George Ulyett (21 October 1851 –18 June 1898) was an English cricketer,noted particularly for his very aggressive batsmanship. A well-liked man (who,in later years,kept a pub in his native Sheffield),Ulyett was popularly known as "Happy Jack",once musing memorably that Yorkshire played him only for his good behaviour and his whistling. [1] A fine all round sportsman,Ulyett played football in the 1882–83 and 1883–84 seasons as goalkeeper for Sheffield Wednesday.
Born in Pitsmoor,Sheffield,Ulyett joined the local Pitsmoor club at the age of sixteen and,from 1871 to 1873,played as a professional in Bradford. In 1873,he made his Yorkshire debut,at Bramall Lane against Sussex,and remained a valued member of the team for the next twenty years,passing 1,000 runs in ten seasons and fifty wickets in three. In his best batting year of 1883 Ulyett achieved the remarkable feat of scoring 1,562 runs –eleven runs from being the leading run scorer [2] –without a single century. Not until Charles Harris in 1935 did any batsman score more runs without a century,and only David Green in 1965 –a somewhat similar style of hard hitting opener –has since come remotely so close to being the leading run scorer of a season without scoring a century. He took his career-best figures of seven for thirty against Surrey in 1878 and,in 1887,made his highest score,199 not out against Derbyshire.
Ulyett was a member of James Lillywhite Junior's tour of Australia in 1876/77. After the visitors' early defeat at the hands of a XV of New South Wales,the local press pronounced them "by a long way the weakest side that have ever played in the colonies,notwithstanding the presence of Shaw,who is termed the premier bowler of England. If Ulyett,Emmett,and Hill are specimens of the best fast bowling in England,all we can say is,either they have not shown their proper form,or British bowling has sadly deteriorated." Not long after,however in an eleven-a-side first-class match against New South Wales,Ulyett scored an excellent 94 to guide Lillywhite's team to victory.
Ulyett also played in the first-ever Test match,staged at the MCG,during that tour. His first real action in Test cricket came when he held onto a catch off the bowling of James Southerton to dismiss Billy Midwinter for five. With the bat,however,Ulyett failed in the first innings,lasting just a quarter of an hour before Nat Thomson had him trapped in front;in the second innings,however,with England in dire straits,he fought hard with John Selby for about 45 minutes—but then the rampant Tom Kendall got one through his defences and effectively brought an end to England's resistance,the match being lost by 45 runs. In bowling,Ulyett took three for 39 in the second innings,his first wicket being that of Charles Bannerman,who famously managed an incredible 165 out of Australia's first innings total of 245 (or 67.3 per cent of it,still a Test-Match record). This amazing effort finally came to an end when the toiling Ulyett let loose a sharp,rising bouncer that found its way through Bannerman's primitive gloving and struck him a blow on the index finger,splitting it open rather badly. A short delay revealed the fact that Bannerman could no longer grip his bat properly and that,therefore,he would have to retire. The Australian opener walked off,wincing from the pain in his bloodied right hand. George Ulyett,although never regarded as a truly-quick bowler,could nevertheless do real damage on occasion. Bannerman was unable to field,and,in the second innings,when Ulyett dismissed him again (this time in orthodox fashion—bowled),he faced just nine deliveries.
In the second game,also at Melbourne,Ulyett showed his worth as a batsman,making 52 and 63 to secure an England win by four wickets. On Day 2 (02-Apr-1877) George joined A Greenwood when England were 72 for 4. George partnered Greenwood and Tom Emmett. His 52 was part of a career total of 86,2nd highest by a Test Player at that time. Thereafter,he was a regular pick for the England Test side,with his batting and bowling backed up by some fine displays of fielding.
Ulyett played 25 Tests in total—it was by far the longest career of any England cricketer to play in that inaugural Test—and several times changed the course of a match. At Lord's in 1884,in the second innings,he returned an analysis of 39.1–23–36–7 (four-ball overs) to reduce the Australians from 60/1 to 145 all out and force a remarkable innings victory.
