Joseph Miller (died October 1784) was a noted English
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er who is generally considered to have been one of the greatest batsmen of the 18th century. He is mostly associated with
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
but also made appearances for
All-England
The All England Open Badminton Championships is the world's oldest badminton tournament, held annually in England. With the introduction of the Badminton World Federation, BWF's latest grading system, it was given BWF Super Series, Super Series st ...
and
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. First recorded in the
1769 season, Miller made 65 known appearances (including single wicket) from then to 1783. He was unquestionably an outstanding batsman and perhaps second only to
John Small in the 18th century.
Cricket career
Miller may have played before 1772, but more is known about his career from 1772 when scorecards began to be kept on a habitual basis. The first definite mention of him is in a "fives"
single wicket Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one w ...
match between
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
at the
Artillery Ground
The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is an open space originally set aside for archery and later known also as a cricket venue. Today it is used for military exercises, cricket, rugby and football matches. It belongs to the Honourable Artillery Com ...
in June 1772. He took part in all three important matches recorded in the 1772 season. In the second, playing for All-England against Hampshire at Guildford Bason, he was top scorer for his team in both innings with 30 out of 126 and then 26 out of only 86.
In 1773, he scored a total of 316 runs in his seven known important match appearances with a best score of 73 (out of 177) for All-England against Hampshire at
Sevenoaks Vine
The Vine Cricket Ground, also known as Sevenoaks Vine, is one of the oldest cricket venues in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks in Kent in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745–1799) and owner of nearby Knole ...
. When Kent played Surrey at Sevenoaks Vine in August 1773, Miller scored 42 out of 141 in the first innings and then an unbeaten 32 out of 100/4 in the second innings. In September 1773, Miller played as a
given man
This is a general glossary of the terminology used in the sport of cricket. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. Certain aspects of cricket terminology are explained in more detail in cr ...
for Surrey v Hampshire at
Laleham Burway
Laleham Burway is a tract of water-meadow and former water-meadow between the River Thames and Abbey River in the far north of Chertsey in Surrey. Its uses are varied. Part is Laleham Golf Club. Semi-permanent park homes in the west forms reside ...
.
Miller's best known performance was for Kent v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine in August 1774 when he made 95 out of 240 and enabled Kent to win by an innings and 35 runs. A week later, in the return match at
Broadhalfpenny Down
Broadhalfpenny Down (pronounced /ˌbrɔ:dˈheɪpniː/; '' brawd-HAYP-nee'') is a historic cricket ground in Hambledon, Hampshire. It is known as the "Cradle of Cricket" because it was the home venue in the 18th century of the Hambledon Club, ...
, Miller scored 40 and 45 out of 168 and 136/6 as Kent won by 4 wickets.
Miller's innings of 95 was briefly the
highest individual score recorded in first-class cricket, beating the 88 scored by
William Yalden in 1773. Miller's "world record" lasted only a year until John Small beat it with the earliest known first-class century.
Miller was less successful in 1775 and experienced a number of low scores but he did play two notable innings of 71 for Kent v Hampshire and then 42 for Surrey against Hampshire. He had an indifferent season in 1776 but then recovered his form in 1777 when he made a total of 311 runs in six known appearances including scores of 65, 64 and 51 in three separate matches for All-England against Hampshire. He made a few useful scores in 1778 when his best was 59 for Surrey against Hampshire.
Miller made only one more half-century which was a score of exactly 50 for All-England against Hampshire at
Itchin Stoke Down in September 1780. His date of birth is unknown but, as he had been playing since the 1760s, he must have reached the veteran stage by the 1780s and his scores were less notable than they had been a decade earlier. Apart from a few useful contributions, Miller was by 1782 playing a minor role. He made three known appearances in 1783, his final season, and his last known match was Kent v Hampshire at
Bourne Paddock
Bourne Paddock was a cricket ground at Bourne Park House, the seat of Sir Horatio Mann, at Bishopsbourne around south-east of Canterbury in the English county of Kent. It was a venue for first-class cricket matches from 1766 to 1790.
The ground ...
in August. Hampshire won by 85 runs and, if the batting order in the scorecard is correct, Miller batted last and scored just 2 and 9.
