Thomas Scott (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Scott was an English cricket
er who played for Hampshire
at the time of the Hambledon Club
. He was a specialist batsman who may have been a regular opener, but it is not known if he was right or left-handed. His fielding record suggests that he usually took a close catching position.
In John Nyren
's The Cricketers of my Time, Scott is listed among the author's "most eminent players in the Hambledon Club when it was in its glory". The period of this list is unquestionably limited to the latter years of Hambledon's existence (i.e., from about 1785) but it nevertheless indicates the esteem in which Scott was held as a player.
As Ashley Mote
points out , Nyren includes Scott in his most eminent list but otherwise does not mention him at all. The earliest biographical information about Scott is provided by Arthur Haygarth
, who describes Scott as a "very successful batsman indeed for the Hambledon Club, for several seasons". Haygarth believed that Scott was by trade a glover in Alton, his home village.
Scott's tombstone was standing in Alton churchyard in 1857. It confirms his date of death and that he was then 33 years old; his parents were called Thomas and Sarah. The cause of death is unknown.
As Haygarth says, Scott's early death was unusual among the eminent Georgian cricketers, most of whom lived to an old age. Certainly of noted Hambledon players, Scott and Noah Mann
(who died in a tragic accident) are the only ones to have died young.
In major cricket matches, Scott made 32 appearances from his known debut in August 1789 to his last recorded match in August 1798.
His best individual performance was in the All-England v Hampshire match at Lord's Old Ground (Dorset Square)
on 30 and 31 August 1790. After a very strong All-England had scored 177, Scott opened the Hampshire innings and made 43 in a total of 165. All-England were then dismissed by Harris, who took at least 6 wickets, for just 66. Scott and Jack Small
scored the 79 needed and Hampshire won by 10 wickets. Scott made his career highest score of 44* in the process. Arthur Haygarth was very impressed by the Scott/Small partnership and wrote: "Perhaps in no other match has a side gone in for as many as 79 runs to win, and obtain them with out losing a wicket" .
Scott was a prolific player in the early 1790s and it is noticeable that he appeared very occasionally after the 1794 season. The cause of his untimely death is unknown but it is conceivable that he became ill in 1795 and this limited his prowess.
Interestingly, in Scott's final innings in 1798 he was bowled out by John Tufton, whose career also ended that season due to an early death in 1799.
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 for 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...
at the time of 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:...
. He was a specialist batsman who may have been a regular opener, but it is not known if he was right or left-handed. His fielding record suggests that he usually took a close catching position.
Life and career
The earliest known mention of Scott was when he played for Odiham & Alton against Farnham at the Holt Pound ground in Farnham on Friday 30 July 1784 . David Harris was in the same team. Scott was only 17 or 18 at this time.In John Nyren
John Nyren
John Nyren was an English cricketer and author. Nyren made 16 known appearances in first-class cricket from 1787 to 1817...
's The Cricketers of my Time, Scott is listed among the author's "most eminent players in the Hambledon Club when it was in its glory". The period of this list is unquestionably limited to the latter years of Hambledon's existence (i.e., from about 1785) but it nevertheless indicates the esteem in which Scott was held as a player.
As Ashley Mote
Ashley Mote
Ashley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
points out , Nyren includes Scott in his most eminent list but otherwise does not mention him at all. The earliest biographical information about Scott is provided by Arthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, who describes Scott as a "very successful batsman indeed for the Hambledon Club, for several seasons". Haygarth believed that Scott was by trade a glover in Alton, his home village.
Scott's tombstone was standing in Alton churchyard in 1857. It confirms his date of death and that he was then 33 years old; his parents were called Thomas and Sarah. The cause of death is unknown.
As Haygarth says, Scott's early death was unusual among the eminent Georgian cricketers, most of whom lived to an old age. Certainly of noted Hambledon players, Scott and Noah Mann
Noah Mann
Noah Mann was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club....
(who died in a tragic accident) are the only ones to have died young.
In major cricket matches, Scott made 32 appearances from his known debut in August 1789 to his last recorded match in August 1798.
His best individual performance was in the All-England v Hampshire match at Lord's Old Ground (Dorset Square)
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...
on 30 and 31 August 1790. After a very strong All-England had scored 177, Scott opened the Hampshire innings and made 43 in a total of 165. All-England were then dismissed by Harris, who took at least 6 wickets, for just 66. Scott and Jack Small
Jack Small
John Small junior was an English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.Jack Small made his debut in 1784, his career continuing until 1811...
scored the 79 needed and Hampshire won by 10 wickets. Scott made his career highest score of 44* in the process. Arthur Haygarth was very impressed by the Scott/Small partnership and wrote: "Perhaps in no other match has a side gone in for as many as 79 runs to win, and obtain them with out losing a wicket" .
Scott was a prolific player in the early 1790s and it is noticeable that he appeared very occasionally after the 1794 season. The cause of his untimely death is unknown but it is conceivable that he became ill in 1795 and this limited his prowess.
Interestingly, in Scott's final innings in 1798 he was bowled out by John Tufton, whose career also ended that season due to an early death in 1799.
Major cricket career record
| Season | – | M | I | runs | HS | ct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1789 | – | 2 | 4 | 30 | 13 | 6 |
| 1790 | – | 2 | 4 | 122 | 44 | 1 |
| 1791 | – | 5 | 10 | 142 | 39 | 7 |
| 1792 | – | 5 | 8 | 63 | 21 | 9 |
| 1793 | – | 5 | 10 | 77 | 35 | 5 |
| 1794 | – | 10 | 19 | 153 | 43 | 8 |
| 1795 | – | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| 1796 | – | did not play | ||||
| 1797 | – | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 1798 | – | 1 | 2 | 23 | 15 | 0 |
| Totals | – | 32 | 61 | 629 | 44 | 36 |
External sources
Further reading
- G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
- Arthur HaygarthArthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862 - Ashley MoteAshley MoteAshley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
, The Glory Days of Cricket, Robson, 1997 - Ashley MoteAshley MoteAshley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
, John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time", Robson, 1998