George Thompson (cricketer) facts for kids

George Joseph Thompson (born 27 October 1877, died 3 March 1943) was a very important cricket player. He played for the Northamptonshire team for many years. This was during a time when they were a smaller team and when they first joined the main County Championship.

Who Was George Thompson?

George Thompson was a tall and strong man. He was over six feet tall and weighed more than 100 kilograms. He was known as an excellent all-rounder in cricket. This means he was good at both batting and bowling.

Thompson's Batting Skills

Even though he was big, George Thompson was a careful batter. He had a very sharp eye. This made him hard to get out when the cricket pitch was dry and firm. Sometimes he hit the ball very hard. However, he didn't swing his bat much. This limited the types of shots he could play. His size also made him a bit slow when running between the wickets. He didn't score many runs on wet pitches.

Thompson's Bowling Skills

As a bowler, Thompson bowled faster than medium pace. He could also make the ball spin a lot. This made him a tough bowler to face. He was especially good when pitches were hard. He could also be very difficult to play after rain or on a crumbling pitch.

Amazing Fielding Feat

George Thompson had large hands and long arms. This made him a great fieldsman in the "slip" position. In 1914, he did something amazing. He caught three balls in a row against Warwickshire. No other out-fielder had done this before him. It was a very rare and impressive moment in cricket history!

Early Cricket Days

George Thompson went to Wellingborough School from 1890 to 1893. He started playing for Northamptonshire as a teenager. At that time, Northamptonshire was not yet a first-class team.

His talent was clear very quickly. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) even asked him to play for them sometimes in 1897. He was not even twenty years old yet. In 1900, he scored 125 runs for the "Players" team. This surprised many people. For the next three years, he was very successful for Northamptonshire. He played in the Minor Counties Championship. By 1904, he was averaging 36 runs with the bat. He also took wickets for less than 10 runs each. This showed he was too good for that level of cricket.

First-Class Cricket Career

In 1905, Northamptonshire became a first-class team. George Thompson bowled extremely well that year. Even though his teammates struggled at the higher level, he shone. He was rewarded by being named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

Busy Seasons and Milestones

Thompson had to bowl a lot because his team didn't have many other strong bowlers. Despite this, he bowled excellently in 1906 and 1907. In 1906, he achieved the "double." This means he scored over 1,000 runs and took over 100 wickets in one season. This is a big achievement in cricket!

In 1907, he didn't score 50 runs even once. In 1908, his bowling was not as good.

Best Seasons and England Call-Up

Thompson bounced back strongly in 1909. He had his best season ever, taking 163 wickets. He also played for England at Edgbaston. His bowling wasn't needed much in that match. This was because other bowlers like George Hirst and Colin Blythe were doing so well.

In the winter after 1909, Thompson played in South Africa. He was very good at batting against the South African "googly" bowlers. Only Jack Hobbs was better than him. In 1910, he achieved the "double" again.

In 1911, the pitches were very hard. Thompson bowled as well as ever. He even had the best bowling average among all first-class players. His bowling and slip catching were key reasons why Northamptonshire became one of the top teams in 1912 and 1913.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1914, Thompson's bowling started to decline a bit. However, his batting became even better. Unfortunately, he suffered serious injuries. These injuries stopped him from playing cricket until 1921.

When he returned in 1921, he could no longer bowl effectively. But he still had some of his batting skills. After playing a few games in 1922, George Thompson's cricket career came to an end.