Charlie Absolom facts for kids
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| Full name |
Charles Alfred Absolom
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| Born | 7 June 1846 Blackheath, Kent |
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| Died | 30 July 1889 (aged 43) Port-of-Spain, Trinidad |
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| Nickname | Cambridge Navvy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Only Test (cap 12) | 2 January 1879 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1866–1869 | Cambridge University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1868–1879 | Kent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 19 March 2017
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Charles Alfred Absolom (born June 7, 1846 – died July 30, 1889) was an English amateur cricketer. He played for important teams like Cambridge University, Kent County Cricket Club, and even for the England national team. His career lasted from 1866 to 1879.
Contents
Early Life and College Cricket
Charles Absolom was born in Blackheath, Kent. His father, Edward Absolom, was a tea merchant. The family later moved to Snaresbrook in Essex.
Charles went to school in Calne and then studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge, he was a talented athlete. He earned "Blues" for both cricket and athletics. A "Blue" is a special award given to top university athletes. He finished his studies in 1870.
His friends called him "Bos." He also had the nickname "The Cambridge Navvy." This name probably came from his large size and strength. During his time at Cambridge University, he played 18 cricket matches. He took over 100 wickets in these games. He also played in the important Varsity Match every year from 1866 to 1869.
After college, he started studying law. However, he did not finish his law studies.
Playing for England and Kent
Charles Absolom was chosen to tour Australia with Lord Harris's English team in 1878-1879. He played in the only Test match of that tour. A Test match is the highest level of international cricket.
Even though he was 32 and his skills were starting to slow down, Lord Harris, who was his team captain, picked him. In this Test match, Australia's Fred Spofforth took a "hat-trick." This means he got three wickets with three balls in a row! England was in trouble, with only 26 runs for 7 wickets.
Absolom came in to bat when England was struggling. He scored 52 runs. He and Lord Harris added 63 runs together for the eighth wicket. This was a great effort!
He did not play another Test match after this one. He finished his career with the Kent team by the end of the 1879 season. He played 57 matches for Kent and took 87 wickets.
Unusual Dismissal
In 1868, while playing for Cambridge, Absolom was involved in a very unusual moment. He became the first batsman in first-class cricket to be given out for "obstructing the field." This happened when a ball was being thrown back to the wicket. The ball hit his bat as he was trying to complete a seventh run.
Life After Cricket
After leaving his legal studies, it's not clear how Charles Absolom earned money for some years. In late 1879, he left England and traveled to the United States. He lived in places like Charlottesville and the New York area. He also spent time with the Spokane people near the Columbia River in Washington Territory.
Later, he worked as a ship's purser. A purser is an officer on a ship who handles money and passenger needs. He worked on ships named the SS Orinoco and the SS Muriel. He also continued to play cricket for the Staten Island Cricket Club.
Sadly, Charles Absolom died in 1889 at the age of 43. He passed away in an accident while cargo was being loaded onto the ship Muriel. This happened in Port of Spain, Trinidad.
