George Brown (cricketer, born 1783)

George Brown (27 April 1783 – 25 June 1857) was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1819 to 1838.

George Brown
Personal information
Born(1887-10-06)6 October 1887
Cowley, Oxfordshire
Died25 June 1857(1857-06-25) (aged 73)
Winchester, Hampshire, England
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm fast
RelationsJohn Brown (son)
George Brown, Jr. (son)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1819–1828Hampshire
1825–1838Sussex
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 51
Runs scored 1,053
Batting average 11.44
100s/50s 0/2
Top score 70
Balls bowled 2,563
Wickets 89
Bowling average 11.33
5 wickets in innings 5
10 wickets in match 1
Best bowling 6/?
Catches/stumpings 51/–
Source: Cricinfo, 25 December 2009

A right-handed batsman and fast underarm bowler who played for Hampshire and Sussex, he made 51 known appearances in first-class matches.[1] He represented the Players in the Gentlemen v Players series.

Brown was credited with 89 wickets in his career (i.e., bowled only) with a best return of six in one innings. He had a reputation for extreme pace and was widely known as "Brown of Brighton". He is said, though the story may be apocryphal, to have once killed a dog when a ball he had bowled went past the stumps and through a coat held by the longstop, hitting the dog which was behind the coat.[2] Another of his longstops, a man called Dench, insisted on fielding with a sack of straw tied to his chest for protection.[3] E H Budd played against both Brown and Walter Marcon, who had a similar reputation, and Budd said that "Brown was not more terrific in his speed than Marcon", an elaborate way of saying that they were both extremely fast.[4] Brown was a useful batsman and made 1053 runs at 11.44 with a top score of 70 which he scored during the first of the three roundarm trial matches.[5] He died in Winchester, Hampshire.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Player Profile: George Brown". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  2. ^ Altham, p. 57.
  3. ^ Frith, p.28.
  4. ^ Frith, p.41.
  5. ^ "Sussex v Kent County Match 1825". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 14 November 2013.