Fuller Pilch
Encyclopedia
Fuller Pilch was an English
cricket
er. Described as "the greatest batsman ever known until the appearance of W. G. Grace", the right-hand batting Pilch played 229 first class cricket matches between 1820 and 1854 for an assortment of counties, including Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Surrey, as well as Norfolk and Cambridge Town. An early pioneer of batting, Pilch's advert of the "Pilch poke", or art of playing the ball forward, was an early manifestation of modern batting practices.
Though his statistics reflect by modern standards as fairly ordinary, the 10 centuries he amassed throughout his entire club and first class playing career were considered "remarkable" in the context of round-arm bowling and poorly maintained cricket pitches encountered during the period. He was also known for his success at single-wicket matches, defeating Tom Marsden
in 1833. He came from a cricketing family: nephew William and brothers Nathaniel and William all played first class cricket. After dying in 1870, Pilch was buried in an unknown location, as the obelisk supposedly marking his grave has been moved repeatedly.
and later returned to live there. Fuller Pilch followed in the footsteps of his two elder brothers, Nathaniel and William, and became a professional cricketer. His first appearance at Lord's
was a three-day match in July 1820, playing for Norfolk. He then went to Sheffield
to play cricket and earn his living as a tailor
.
called Pilch "the best batsman that has ever yet appeared". The main characteristic of Pilch's batting was his forward play, a shot that was called 'Pilch's poke'. Haygarth further wrote : "His style of batting was very commanding, extremely forward, and he seemed to rush to the best bowling by his long forward play before it had time to shoot or rise, or do mischief by catches".
By the late 1820s he had become the finest batsman in England. He appeared 23 times in Gentlemen v Players
matches. In 1833, in highly publicised single wicket matches, he twice defeated Tom Marsden
, the other prominent batsman of the time. In 1835, he moved to Town Malling in Kent and received a salary of 100 pounds a year. There he kept a tavern attached to the cricket ground.
Pilch moved to Canterbury in 1842 where he kept the Saracen's Head. He served as the first groundsman of the St. Lawrence Ground from 1847 to 1868.
As to the question of how Pilch would compare with the greatest of his successors, Wisden editor Sydney Pardon
wrote in W.G. Grace's obituary in the 1916 Wisden :
A story is told of a cricketer who had regarded Fuller Pilch as the final word in batting, being taken in his old age to see Mr. Grace bat for the first time. He watched the great man for a quarter of an hour or so and then broke out into an expression of boundless delight. 'Why', he said, 'this man scores continuously from balls that old Fuller would have been thankful to stop'.
Pilch died at Canterbury in 1870. He never married.
novel Flashman's Lady
by George MacDonald Fraser
. In the novel Pilch is caught and bowled by Flashman in a fictional game set at Lord's between Rugby
Old Boys and Kent
in 1842.
In June 2008 it was reported in The Times
that Pilch's grave at St. Gregory's churchyard in Canterbury
was among 200 other graves which were preventing the development of the churchyard into a Canterbury Christ Church University
concert hall, as they could not be located for removal. In July 2008 it was reported that the grave had been located through the use of an old photograph and the memories of local people..
Fuller Pilch is mentioned in the song "Gentlemen and Players" on the 2009 cricket concept album The Duckworth Lewis Method
, created by Irish duo Thomas Walsh and Neil Hannon
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket
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. Described as "the greatest batsman ever known until the appearance of W. G. Grace", the right-hand batting Pilch played 229 first class cricket matches between 1820 and 1854 for an assortment of counties, including Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Surrey, as well as Norfolk and Cambridge Town. An early pioneer of batting, Pilch's advert of the "Pilch poke", or art of playing the ball forward, was an early manifestation of modern batting practices.
Though his statistics reflect by modern standards as fairly ordinary, the 10 centuries he amassed throughout his entire club and first class playing career were considered "remarkable" in the context of round-arm bowling and poorly maintained cricket pitches encountered during the period. He was also known for his success at single-wicket matches, defeating Tom Marsden
Tom Marsden
Thomas Marsden was a famous English cricketer whose career spanned the 1826 to 1841 seasons....
in 1833. He came from a cricketing family: nephew William and brothers Nathaniel and William all played first class cricket. After dying in 1870, Pilch was buried in an unknown location, as the obelisk supposedly marking his grave has been moved repeatedly.
