Roundarm Trial Matches
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Roundarm Trial Matches
OR:
Roundarm Trial Matches on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The roundarm trial matches were a series of
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 ...
matches between
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
and
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 ...
during the 1827 English cricket season. Their purpose was to help the MCC, as the game's lawgivers, to decide if
roundarm bowling In cricket, roundarm bowling is a bowling style that was introduced in the first quarter of the 19th century and largely superseded underarm bowling by the 1830s. Using a roundarm action, the bowlers extend their arm about 90 degrees from their ...
should be legalised or if the only legitimate style of bowling should be
underarm The axilla (also, armpit, underarm or oxter) is the area on the human body directly under the shoulder joint. It includes the axillary space, an anatomical space within the shoulder girdle between the arm and the thoracic cage, bounded superiorl ...
, which had been in use since time immemorial.


Conditions of play

The matches were also known as the "Experimental Matches". The conditions set for the matches allowed
William Lillywhite Frederick William Lillywhite (13 June 1792 – 21 August 1854) was an English first-class cricketer during the game's roundarm era. One of the main protagonists in the legalisation of roundarm, he was one of the most successful bowlers of his ...
and
Jem Broadbridge James "Jem" Broadbridge (1795–1843) was an English professional cricketer who is widely considered the outstanding all-rounder in England during the 1820s. He played mainly for Sussex teams and made 102 known appearances in first-class cric ...
of Sussex to bowl roundarm, while the All-England bowlers had to bowl underarm.


Summary of series

Sussex won the first match at Sheffield against an all-professional All-England team by 7 wickets and the second at Lord's by 3 wickets. After the second match, the following declaration was made by some of the All-England players:
"We, the undersigned, do agree that we will not play the third match between All-England and Sussex, which is intended to be played at Brighton in July or August unless the Sussex bowlers bowl fair – this is, abstain from throwing".
It was signed by
Tom Marsden Thomas Marsden (12 September 1803 – 27 February 1843) was a noted early English cricketer whose career spanned the 1826 to 1841 seasons. Born in Sheffield, Marsden was an all-rounder who batted left-handed and bowled either left-arm fast (unde ...
, William Ashby, William Mathews, William Searle, James Saunders, Thomas Howard, Will Caldecourt,
Fuller Pilch Fuller Pilch (17 March 1804 – 1 May 1870) was an English first-class cricketer, active from 1820 to 1854. He was a right-handed batsman who bowled at a slow pace with a roundarm action. Pilch played in a total of 229 first-class matches for a ...
and Thomas Beagley. The declaration was later withdrawn and the third match was played at Brighton as planned. This time England won by 24 runs.


