Arthur Shrewsbury facts for kids
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 11 April 1856 New Lenton, Nottinghamshire, England |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 19 May 1903 (aged 47) Gedling, Nottinghamshire, England |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Opening batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 35) | 31 December 1881 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 24 August 1893 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1875–1902 | Nottinghamshire | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Source: CricketArchive, 31 May 2012
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Arthur Shrewsbury (born April 11, 1856 – died May 19, 1903) was a famous English cricketer. Many people thought he was one of the best batsmen of the 1880s, right up there with the legendary W. G. Grace. Grace himself once said that if he could pick any player for his team, he would choose Arthur.
Shrewsbury was an opening batsman for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. He played 23 Test matches for England, leading the team as captain in 7 of those games. He won 5 matches and lost 2 as captain. He was the last professional (a paid player) to captain England until 1952. In 1890, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.
He was also very good at playing on difficult, wet cricket pitches, known as "sticky wickets." He was the top batsman in first-class cricket seven times, even in his last season in 1902. He also helped organize the first British rugby tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1888. Arthur Shrewsbury passed away in 1903 at his sister's home in Gedling, Nottinghamshire.
Contents
Early Life and First Matches
Arthur Shrewsbury was born in New Lenton, Nottinghamshire. He was the seventh child of William Shrewsbury and Mary Ann Wragg. He went to People's College in Nottingham and learned to be a draughtsman, someone who drew plans for buildings.
He started playing club cricket with Meadow Imperial and later joined Nottingham Commercial Club. This is where county officials first noticed his talent. In May 1873, just after his 17th birthday, Shrewsbury played his first game at Lord's. He played for the young players of England against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He learned his batting style from another great player, Richard Daft.
Starting First-Class Cricket
Shrewsbury missed most of the 1874 season because of a serious illness. He made his first-class debut in May 1875 for Nottinghamshire against Derbyshire. He scored 313 runs that season, with a top score of 41.
The next year, 1876, Shrewsbury scored his first century in first-class cricket. He made 118 runs against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge. He and Richard Daft made 183 runs together for the first wicket. In May 1877, he scored 119 runs at The Oval. He ended that season with 778 runs.
In 1878, Australia toured England for the first time. Shrewsbury played against them and scored 8 runs in a match Nottinghamshire won easily. He scored 724 runs that season. The next season was not as good for him. In September 1879, he toured North America with Richard Daft's team, winning all six matches against teams with more players. In the 1880 season, he scored 403 runs, with his highest score being 66 not out against the touring Australians.
In 1881, Shrewsbury and Alfred Shaw led a "strike" of Nottinghamshire's professional players. They had disagreements with the county secretary. Because of this, Shrewsbury only played three first-class matches that season. This break allowed him, Shaw, and James Lillywhite to plan a profitable eight-month tour of Australia, New Zealand, and America for the next winter.
First World Tour
The tour started with games in North America. Shrewsbury missed the first part of the tour due to a chest illness and sailed straight to Australia. The matches in America did not make much money.
In Australia, the team played two first-class matches before the First Test. Shrewsbury scored 80 not out in one of these games. The First Test was played in Melbourne over the New Year. Shrewsbury was one of ten players making their Test debut. He scored 11 and 16 runs in a match that ended in a draw. After playing seven matches in New Zealand, the team returned to Australia for the remaining three Test matches. Shrewsbury scored 7 and 22 in the Second Test.
His best performance on the tour was in the Third Test in Sydney. He scored the most runs for England in both turns at bat, with 82 and 47. The next highest score by an Englishman was only 23. In the final Test, he scored 1 run. Rain on the last day stopped England from winning the series, which Australia won 2–0. The matches in Sydney and Melbourne were very popular, and the three organizers made a good profit. After the tour, Shrewsbury returned to England feeling much healthier. He and Shaw apologized to the Nottinghamshire committee and were welcomed back to the team.
Success in England
In 1882, Shrewsbury scored his first double century in first-class cricket. He made 207 runs at The Oval, sharing a huge partnership of 289 runs with Billy Barnes. This was a record for the second wicket in first-class cricket. The next season was different; Shrewsbury scored seven half-centuries but no centuries, reaching 1,000 runs in a season for the first time.