Early life
He was the son of Nathaniel Pilch and Frances Fuller, who were married at BrisleyBrisley
Brisley is a village in the English county of Norfolk located about halfway between Fakenham and East Dereham. It covers an area of and had a population of 276 in 117 households as of the2001 census...
and later returned to live there. Fuller Pilch followed in the footsteps of his two elder brothers, Nathaniel and William, and became a professional cricketer. His first appearance at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
was a three-day match in July 1820, playing for Norfolk. He then went to Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
to play cricket and earn his living as a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
.
Cricketing career
Writing in 1862 in his Scores and biographies, Arthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
called Pilch "the best batsman that has ever yet appeared". The main characteristic of Pilch's batting was his forward play, a shot that was called 'Pilch's poke'. Haygarth further wrote : "His style of batting was very commanding, extremely forward, and he seemed to rush to the best bowling by his long forward play before it had time to shoot or rise, or do mischief by catches".
By the late 1820s he had become the finest batsman in England. He appeared 23 times in Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
matches. In 1833, in highly publicised single wicket matches, he twice defeated Tom Marsden
Tom Marsden
Thomas Marsden was a famous English cricketer whose career spanned the 1826 to 1841 seasons....
, the other prominent batsman of the time. In 1835, he moved to Town Malling in Kent and received a salary of 100 pounds a year. There he kept a tavern attached to the cricket ground.
Pilch moved to Canterbury in 1842 where he kept the Saracen's Head. He served as the first groundsman of the St. Lawrence Ground from 1847 to 1868.
As to the question of how Pilch would compare with the greatest of his successors, Wisden editor Sydney Pardon
Sydney Pardon
Sydney Herbert Pardon was a sports journalist who was the editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack for 35 editions, from 1891 until his death. He took over following the death of his brother, Charles. Of all the editors of the publication, he was arguably the greatest...
wrote in W.G. Grace's obituary in the 1916 Wisden :
A story is told of a cricketer who had regarded Fuller Pilch as the final word in batting, being taken in his old age to see Mr. Grace bat for the first time. He watched the great man for a quarter of an hour or so and then broke out into an expression of boundless delight. 'Why', he said, 'this man scores continuously from balls that old Fuller would have been thankful to stop'.
Pilch died at Canterbury in 1870. He never married.
Legacy
Pilch appears in the FlashmanHarry Paget Flashman
Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser , but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays , a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes ....
novel Flashman's Lady
Flashman's Lady
Flashman's Lady is a 1977 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the sixth of the Flashman novels.-Plot introduction:Presented within the frame of the supposedly discovered historical Flashman Papers, this book describes the bully Flashman from Tom Brown's Schooldays...
by George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser, OBE was an English-born author of Scottish descent, who wrote both historical novels and non-fiction books, as well as several screenplays.-Early life and military career:...
. In the novel Pilch is caught and bowled by Flashman in a fictional game set at Lord's between Rugby
Rugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
Old Boys and Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in 1842.
In June 2008 it was reported in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
that Pilch's grave at St. Gregory's churchyard in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
was among 200 other graves which were preventing the development of the churchyard into a Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University is a university in Canterbury, Kent, England. Founded as a Church of England college for teaching training it has grown to full university status and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012. The focus of its work is in the education of people going into...
concert hall, as they could not be located for removal. In July 2008 it was reported that the grave had been located through the use of an old photograph and the memories of local people..
Fuller Pilch is mentioned in the song "Gentlemen and Players" on the 2009 cricket concept album The Duckworth Lewis Method
The Duckworth Lewis Method
The Duckworth Lewis Method are an Irish pop group formed by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy and Thomas Walsh of Pugwash. The Duckworth Lewis Method is also the title of the group's only album, which was released on 3 July 2009, a few days before the start of the 2009 Ashes series. A concept album...
, created by Irish duo Thomas Walsh and Neil Hannon
Neil Hannon
Neil Hannon is a Northern Irish singer and songwriter, best known as the creator and frontman of the chamber pop group The Divine Comedy. The band's official website even goes so far as to say, "The Divine Comedy is Neil Hannon," and Hannon is quoted in an interview as saying, "The Divine Comedy...
.