Match details

Match 1 â€
All-England v Sussex
at Darnall New Ground, Sheffield (4, 5 & 6 June 1827) :All-England 81 (F Pilch 38; W Lillywhite 5w, J Broadbridge 2w) and 112 (T Marsden 22; J Broadbridge 5w, W Lillywhite 2w) :Sussex 91 (J Dale 31*, G Meads 26; W Mathews 3w) and 103–3 (E Thwaites 37*) :Sussex won by 7 wickets. Their first innings was saved by a 10th wicket partnership of at least 50 between Dale and Meads. :All-England: Thomas Flavel, John Bowyer, James Saunders, William Barber,
Tom Marsden Thomas Marsden (12 September 1803 – 27 February 1843) was a noted early English cricketer whose career spanned the 1826 to 1841 seasons. Born in Sheffield, Marsden was an all-rounder who batted left-handed and bowled either left-arm fast (unde ...
,
Fuller Pilch Fuller Pilch (17 March 1804 – 1 May 1870) was an English first-class cricketer, active from 1820 to 1854. He was a right-handed batsman who bowled at a slow pace with a roundarm action. Pilch played in a total of 229 first-class matches for a ...
, George Dawson, Thomas Beagley, William Mathews, George Jarvis, Henry Jupp :Sussex:
George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...
,
George Meads George Meads (7 July 1797 at Lindfield, Sussex – 30 July 1881 at Brighton, Sussex) was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1825 to 1836. He was mainly associated with Sussex and made 14 known appearance ...
, Thomas Pierpoint,
Edward Thwaites Edward Thwaites (Thwaytes) (baptised 1661–1711) was an English scholar of the Anglo-Saxon language. According to David C. Douglas he was "one of the most inspiring teachers which Oxford has ever produced". Life Thwaites was the son of William ...
,
Jem Broadbridge James "Jem" Broadbridge (1795–1843) was an English professional cricketer who is widely considered the outstanding all-rounder in England during the 1820s. He played mainly for Sussex teams and made 102 known appearances in first-class cric ...
,
William Slater William, Bill, Billy or Willie Slater may refer to: * William Slater (architect) (1819–1872), English architect * William Slater (cricketer) (1790–1852), English cricketer * William Slater (swimmer) (born 1940), Canadian swimmer * William A. S ...
,
William Lillywhite Frederick William Lillywhite (13 June 1792 – 21 August 1854) was an English first-class cricketer during the game's roundarm era. One of the main protagonists in the legalisation of roundarm, he was one of the most successful bowlers of his ...
, William Broadbridge, James Dale,
Charles Duff Charles Duff (7 April 1894 – 15 October 1966) was a Northern Irish writer of books on language acquisition, language learning. He also wrote a popular book on hanging and other means of execution.Introduction to ''A Handbook on Hanging'Retrie ...
,
Charles Pierpoint Charles Joseph Pierpoint (born 1 September 1795 at Lindfield, Sussex; details of death unknown) was an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1825 to 1827. He was mainly associated with Sussex, and he made 4 known appearan ...
Match 2 â€
All-England v Sussex
at
Lord's Cricket Ground Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
(18 & 19 June 1827) :All-England 152 (W Ward 42, T Beagley 37; C Duff 3w, W Lillywhite 2w) and 60 (W Ward 20; J Broadbridge 3w) :Sussex 96 (W Broadbridge 21; G T Knight 4w) and 117–7 (J Broadbridge 28) :Sussex won by 3 wickets in two days, the match having been scheduled for three days. :All-England: William Mathews, William Searle, James Saunders, William Ward,
Tom Marsden Thomas Marsden (12 September 1803 – 27 February 1843) was a noted early English cricketer whose career spanned the 1826 to 1841 seasons. Born in Sheffield, Marsden was an all-rounder who batted left-handed and bowled either left-arm fast (unde ...
,
Fuller Pilch Fuller Pilch (17 March 1804 – 1 May 1870) was an English first-class cricketer, active from 1820 to 1854. He was a right-handed batsman who bowled at a slow pace with a roundarm action. Pilch played in a total of 229 first-class matches for a ...
, Thomas Beagley, Henry Kingscote, George T Knight, William Ashby, Thomas Howard :Sussex:
Richard Cheslyn Richard Cheslyn (17 December 1797 – 29 December 1858) was an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1825 to 1846. He was mainly associated with Sussex and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), of which he was a member. He mad ...
,
William Slater William, Bill, Billy or Willie Slater may refer to: * William Slater (architect) (1819–1872), English architect * William Slater (cricketer) (1790–1852), English cricketer * William Slater (swimmer) (born 1940), Canadian swimmer * William A. S ...
,
Henry Morley Henry Morley (15 September 1822 – 14 May 1894) was an English academic who was one of the earliest professors of English literature in Great Britain. Morley wrote a popular book containing biographies of famous English writers. Life The son o ...
, William Broadbridge,
Edward Thwaites Edward Thwaites (Thwaytes) (baptised 1661–1711) was an English scholar of the Anglo-Saxon language. According to David C. Douglas he was "one of the most inspiring teachers which Oxford has ever produced". Life Thwaites was the son of William ...
,
Jem Broadbridge James "Jem" Broadbridge (1795–1843) was an English professional cricketer who is widely considered the outstanding all-rounder in England during the 1820s. He played mainly for Sussex teams and made 102 known appearances in first-class cric ...
,
George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...
, Thomas Pierpoint,
William Lillywhite Frederick William Lillywhite (13 June 1792 – 21 August 1854) was an English first-class cricketer during the game's roundarm era. One of the main protagonists in the legalisation of roundarm, he was one of the most successful bowlers of his ...
,
Charles Duff Charles Duff (7 April 1894 – 15 October 1966) was a Northern Irish writer of books on language acquisition, language learning. He also wrote a popular book on hanging and other means of execution.Introduction to ''A Handbook on Hanging'Retrie ...
,
James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...
Match 3 â€
Sussex v All-England
at Royal New Ground, Brighton (23, 24 & 25 July 1827) :All-England 27 (W Lillywhite 3w, J Broadbridge 2w) and 169 (J Saunders 44, H R Kingscore 31) :Sussex 77 (G Brown 24; E H Budd 2w) and 95 E Thwaites 20, J Dale 20; G T Knight 2w) :All-England won by 24 runs. An estimated 3,000 to 6,000 attended on each day. :All-England: William Searle, James Saunders, William Ward,
Tom Marsden Thomas Marsden (12 September 1803 – 27 February 1843) was a noted early English cricketer whose career spanned the 1826 to 1841 seasons. Born in Sheffield, Marsden was an all-rounder who batted left-handed and bowled either left-arm fast (unde ...
,
Fuller Pilch Fuller Pilch (17 March 1804 – 1 May 1870) was an English first-class cricketer, active from 1820 to 1854. He was a right-handed batsman who bowled at a slow pace with a roundarm action. Pilch played in a total of 229 first-class matches for a ...
, EH Budd, Thomas Beagley, George T Knight, Henry Kingscote,
George Osbaldeston George Osbaldeston (26 December 1786 – 1 August 1866), best known as Squire Osbaldeston, was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament but who had his greatest impact as a sportsman and first-class cricketer. Early life He wa ...
, Richard Mills :Sussex:
William Slater William, Bill, Billy or Willie Slater may refer to: * William Slater (architect) (1819–1872), English architect * William Slater (cricketer) (1790–1852), English cricketer * William Slater (swimmer) (born 1940), Canadian swimmer * William A. S ...
,
Henry Morley Henry Morley (15 September 1822 – 14 May 1894) was an English academic who was one of the earliest professors of English literature in Great Britain. Morley wrote a popular book containing biographies of famous English writers. Life The son o ...
, William Broadbridge,
Edward Thwaites Edward Thwaites (Thwaytes) (baptised 1661–1711) was an English scholar of the Anglo-Saxon language. According to David C. Douglas he was "one of the most inspiring teachers which Oxford has ever produced". Life Thwaites was the son of William ...
,
Jem Broadbridge James "Jem" Broadbridge (1795–1843) was an English professional cricketer who is widely considered the outstanding all-rounder in England during the 1820s. He played mainly for Sussex teams and made 102 known appearances in first-class cric ...
,
George Brown George Brown may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter * George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist * George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor * G ...
, James Dale,
Richard Cheslyn Richard Cheslyn (17 December 1797 – 29 December 1858) was an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1825 to 1846. He was mainly associated with Sussex and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), of which he was a member. He mad ...
,
James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...
, Charles Lanaway,
William Lillywhite Frederick William Lillywhite (13 June 1792 – 21 August 1854) was an English first-class cricketer during the game's roundarm era. One of the main protagonists in the legalisation of roundarm, he was one of the most successful bowlers of his ...
Lillywhite and Broadbridge bowled roundarm again despite the opposition of some All-England players, but the All-England side itself used roundarm in this game as George T Knight was a supporter of it and subsequently did much to have it legalised.Altham, p.62.


