Arthur Fielder facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Arthur Fielder

Fielder in 1906
Personal information
Full name	Arthur Fielder
Born	(1877-07-19)19 July 1877 Plaxtol, Tonbridge, Kent
Died	30 August 1949(1949-08-30) (aged 72) Lambeth, London
Nickname	Pip
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm fast
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 140)	1 January 1904 v Australia
Last Test	11 February 1908 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1900–1914	Kent
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class Matches 6 287 Runs scored 78 2,320 Batting average 11.14 11.31 100s/50s 0/0 1/2 Top score 20 112* Balls bowled 1,491 52,086 Wickets 26 1,277 Bowling average 27.34 21.02 5 wickets in innings 1 97 10 wickets in match 0 28 Best bowling 6/82 10/90 Catches/stumpings 4/– 119/–
Source: CricInfo, 26 December 2008

Arthur Fielder (born July 19, 1877 – died August 30, 1949) was a famous English cricket player. He was a very fast bowler for Kent County Cricket Club and the England cricket team. He played from 1900 to 1914. Arthur helped Kent win the County Championship four times before World War I. He also traveled to Australia twice with the England team. He played in six important Test matches. In 1907, he was even named one of the best cricketers of the year by Wisden.

Arthur Fielder's Early Life

Arthur Fielder was born in 1877 in Plaxtol, near Tonbridge in Kent. His father worked on a farm. Arthur himself worked on a hop farm when he was young. In 1897, he joined a special training program for young cricketers. This program was run by Kent at the Angel Ground in Tonbridge. It helped train many professional cricketers. These players later became the core of Kent's successful teams. In 1904, Fielder also spent a year working at the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Arthur Fielder's Cricket Career

Fielder started his professional cricket career in 1900. He played his first big match for Kent against Essex. In this match, he didn't take any wickets and didn't score any runs. But he went on to play 249 first-class cricket matches. He took an amazing 1,277 wickets in these games. He was a key player in four Kent teams that won the County Championship.

Becoming a Star Bowler

In 1903, Fielder became a regular player for Kent. He took the place of another fast bowler, Bill Bradley. He played so well that Wisden called his performance "capital form." Because of his great season, Fielder was chosen to play for the England cricket team. He went on a tour to Australia in 1903–04. He played in two Test matches during this tour. His first Test match was on New Year's Day 1904. It was played at the MCG.

After a tough year in 1905, Fielder became Kent's top wicket-taker in 1906. That year, Kent won the County Championship. Fielder played in all 22 Championship matches. He took 158 wickets for Kent that season. In 1907, he was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year. This was a big honor.

Amazing Bowling Feats

In 1906, Fielder did something incredible. He became the first player to take all 10 wickets in one innings. This happened in the Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's. He took 10 wickets for 90 runs in the first innings. In total, he took 14 wickets in that match. During the 1906 season, Fielder took six or more wickets 13 times. He took 172 wickets in total for Kent that year. He is one of only four players to take more than 150 wickets in a season for Kent. He did it again in 1907, taking another 172 wickets for Kent.

Playing for England in Australia

Fielder was chosen to tour Australia again with England in 1907–08. He played in the first four Test matches on that tour. He took 25 wickets, making him England's second-best wicket-taker. In the first Test at Sydney, he took 6 wickets for 82 runs. England narrowly lost that match. In the second Test at Melbourne, he scored 18 runs. This was a very important partnership at the end of the game. It helped England win by just one wicket.

A Rare Batting Record

Even though Fielder was mostly a bowler, he once scored 112 runs. This was his only century (scoring 100 runs or more) in first-class cricket. It happened against Worcestershire. He was batting at number 11, which is usually for players who are not good at batting. He shared a huge partnership of 235 runs with Frank Woolley. This is still the highest partnership for the last wicket in the County Championship. Their runs helped Kent win the match easily.

Fielder continued to be a key player for Kent until 1914. He took over 100 wickets in 1909, 1911, and 1913. He was part of the Kent teams that won the Championship in 1909, 1910, and 1913. World War I stopped his professional cricket career. He did play two non-first-class matches after the war.

Arthur Fielder's Style of Play

In 1907, Wisden described Fielder's bowling style. He was "quite modern" in how he bowled. He usually bowled the ball away from the batsman. This was called an out-swing delivery. He hoped the batsman would hit the ball to the slip fielders for a catch. He also bowled balls that would curve back towards the batsman. Wisden said he bowled at a "fine pace," meaning he was very fast. He was also very consistent and could bowl for a long time.

Fielder had a very unusual way of running up to bowl. Someone who watched him play described it: "Fielder ... has three different speeds when running to the wicket. At each change, he bobs his head as if to avoid something thrown at him."

Arthur Fielder's Later Life

Arthur Fielder was too old to join the military during World War I. Instead, he became a special constable for the Kent police during the war. He passed away in 1949 at St Thomas' Hospital in London. He was 72 years old.