Edgar Willsher

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Edgar Willsher
Lewisham
, Kent
NicknameNed
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingLeft-arm fast
RoleBowler
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1850–1875Kent
FC debut11 July 1850 Kent v Surrey
Last FC19 August 1875 South v North
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 267
Runs scored 5,089
Batting average 12.41
100s/50s 0/12
Top score 89
Balls bowled 53,267
Wickets 1,329
Bowling average 12.78
5 wickets in innings 107
10 wickets in match 30
Best bowling 8/16
Catches/stumpings 233/–
Source: CricInfo, 26 May 2012

Edgar "Ned" Willsher (22 November 1828 – 7 October 1885) was an English cricketer known for being a catalyst in the shift from roundarm to overarm bowling. A left-handed bowler, and useful lower-order batsman, Willsher played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club between 1850 and 1875. He took over 1,300 first-class wickets, despite only having one lung. He led a tour of Canada and the United States in 1868, and after retiring from his playing career became an umpire.[1]

Career

Early years

Willsher was born at Little Halden Farm, in

half century, one of four for the season. Fifteen more games in 1861 yielded another career-best 87 wickets in the season, and his second eight-wicket haul.[5][6]

Overarm bowling

By the early 1860s, roundarm had replaced

England XI against Surrey he was called six times by umpire John Lillywhite for delivering the ball when his hand was above his shoulder. Outraged, Willsher left the field in protest with eight of his professional colleagues (the two amateurs in the England team remained on the field) and play was abandoned for the rest of the day.[1][7] When Lillywhite refused to accept the legality of Willsher's action, he was replaced as umpire so that the game could continue. Willsher went on to take 6 for 49.[8] As a result of this incident, which may well have been planned in advance in order to force the issue, the laws were changed and overarm bowling was legalised from the beginning of the 1864 season.[7] Meanwhile, the 1863 season saw another 80 wickets for Willsher, as well as 494 runs with the bat, including three half-centuries. The runs scored during the season, and his highest score of 89, would remain his career best.[5][6]

Later career

1864 saw more success for Willsher in the County Championship with 79 more wickets at 13.84 runs each, though he failed to pass 50 with the bat. Though he then struggled with only 47 wickets in 1865, he remained consistent with 52 scalps in 1866 and 51 more in the following season, though again failing with the bat with a best over both years of 46.[5][6] The 1868 season, however was the best of Willsher's career with the ball, taking in a hot and dry summer 113 wickets at only 9.98 runs per wicket, the second occasion – and one of only three in his entire career – where Willsher's season average was under 10.00.[9] This included twelve five-wicket hauls, and six ten-wicket hauls, both career-best performances. Though once again struggling with the bat, scoring 246 runs at 10.69, Willsher's 113 wickets was second in the list of wicket-takers for the 1868 season, behind only future Test player James Southerton, and Willsher's average easily out-performed Southerton's 13.76.[10] Willsher enjoyed successes in 1869 and 1870, with 64 and 84 wickets respectively, and took 70 more wickets in 1871; however Willsher, by then forty-two years of age, began to enjoy fewer returns for his bowling. From 1872 until retirement in 1875 he never bettered 35 wickets in a season, though he averages remained strong and his five-wicket hauls consistent. His appearances for Kent began to diminish, and in 1874 he played only seven matches, not passing fifty with the bat after 1869, and taking only two ten-wicket hauls in his final four seasons compared to thirteen in the proceeding four.[5][6]

Willsher played only two games in the 1875 season. The first, on 17 June against

WG Grace, made only one run and was not called on to bowl.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Player Profile: Edgar Willsher". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  2. ^ "Kent v Surrey – County Match 1847". Cricket Archive. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  3. ^ "Surrey v Kent – County Match 1850". Cricket Archive. Archived from the original on 29 July 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Kent v All England Eleven – All England Eleven matches 1851". Cricket Archive. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "First-class Bowling in Each Season by Edgar Willsher". Cricket Archive. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "First-class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Edgar Willsher". Cricket Archive. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  7. ^ a b c Williamson, Martin. "The evolution of bowling". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  8. ISBN 978-1-84607-880-4
    .
  9. ^ This was last achieved by a regular bowler when Alfred Shaw in 1880 took 186 wickets for 1589 runs
  10. ^ "First-class Bowling in England for 1868 (Ordered by Wickets)". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  11. ^ "Kent v Hampshire – County Match 1875". Cricket Archive. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
  12. ^ "South v North – Other First-Class matches in England 1875". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 28 May 2012.

External links

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