Included in that haul was one of the most famous caught-and-bowled ever taken. Ulyett sent down a straight half-volley to Bonnor,who drove at it with all his considerable might and got it right out of the middle of the bat. The ball flew back towards the bowler with a resounding crack. It seemed to Ulyett barely to have left his hand—yet already it was flying back to him at what seemed like the speed of light. He had no time to judge it but held out the right hand instinctively,and the leather stuck,right in the middle of his palm. With the sound of Bonnor's stroke still echoing about the ground,many eyes in the gallery were looking for the area near the boundary where they thought that the ball would land. The eyes of George Giffen,the non-striker,were among the wanderers,and he was certain that everyone else must be looking for it,too:indeed,a segment of the crowd,in panic,had even opened up a space in the ring in anticipation of the ball's descent. Giffen reckoned it to have been a very mighty drive indeed—but he could not see where it had gone. When,finally,his and other eyes were diverted back towards the pitch,they noticed Ulyett celebrating and Bonnor was departing. It soon dawned on them that Ulyett had taken the catch. Although Ulyett felt no pain in the centre of his hand,there was definitely a fair amount of it on the outside. Bonnor looked at him disgustedly,thinking it almost immoral to have done such a thing,and he walked off gloomily. The England players gathered around Ulyett in wonderment. They seemed to the Wisden correspondent to be curious as to what kind of man this was—although they were also keen to congratulate him on his evasion of impending danger. The looks on the faces of Allan Steel and Alfred Lyttelton would stay with Wisden's man for a long time. WG Grace and Lord Harris both told Ulyett that he was foolish to have attempted to take the catch:had it hit his wrist or arm instead,that bone would surely have snapped. Giffen believed that this was one of the finest catches that he had ever seen,and,although on the team which it had adversely affected,he definitely appreciated it.
Earlier,in 1881/82,Ulyett had made his only Test century,hitting 149 at Melbourne in a drawn match. These efforts led him to achieve the number 1 ranking in ICC Test Batsman Ranking in 1881 (he retained it in 1882 as well).
The end of Ulyett's international career came in somewhat controversial fashion. At Lord's in 1890 he had made 74 out of 173 to shore up England's first innings after they had slumped to 20/4,putting on 72 with Maurice Read. However,he did not appear at The Oval three weeks later because the authorities at Yorkshire refused to release him from county duty,requiring him instead to play against Middlesex at Bradford. (He made 11 and did not bowl a ball.)
He played on for Yorkshire for a few more years,but bowled increasingly little and did not take a wicket after 1891. The last of his 18 hundreds came against Middlesex in 1892,and he bade a quiet farewell from the first-class game in scoring just nine at Bramall Lane in August 1893.
After retirement,his health began to fail and five years later he died in Pitsmoor,aged just 46,of pneumonia contracted while attending a Yorkshire match at Sheffield. [3] His popularity was shown by the turnout of 4,000 for his funeral.
"Of large build,ruddy countenance and of cheery disposition,Ulyett was a typical Yorkshireman" [4] He was clean hitter of a cricket ball and a fast bowler with "a high action". Lyttleton also says he was not a particularly skilful bowler:"He pounded away straight and hard but I never thought that he used his head much".
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally,most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists. Some wicket-keepers have the skills of a specialist batter and have been referred to as all-rounders,but the term wicket-keeper-batter is more commonly applied to them,even if they are substitute wicket keepers who also bowl.
Charles Bannerman was an English-born Australian cricketer. A right-handed batsman,he represented Australia in three Test matches between 1877 and 1879. At the domestic level,he played for the New South Wales cricket team. Later,he became an umpire.
Hedley Verity was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler,he took 1,956 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 14.90 and 144 wickets in 40 Tests at an average of 24.37.
Norman Walter Dransfield Yardley was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University,Yorkshire County Cricket Club and England,as a right-handed batsman and occasional bowler. An amateur,he captained Yorkshire from 1948 to 1955 and England on fourteen occasions between 1947 and 1950,winning four Tests,losing seven and drawing three. Yardley was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1948,and in his obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack he was described as Yorkshire's finest amateur since Stanley Jackson.
Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international cricket matches today. All were between Australian and English sides,the teams were rarely representative,and the lengthy boat trip required was one that many cricketers were unable or unwilling to undertake. As such,the home teams enjoyed a great advantage.
Test matches in the 19th century were somewhat different affairs than what they are today. Many of them were not designated as Test matches for many years afterwards,and it is possible that some Test players never knew they had played in a Test. Before 1888 there had been 26 Test matches,all between England and Australia. England had won 13 of them,Australia 9,with 4 draws. During the 19th century England played in all the Tests,which were mostly against Australia,though a few were against what tended to be a very weak South African XI.
The history of Test cricket between 1884 and 1889 was one of English dominance over the Australians. England won every Test series that was played. The period also saw the first use of the word "Test" to describe a form of cricket when the Press used it in 1885. It has remained in common usage ever since.
Robert Peel was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire between 1883 and 1897. Primarily a left-arm spin bowler,Peel was also an effective left-handed batsman who played in the middle order. Between 1884 and 1896,he was regularly selected to represent England,playing 20 Test matches in which he took 101 wickets. Over the course of his career,he scored 12,191 runs and took 1,775 wickets in first-class cricket. A match-winning bowler,particularly when conditions favoured his style,Peel generally opened the attack,an orthodox tactic for a spinner at the time,and was highly regarded by critics.
William Henry Lockwood was an English Test cricketer,best known as a fast bowler and the unpredictable,occasionally devastating counterpart to the amazingly hard-working Tom Richardson for Surrey in the early County Championship. A capable enough batsman against weaker bowling sides who scored over 10,000 runs in first-class cricket,stronger bowling tended to show flaws in his technique.
Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests,Rhodes took 127 wickets and scored 2,325 runs,becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches. He holds the world records both for the most appearances made in first-class cricket,and for the most wickets taken (4,204). He completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in an English cricket season a record 16 times. Rhodes played for Yorkshire and England into his fifties,and in his final Test in 1930 was,at 52 years and 165 days,the oldest player who has appeared in a Test match.
Hugh Trumble was an Australian cricketer who played 32 Test matches as a bowling all-rounder between 1890 and 1904. He captained the Australian team in two Tests,winning both. Trumble took 141 wickets in Test cricket—a world record at the time of his retirement—at an average of 21.78 runs per wicket. He is one of only four bowlers to twice take a hat-trick in Test cricket. Observers in Trumble's day,including the authoritative Wisden Cricketers' Almanack,regarded him as ranking among the great Australian bowlers of the Golden Age of cricket. He was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1897 and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame,established in 1996,inducted him in 2004.
George Henry Stevens Trott was an Australian cricketer who played 24 Test matches as an all-rounder between 1888 and 1898. Although Trott was a versatile batsman,spin bowler and outstanding fielder,"it is as a captain that he is best remembered,an understanding judge of human nature". After a period of some instability and ill discipline in Australian cricket,he was the first in a succession of assertive Australian captains that included Joe Darling,Monty Noble and Clem Hill,who restored the prestige of the Test team. Respected by teammates and opponents alike for his cricketing judgement,Trott was quick to pick up a weakness in opponents. A right-handed batsman,he was known for his sound defence and vigorous hitting. His slow leg-spin bowling was often able to deceive batsmen through subtle variations of pace and flight,but allowed opposition batsmen to score quickly.
George Giffen was a cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. An all-rounder who batted in the middle order and often opened the bowling with medium-paced off-spin,Giffen captained Australia during the 1894–95 Ashes series and was the first Australian to score 10,000 runs and take 500 wickets in first-class cricket. He was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on 26 February 2008.
George Herbert Hirst was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1891 and 1921,with a further appearance in 1929. One of the best all-rounders of his time,Hirst was a left arm medium-fast bowler and right-handed batsman. He played in 24 Test matches for England between 1897 and 1909,touring Australia twice. He completed the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in an English cricket season 14 times,the second most of any cricketer after his contemporary and team-mate Wilfred Rhodes. One of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1901,Hirst scored 36,356 runs and took 2,742 wickets in first-class cricket. In Tests,he made 790 runs and captured 59 wickets.
Roy Kilner was an English professional cricketer who played nine Test matches for England between 1924 and 1926. An all-rounder,he played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1927. In all first-class matches,he scored 14,707 runs at an average of 30.01 and took 1,003 wickets at an average of 18.45. Kilner scored 1,000 runs in a season ten times and took 100 wickets in a season five times. On four occasions,he completed the double:scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets in the same season,recognised as a sign of a quality all-rounder.
Two first-class cricket matches billed as "Smokers v Non-Smokers" were played during the 1880s. Featuring players from Australia and England,each match occurred during a tour of one of those countries by the other's national team. The first match was won by the Non-Smokers,while in the second,which was drawn,the Non-Smokers scored a then-record 803 runs in the first innings.
George Gibson Macaulay was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1920 and 1935. He played in eight Test matches for England from 1923 to 1933,achieving the rare feat of taking a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket. One of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1924,he took 1,838 first-class wickets at an average of 17.64 including four hat-tricks.
The Australia national cricket team toured England in 1882. The team is officially termed the Third Australians,following two previous tours in the 1878 and 1880 seasons. At the time,there was no Test cricket and so,as in 1880,the single match between England and Australia was rated first-class only. It has since been retrospectively recognised as a Test match. It also became historically famous as the match which created The Ashes.
The Australia national cricket team toured England in 1884. The team is officially termed the Fourth Australians,following three previous tours in the 1878,1880 and 1882 seasons. The 1884 tour was a private venture by the thirteen players who each invested an agreed sum to provide funding,none of Australia's colonial cricket associations being involved. Billy Murdoch captained the team and George Alexander acted as player-manager. The Australians played a total of 32 matches in England,31 of which have first-class status.
Bernard James Tindal Bosanquet was an English cricketer best known for inventing the googly,a delivery designed to deceive the batsman. When bowled,it appears to be a leg break,but after pitching the ball turns in the opposite direction to that which is expected,behaving as an off break instead. Bosanquet,who played first-class cricket for Middlesex between 1898 and 1919,appeared in seven Test matches for England as an all-rounder. He was chosen as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1905.
Australian first-class cricket season leading run-scorers (1850–51 to 1899–1900) | |
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