Tom Faulkner facts for kids

Thomas Faulkner (born around 1719, died 1785) was a famous English sportsman. People called him 'Long Tom'. He was great at both cricket and prizefighting. Faulkner was from Surrey and was especially good at a type of cricket called single wicket cricket, where fewer players compete. He played many important matches at the Artillery Ground. He was a regular player for the well-known Addington Cricket Club from 1744 to 1761. He often played exciting single wicket games against another famous player, Stephen Dingate.

Cricket Career Highlights

Thomas Faulkner's first recorded cricket game was on 2 June 1744. He played for the London team in a match with eleven players on each side. They played against a combined team from Surrey and Sussex at the Artillery Ground.

Surrey and Sussex won this game by 55 runs. This match is very famous today because it has the world's oldest known match scorecard. A scorecard is like a record sheet that shows how many runs each player scored. However, this old scorecard did not say how players got out.

London was the home team, and their opponents were from the counties of Surrey and Sussex. The visiting team batted first and scored 102 runs. London then batted and scored 79 runs. Faulkner was batting sixth and scored 1 run before he was out.

In their second turn, Surrey and Sussex scored 102 runs for 6 wickets. They seemed to stop their innings early, even though the rules of cricket at that time did not allow teams to declare (end their turn early). London needed 126 runs to win the game. However, they were all out (all their players were out) for only 70 runs. Faulkner did not score any runs in this turn. The 2nd Duke of Richmond kept this important scorecard at Goodwood House.

Prizefighting Adventures

Thomas Faulkner was also a skilled prizefighter. His first recorded fight was on 16 February 1757. It took place at Long Fields in Bloomsbury, which is now near Russell Square. He fought against a Frenchman named Monsieur Petit. Faulkner won this fight after ten rounds, which lasted 39 minutes.

One of his last fights was against an Irishman named Rossemus Gregory. This tough fight happened on 28 April 1777. Faulkner won again after twenty rounds, which lasted a very long 116 minutes. People knew that he had a broken nose from his fighting career.

Later Life and Passing

After his exciting career, Faulkner retired from sports. He became the manager of a public house called the Welsh Harp. This pub was located at 28, Aylesbury Street, in St James Clerkenwell.

Thomas Faulkner passed away on 14 March 1785. He was 66 years old when he died. He was buried in the churchyard of St James' church.