Lamborn (Hambledon cricketer) facts for kids

Lamborn was an important English cricket player in the 1700s. He played for the Hambledon Club. People remember him as one of the best at inventing new ways to bowl the ball. We don't know his first name or exactly when he was born or died.

Lamborn's Cricket Career

Lamborn played in 22 important cricket matches. These are called first-class games. He started playing for Surrey in 1777. In 1778, he played for Chertsey Cricket Club.

Later, he played many games for the All-England team. From 1780, he also played for Hampshire. In 1781, he was linked to a team in east Kent. After that year, there are no more records of him playing.

We don't know much about Lamborn's personal life. His friends on the cricket field called him "The Little Farmer". This nickname gives us a hint about his size and maybe what he did for a living.

New Ways of Bowling

Lamborn was quite special in his short cricket career. He had a very unusual way of bowling. He was a right-arm underarm spin bowler. This means he bowled with his arm below his shoulder. His ball would fly low and then curve.

He was known for a "twist from off to leg." This is called an off-break. Normally, underarm bowlers make the ball spin from the leg side to the off side. This is a leg-break. But Lamborn invented the off-break. He made the ball spin from the off side towards the leg side of a right-handed batsman. People said he was "no batter," meaning he wasn't good at hitting the ball. The old game scores show this was true.

The idea of bowling a ball that bounced (a "pitched delivery") was quite new. It had only started in the 1760s when Lamborn played. Before that, bowlers would roll or skim the ball along the ground. So, spin bowling itself was a new skill.

A famous cricket writer, John Nyren, said that Lamborn was the first person he remembered who used this "deceitful and teasing style" of bowling. This means Lamborn's bowling was tricky and hard for batsmen to hit.

A Funny Story

There is a well-known story about Lamborn and the Duke of Dorset. One time, a ball came very close to the Duke. Lamborn told him: "It was tedious near your Grace!"

Lamborn had a strong country accent. The way he said this was very funny to the Duke. The Duke found it amusing for a long time afterward.