In 1884, Australia toured England. Shrewsbury prepared for the First Test by scoring 209 runs against Sussex. He and Billy Gunn made 266 runs together, a record for the fifth wicket. In the drawn First Test, Shrewsbury scored 43 runs, the most for England. England won the Second Test easily. The Third Test was a draw, with Australia batting for a very long time. Shrewsbury finished the season just under 1,000 runs, and Nottinghamshire was named the best county team.
Test Match Achievements
Lillywhite, Shaw, and Shrewsbury organized another tour of Australia in 1884–85, with Shrewsbury as the team captain. In the First Test, England won by 8 wickets. England also won the Second Test easily. The next two Tests were lost. In the deciding Fifth Test, Shrewsbury played a great captain's innings, scoring 105 not out. This was his first Test century. An Australian critic described his play as "a treat to look at." Shrewsbury finished the Test series with 301 runs.
In 1885, Shrewsbury was the top batsman in England for the first time, scoring 1130 runs with four centuries. For the third year in a row, Nottinghamshire was the best county team. The next season, he scored 227 not out against Gloucestershire, staying at the crease for 72 overs against W. G. Grace.
Shrewsbury's best innings that season came against the touring Australians and their amazing bowler, Fred Spofforth. In the Second Test at Lord's, Shrewsbury showed how good he was on difficult pitches. He scored 164 runs, while the next highest score in the match was only 58. England won by an innings. England won the series easily. Shrewsbury finished the season with 1404 runs, and Nottinghamshire kept their title.
More Australian Tours
England toured Australia in 1886–87, with Shrewsbury as captain again. England won the series 2–0. Shrewsbury's best innings on this tour was 236 runs in a match between the "Non-Smokers" and the "Smokers." This was part of a record-breaking partnership of 311 runs with Billy Gunn. The tour did not make much money, but Shrewsbury was already planning another tour for the next year.
1887 was Shrewsbury's best season. He scored 1653 runs, which was the highest batting average ever at that time. He scored five centuries in a row and finished the season with his highest first-class score of 267 against Middlesex. During this season, Shrewsbury scored his 10,000th first-class run.
In 1887–88, Shrewsbury made his last tour to Australia. This tour lost a lot of money because another team was also touring at the same time. Shrewsbury's team played a match against Victoria where he scored 232 runs, becoming the first Englishman to score a double century in Australia. The two touring teams then combined for a Test Match against Australia. Shrewsbury scored 44 runs in a low-scoring match that England won. He scored another double century in the final game of the tour. To try and make up for his losses, Shrewsbury stayed in Australia after the cricket tour and managed an English rugby football team. Because of this, he missed the 1888 English cricket season.
Rugby Tour of Australasia
Arthur Shrewsbury organized a unique tour in 1888. A British team played both Australian rules football matches and Rugby matches in Australia and New Zealand. This was the only time an international team toured Australia to play Australian rules football. It was also interesting because some British players on the tour said they liked Australian rules football more than Rugby.
Shrewsbury also helped plan a return tour for an Australian team to Britain. However, the Australian rules football part of that tour was cancelled at the last minute. At the time, there was interest in Australian rules football in England and Scotland. Some people think that if the Australian rules tour had happened, the sport might have spread around the world like other sports from the British Empire.
England's Best Batsman
Shrewsbury scored a century in his first match back in England in 1889. He finished that season with 522 runs. In 1890, Shrewsbury was chosen as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.
In 1890, he scored 267 runs against Sussex, matching his highest score. He also shared a partnership of 398 runs with Billy Gunn, which is still the second-wicket record for Nottinghamshire. Australia toured that season, but Shrewsbury struggled in the Test matches. He still topped the domestic batting averages.
Shrewsbury had a slow start to the 1891 season. However, he improved greatly in the second half of the season and was once again the top batsman. He was offered a spot on the tour to Australia but decided to stay home to look after his business.
