James Cross was an English

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 who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire

Derbyshire County Cricket Club

Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...

 in 1897.

Cross was born at Leyland, Lancashire

Leyland, Lancashire

Leyland is a town in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England, approximately six miles south of the city of Preston.Throughout the 20th and 21st century, the community has seen a large growth in industry, population and farming, due to the establishment of Leyland Motors, housing...

, the son of William Cross a general labourer and his wife Alice. Cross was a brick and tile maker and in 1881 was living with his parents at 35 Bradshaw Street. He joined Derbyshire in the 1897 season

Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1897

Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1897 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for twenty six years. It was their third season in the County Championship and they came fourteenth after failing to win a match..-1897 season:...

 when the club's bowling was weakened by the absence of John Hulme. He made his first class debut against Lancashire

Lancashire County Cricket Club

Lancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...

 in June when he took 4 wickets and was not out for 11 in the first innings. Against Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...

 he was not out for 29 and he took 4 for 68 against Leicestershire

Leicestershire County Cricket Club

Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....

. He closed his first class career at the end of the season after 9 matches.

Cross took 22 first class wickets at an average of 28.81 and a best performance of 4 for 68. He played 15 innings in 9 first class matches with an average of 7.45 and a top score of 29 not out.

Cross died at Great Harwood

Great Harwood

Great Harwood is a small town in the Hyndburn district of Lancashire, England, north-east of Blackburn.-History:Great Harwood is a town with a industrial heritage. The Mercer Hall Leisure Centre in Queen Street and the town clock pay tribute to John Mercer , the 'father' of Great Harwood, who...

, Lancashire at the age of 65.