- John Minshull
John Minshull "aka" Minchin (born c.1741; died
23 October 1793 atKingston upon Thames ,Surrey ) was a famous Englishcricket er during the 1770s. He scored the first definitely recorded century, albeit in a minor match.According to
John Nyren , Minshull was a "capital hitter, and a sure guard of his wicket" but "not an elegant player, his position and general style were both awkward and uncouth". Minshull evidently had a high opinion of his own ability and was said to have been "as conceited as a wagtail and from his constantly aping what he had no pretensions to, was, on that account only, not estimated according to the price at which he had rated his own merits". Nyren added a physical description: "a thick-set man, about 5"9" in height, rather a slow mover in the field (and had) a tendency towards injury and illness"Ashley Mote , "John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time", Robson, 1998] .Little is known about him personally except that he was for a time employed by the Duke of Dorset as a gardener at
Knole House , nearSevenoaks . He played for Dorset'sKent county cricket teams during this period but it seems he then moved to Surrey as he played for the Surrey eleven from 1775 till he was last recorded in 1780Arthur Haygarth , "Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826)", Lillywhite, 1862] .Minshull's century was scored on Thursday
31 August 1769 when he played for [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/0/3.html the Duke of Dorset's XI against Wrotham] . It was a minor match but Minshull's score of 107 is the earliest definitely known century in any class of cricketDavid Underdown , "Start of Play", Allen Lane, 2000] . To reach his century Minshull scored 34 singles, 15 twos, 9 threes and 4 fours [ [http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1760S/1769/ENG_LOCAL/DUKE-DORSET-XI_WROTHAM_31AUG1769.html CricInfo] ] .References
External source
* [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/31/31495/31495.html CricketArchive record of John Minshull]
* [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/ladstolords/biog.html#minshull From Lads to Lord's – biography of John Minshull]
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