Conclusion

The result of the "trial" was inconclusive and it was many years before roundarm was formally legalised. But, in practice, roundarm ''was'' adopted in 1827 as its practitioners, especially Broadbridge and Lillywhite, continued to use it with little, if any, opposition from the umpires.


Aftermath

In 1828, MCC modified Rule 10 of the
Laws of Cricket The ''Laws of Cricket'' is a code which specifies the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. The earliest known code was drafted in 1744 and, since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Lond ...
to permit the bowler's hand to be raised as high as the elbow. In 1835, powerless to prevent the use of roundarm, MCC finally amended the Laws of Cricket to make it legal. The relevant part of the Law stated: "if the hand be above the shoulder in the delivery, the umpire must call ''No Ball''." Bowlers' hands now started to go above the shoulder and the 1835 Law had to be reinforced in 1845 by removing benefit of the doubt from the bowler in the matter of his hand's height when delivering the ball.


References

{{Reflist


Bibliography

* H S Altham, ''A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914)'', George Allen & Unwin, 1926 *
Derek Birley Sir Derek Birley (31 May 1926 – 14 May 2002) was a distinguished English educationalist and a prize-winning writer on the social history of sport, particularly cricket. Life and career Born in a mining community in West Yorkshire, Birley attend ...
, ''A Social History of English Cricket'', Aurum, 1999 *
Rowland Bowen Major Rowland Francis Bowen (27 February 1916 – 4 September 1978) was a British Army officer and a cricket researcher, historian and writer. Educated at Westminster School, Bowen received an emergency commission in April 1942 into the In ...
, ''Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development'', Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 *
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 ...
, ''Scores & Biographies'', Volume 2 (1826–1840), Lillywhite, 1862 *
James Pycroft James Pycroft (1813 – 10 March 1895) is chiefly known for writing ''The Cricket Field'', one of the earliest books about cricket, published in 1851. Pycroft mythologised cricket as a noble, manly and essentially British activity ("Cricket is e ...
, ''The Cricket Field'', Longman, 1854 English domestic cricket competitions English cricket in the 19th century June 1827 sports events July 1827 sports events