
Berkshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
against Essex
Essex county cricket teams
Essex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. It is almost certain that cricket reached Essex by the 16th century and that it developed during the 17th century with inter-parish matches being...
.
On 13 July 1876, Harris had his best known performance to date when he took four 1st innings wickets for Hampshire v. Kent at Windmill Down
Windmill Down
Windmill Down is a rural location near the town of Hambledon in Hampshire. It was used as a venue for major cricket matches in the 18th century and from 1782 as the home of the Hambledon Club.-Opening of Windmill Down:...
, Hampshire winning the game by 1 wicket. This was the match in which Tom Sueter
Tom Sueter
Thomas Sueter was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club....
was given out hit the ball twice
Hit the ball twice
Hit the ball twice, or "double-hit", is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket.-Definition:Law 34 of the Laws of cricket states:Law 34 1...
, the earliest recorded instance of this form of dismissal. On 8–12 August of the same year, Harris played for the White Conduit Club
White Conduit Club
The White Conduit Club, although short-lived, was perhaps the most significant club in cricket history for it bridged the gulf between the rural and rustic Hambledon era and the new, modern and metropolitan era of MCC and Lord's, the two entities that it spawned.We do not know for certain when the...
against Kent at Bishopsbourne Paddock
Bishopsbourne Paddock
Bishopsbourne Paddock was a cricket ground at Bourne House, seat of Sir Horatio Mann, near Canterbury in Kent. It was a popular venue for first-class matches from 1766 to 1790.-Matches:...
and took six wickets in the match, three in each innings, to help White Conduit to a 164 run victory. White Conduit's big win was due to Tom Walker
Thomas Walker (cricketer)
Thomas "Tom" Walker was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the days of the Hambledon Club and later for Surrey. He was famous for his brilliant defensive batting. He is also credited with introducing, roundarm bowling, the predecessor of modern overarm bowling.-Career:Walker was born...
and Tom Taylor
Thomas Taylor (cricketer)
Thomas Taylor was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club. He is generally regarded as one of the most outstanding players of the 18th century....
becoming the first players known to score a century in the same innings. Walker made 95* and 102, just missing the honour of becoming the first player to score two centuries in a match.
Playing for Sir Horatio Mann
Sir Horatio Mann
Sir Horatio Mann, 2nd Baronet was an English MP. He is remembered as a member of the Hambledon Club in Hampshire and a patron of Kent cricket. He was an occasional player but rarely in first-class matches....
's XI against the Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea KG PC FRS was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisation but Winchilsea, an amateur, was also a very keen player....
's XI at the new Lord's Old Ground
Lord's Old Ground
Lord's Old Ground was a cricket venue in London that was established by Thomas Lord in 1787. It was used mainly by Marylebone Cricket Club for major cricket matches until 1810, after which a dispute about rent caused Lord to relocate.-Matches:...
on 26–28 May 1788, Harris took 10 wickets in the match with 4 in the 1st innings and 6 in the 2nd. But it was to little avail as Winchilsea's XI won by 106 runs.
By now, Harris' reputation was well established and he played regularly in major matches into the 1790s. He was a frequent taker of wickets and again took ten in a match on 30–31 August 1790 when he guided Hampshire to a 10-wicket win against All-England
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
at Lord's Old Ground. On 15–17 August 1792, Harris had the best known return of his career when he took 11 wickets in the match for Hampshire against Kent at Cobham Park, including eight in the first innings. Hampshire won by 8 wickets.
His later career was ruined by attacks of gout
Gout
Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...
and Harris played his final match on 13–15 August 1798 for All-England v. Surrey at Lord's Old Ground. He took five wickets in the 1st innings and his last, subject to the batting order, was when he bowled W Wells for 5. He scored 0* in his final innings and his team won the match by an innings and 1 run.
Style and technique
Harris was highly rated by his contemporaries, especially John NyrenJohn Nyren
John Nyren was an English cricketer and author. Nyren made 16 known appearances in first-class cricket from 1787 to 1817...
, who called him "the very best bowler; a bowler who, between any one and himself, comparison must fail".
Nyren described Harris' style and technique in some detail. Harris began from an erect stance "like a soldier at drill" and raised the ball to his forehead before stepping forward. In his delivery stride, he brought the ball from under his arm "by a twist" and nearly as high as his armpit. With this action he would "push it, as it were, from him". Nyren says the speed of the delivery was "extraordinary" and that he could not understand how Harris managed to achieve such speed.
Some line drawings of Harris and other players of the 1790s have survived. Harris is shown in the characteristic pose described by Nyren as he began his action, standing erect with the ball raised over his head. The ball when delivered was pitched very fast and accurately. Harris seems to have got "pace off the pitch" and Nyren has recorded that numerous batsmen received nasty injuries to their unprotected hands from balls that trapped their (ungloved) fingers against the bat handle.
Like Thomas Boxall
Thomas Boxall
Thomas Boxall was a famous English cricketer of the late 18th century. He was a very successful right arm bowler, believed to have been fast underarm....
and the brothers Tom
Thomas Walker (cricketer)
Thomas "Tom" Walker was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the days of the Hambledon Club and later for Surrey. He was famous for his brilliant defensive batting. He is also credited with introducing, roundarm bowling, the predecessor of modern overarm bowling.-Career:Walker was born...
and Harry Walker
Harry Walker (cricketer)
Harry Walker was a noted English cricketer who played mainly for Surrey...
, Harris used to practice his bowling in a barn during the winter.
Personal life
Harris was born at Elvetham but moved when still a child to Crookham, where he lived for the rest of his life. He never married and was a potterPottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
by trade.
Nyren, who knew Harris personally, described him as "a muscular, bony man, standing about five feet 9½ inches". Nyren remarked on Harris' personality and looks by saying he had "a remarkably kind and gentle expression" and an "honest face". Harris, said Nyren, was "a man of so strict a principle" and "such high honour".
Harris suffered from gout in his later years and the sources have recorded how he would arrive at a game on crutches and then sit on a chair between deliveries. He was unable to play after 1798 and "latterly, in fact, was quite a cripple". He died in 1803 at Crookham and was buried at nearby Crondall, though no tombstone was erected.