Style and personality
Arthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth (4 August 1825 – 1 May 1903) was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians. He played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Sussex between 1844 and 1861, as well as num ...
's biography of Miller quotes
John Nyren
John Nyren (15 December 1764 – 30 June 1837) was an English cricketer and author. Nyren made 16 known appearances in first-class cricket from 1787 to 1817. He achieved lasting fame as the author of '' The Cricketers of My Time'', which was fir ...
's comment that Miller had a beautiful style and was as "firm and steady as the Pyramids". He was a man "to be depended on and very active" as well as being "a kind-hearted and amiable man".
[Haygarth, p. 58.]
Nyren also says that Miller and
John Minshull
John Minshull (c.1741 – 23 October 1793), also known as John Minchin, was a famous English cricketer during the 1770s. He scored the first definitely recorded century in cricket. He was born at Acton in Middlesex.
According to John Nyren, Min ...
were "the only two batsmen (i.e., in the 1770s) that the
Hambledon men were afraid of". He comments on Miller's ability to "cut a ball at the point of the bat" and adds, slightly contradicting Haygarth's version, that "although (Miller was) fully as stout a man as Minshull, he was considerably more active".
Little is known about Miller personally except that he seems to have been a gamekeeper employed by the
Duke of Dorset
Duke of Dorset was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1720 for the politician Lionel Sackville, 7th Earl of Dorset.
History
The Sackville family descended from Sir Richard Sackville. His only surviving son, Thomas S ...
at Knole House near
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506 situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter main line railway into London. Sevenoaks is from Charing Cross, the traditio ...
. Latterly, he took up residence with
Sir Horatio Mann
Sir Horatio (Horace) Mann, 2nd Baronet (2 February 1744 – 2 April 1814) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. He is remembered as a member of the Hambledon Club in Hampshire and a patron of Kent cricket ...
at
Bourne
Bourne may refer to:
Places UK
* Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town
** Bourne Abbey
** Bourne railway station
* Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex
* Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset
* Bourne ...
, probably in the same employment. His burial took place at
Bridge, Kent
Bridge is a village and civil parish near Canterbury in Kent, South East England.
Bridge village is in the Nailbourne valley in a rural setting on the old Roman road, Watling Street, formerly the main road between London and Dover. The village i ...
on 31 October 1784, only a year after his last recorded match.
Alternative first name
Miller's first name may be subject to question for, although he is generally known as Joseph, he has also been referred to as Richard,
[Major, p. 70.] though that would seem to be due to confusion with the Richard Miller who played alongside him in one match for
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
in the
1774 season. In his ''Cricket Scores'',
H. T. Waghorn
Henry Thomas Waghorn (11 April 1842 – 30 January 1930), was a cricket statistician and historian. He is best known for his two classic researches into cricket's early history: ''The Dawn of Cricket'' and Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730 - 1773 ...
records that "Richard Miller" played for Kent against Surrey at
Laleham Burway
Laleham Burway is a tract of water-meadow and former water-meadow between the River Thames and Abbey River in the far north of Chertsey in Surrey. Its uses are varied. Part is Laleham Golf Club. Semi-permanent park homes in the west forms reside ...
in June 1773 but in Haygarth's version of this scorecard, he has listed the player as "J. Miller".
The majority of sources call him J. or Joseph although Nyren, a great admirer of Miller, uses his surname only.
[Haygarth, pp. 3–58.][Nyren, p. 74.]
Haygarth, who studied all of the old scorecards and biographical material available, acknowledges that "there seems to have been two (Millers) but it is almost certain that J was the "crack" and played in the great contests of the day".
G. B. Buckley does not attempt to correct Haygarth re Miller in his appendix of additions and amendments to ''Scores and Biographies'' and thereby accepts that J. Miller is the correct version.
[Buckley, pp. 207–236.]
Notes
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Joseph
1784 deaths
English cricketers
English cricketers of 1701 to 1786
Year of birth unknown
Surrey cricketers
Kent cricketers
East Kent cricketers
Non-international England cricketers
People from Bridge, Kent