George Lohmann
British Cape Colony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Bowling | Right arm medium-fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 51) | 5 July 1886 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 24 June 1896 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1884–1896 | Western Province | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 1 October 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
George Alfred Lohmann (2 June 1865 – 1 December 1901) was an English
He bowled at around medium pace and on English pitches of his time could gain spin, so that when rain affected the pitch he was unplayable. Against the best batsmen, too, Lohmann possessed skill and guile, and he could vary his pace, flight and break deceptively, so as to worry batsmen on better pitches. He was the finest slip fielder of his time and in county cricket a hard-hitting batsman who scored two centuries for Surrey and averaged 25 in 1887.
In 2016, Lohmann was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.[2]
Early years
Lohmann first played first-class cricket for Surrey in ten matches during 1884. He did little bowling but nonetheless established himself as a regular member of the side for his promising batting.
The following year was nothing short of a sensation. Lohmann not only became Surrey's leading bowler, but was the leading first-class wicket-taker with 142 wickets. He also showed his promise as a batsman was no fluke, for he scored 571 runs. In 1886, Lohmann did equally well and played his first
World's premier bowler
On his first tour, Lohmann moved even further ahead of the pack as a bowler. In the Second Test at the SCG, Lohmann became the first bowler to take eight wickets in a Test innings, and, in the abnormally dry southern hemisphere summer of 1887, showed himself far ahead of any other bowler – taking 154 wickets when the next best was 114. He also made his highest score as a batsman, scoring 115 against Sussex at Hove, whilst his aggregate of runs for the season totalled 843. Lohmann again toured Australia in the winter of 1887/1888, and with Johnny Briggs formed an irresistible combination in the only Test match on a sticky wicket.
In 1888, a summer as wet as 1887 had been dry, Lohmann took full advantage of the dreadful pitches on which most matches were played, taking 209 wickets for only 10.90 each (including 143 in 14 county matches). In the three Tests against Australia, Briggs, Bobby Peel and Billy Barnes did so well that Lohmann had to do little bowling at the Oval and Old Trafford. However, he took eight wickets at Lord's and made his only Test fifty at the Oval. In 1889, Lohmann again took over 200 wickets (115 for 1485 runs in purely county matches) and took nine wickets in an innings for the first time against Sussex.
Early County Championship triumphs
In 1890, the County Championship was officially constituted for the first time after years of unofficial "champion" counties (Surrey had been acknowledged as the champion county since 1887). Lohmann continued to carry all before him in 1890, taking a career-best 220 wickets and being the leading wicket-taker outside of touring teams for the sixth successive year (a feat bettered only by Tich Freeman between 1928 and 1935). For Surrey in county cricket he totalled 113 wickets, and he again helped England to victory over Australia in the only Tests where cricket took place. In 1891, Lohmann was the leading English wicket-taker for the seventh successive year with 177 wickets as Surrey carried all before them in a wet summer, and on the following year's Australian tour, he again bowled wonderfully well, taking eight for 58 on a dry wicket in Sydney.
In 1892, with Surrey still crushing all opposition in the County Championship race, Lohmann "suffered only by comparison with previous years" (
Illness and comeback
After the 1892 season had ended, a dreadful shock came when it was announced that Lohmann had contracted
By July 1895 Lohmann's health had recovered sufficiently for him to return to England and play for Surrey again. Fortuitously, his return coincided with a return to extremely treacherous wickets after a long spell of dry weather and much better pitches than he had ever bowled on before. Though completely overshadowed by Tom Richardson, the mere fact of missing the good wickets in May and June caused Lohmann to actually beat Richardson in the averages, though his batting (seen as an important part of his county cricket up to 1892) was completely insignificant.
Record breaking feats
| Charles Marriott (ENG) | 8.72
|
| Frederick Martin (ENG) | 10.07
|
| George Lohmann (ENG) | 10.75
|
| Laurie Nash (AUS) | 12.60
|
| John Ferris (AUS/ENG) | 12.70
|
| Tom Horan (AUS) | 13.00
|
| Harry Dean (ENG) | 13.90
|
| Albert Trott (AUS/ENG) | 15.00
|
| Mike Procter (SA) | 15.02
|
| Jack Iverson (AUS) | 15.23
|
| Tom Kendall (AUS) | 15.35
|
| Alec Hurwood (AUS) | 15.45
|
| Billy Barnes (ENG) | 15.54
|
| John Trim (WI) | 16.16
|
| Billy Bates (ENG) | 16.42
|
Source: Cricinfo Qualification: 10 wickets, career completed. | |
Returning to the
In 1896, Lohmann began to play for Surrey at the end of May, and, though he took 93 wickets and helped Richardson to put Australia out for 53 on a good wicket at Lord's, it was thought he had not come up to expectations. Indeed, on several occasions when pitches were suited to him (against Middlesex at The Oval, Somerset at Taunton and Lancashire at Manchester), his bowling should have met with much greater success. Still, he had a fully satisfactory benefit in the game against Yorkshire in August.
A pay dispute, in which he demanded twice the existing 10-pound match fee given at the time to professional cricketers, caused Lohmann, along with
He is also the fastest test bowler to reach 100-wicket club, taking him just 16 Test matches.[3] Lohmann also holds the record for the most Test matches in a complete career (18) where a player bowled in both innings.[4]
Last days
Lohmann emigrated to the British Cape Colony permanently in 1897 and played a full season of first-class cricket for Western Province. In five matches on matting pitches during March 1897 he took 34 wickets for 12.26 runs each, but it was clear throughout that year that his health was unlikely to recover, and he was able to play only one further first-class match for "A Bailey's Transvaal XI".
Lohmann did come back to England in 1901 to manage the second South African touring team (and the first whose matches were recognised as first-class). However, his health was clearly never going to recover completely, and even after returning to Cape Town with the onset of autumn in England, Lohmann's condition only became more critical. On 1 December 1901, the tuberculosis he had fought against for nine years finally claimed his life at age 36. He was buried at Matjiesfontein.[5]
Awards
- Wisden Cricketer of the Yearin 1889 (actually titled Six Great Bowlers of the Year).
Further reading
- ISBN 978-1-899807-50-5.
References
- ISBN 978-1-84607-880-4.
- ^ Cricinfo (2 January 2009). "ICC and FICA launch Cricket Hall of Fame". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Ask Steven: Ronchi's rare double, and agreeing on a result" | Cricket. ESPNcricinfo (4 June 2013). Retrieved on 2018-07-30.
- ISBN 0947540067.
- ^ "Death of G. LOHMANN". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 19, 884. New South Wales, Australia. 3 December 1901. p. 5. Retrieved 19 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
Media related to George Lohmann at Wikimedia Commons- George Lohmann at ESPNcricinfo
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