In 1892, Shrewsbury scored his tenth and final double century. He also had the highest batting average for the third season in a row. Australia's tour of England in 1893 included three Test matches. In the First Test, Shrewsbury played a brilliant innings on a difficult pitch, scoring 106 runs. Wisden said his batting was "marked by extreme patience, unfailing judgment, and a mastery over the difficulties." During this innings, Shrewsbury became the first cricketer to score 1,000 Test runs. He scored 81 runs in the second innings, but the match ended in a draw due to rain. He was the top run-scorer in the series with 284 runs.
Later Career
Shrewsbury missed the 1894 season due to poor health. He returned in 1895 and led his county in batting averages. He passed 1,000 runs in 1896, scoring two centuries.
In 1897, Shrewsbury passed 20,000 first-class career runs. His scores improved in 1898 and 1899, leading the county averages in both seasons. In 1899, Shrewsbury and Arthur Jones made a 391-run opening partnership, which was a county record until 2000.
In 1900, Shrewsbury's average dropped, but he still topped the county averages. In 1901, Nottinghamshire was bowled out for only 13 runs, the second lowest total ever in county cricket. Shrewsbury missed this match because he injured his hand while fielding.
In 1902, at 46 years old, Shrewsbury was again the top batsman in first-class cricket. He scored four centuries, including two in one match for the first time. His performances earned him more praise in the 1903 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, which said his batting was "marked by all its old qualities."
Cricket Records
Shrewsbury was the first cricketer to score 1,000 Test runs in 1893. His total of 1,277 Test runs was a record for over 15 years, until 1902. Only Clem Hill and Wally Hammond have held the record for longer.
Two of Shrewsbury's three Test centuries were scored at Lord's, including his highest Test innings of 164. This score was a Test record at Lord's until 1924. In six innings at Lord's, Shrewsbury scored 395 runs.
Shrewsbury set many batting records for Nottinghamshire. He scored the county's first double-century in 1882. He also scored seven of the county's first eight double-centuries. He was the first Nottinghamshire cricketer to score a century in both innings of a match. His county record of six centuries in a season, set in 1887, was not broken until 1925.
Between 1886 and 1892, Shrewsbury was the top batsman in first-class cricket five times. During one of these seasons, 1888, he did not even play cricket because he was in Australia managing the rugby team.
Shrewsbury's Batting Style
Arthur Shrewsbury was known for being a slow-scoring batsman. However, C. B. Fry said that this idea was wrong. He explained that Shrewsbury would wait for the right ball and then hit it for four runs. He did not waste time hitting balls that would go straight to a fielder.
Edward Sewell, who played at the same time as Shrewsbury, said that Shrewsbury developed his own unique way of playing. He became a "king of legend" by perfecting his method. Shrewsbury was very good at playing off the back foot, which helped him master the difficult, wet pitches common at county grounds. Most batsmen in the 1870s and 1880s usually played off the front foot.
His Wisden obituary said: "As a batsman he had a style of back play peculiarly his own, and his judgment of the length of bowling was almost unequalled." Shrewsbury was not a very strong or muscular man. He said that he did not hit the ball hard, but instead guided it where he wanted it to go.
Some people, like Rait Kerr, criticized Shrewsbury's technique. They said he used his pads (leg guards) too much to defend his wicket. At the time, the LBW law meant a batsman was only out if the ball hit their pads and would have hit the wicket, and the ball had to pitch between the wickets. In 1888, the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) said that using the body to defend the wicket was against the spirit of the game.
Shaw and Shrewsbury Business
During the 1879 tour of North America, Shrewsbury and Alfred Shaw made plans to start a business together. They opened 'The Midland Cricket, Lawn Tennis, Football and General Athletic Sports Depot' in Nottingham. After their profitable tour in 1881/2, they opened a factory called 'Gresham Works'. In 1884, the company's name changed to 'Shaw and Shrewsbury'. Their famous trademark, showing a kangaroo and an emu with a cricket bat, was introduced in 1886.
After the financial losses from the 1887/8 tour of Australia, the company moved from two buildings into one smaller building. After Shrewsbury's death, his share in the company was divided among his brother, William, and four of his nephews. The company closed in 1939.
See Also
- List of Nottinghamshire first-class cricket records
Images for kids
-
An innings-by-innings breakdown of Shrewsbury's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).
