- Bart King
Infobox cricketer biography
playername = Bart King
female =
country = United States
fullname = John Barton King
nickname =
living =
dayofbirth = 19
monthofbirth = 10
yearofbirth = 1873
placeofbirth =Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
countryofbirth = USA
dayofdeath = 17
monthofdeath = 10
yearofdeath = 1965
placeofdeath = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
countryofdeath = USA
heightft =
heightinch =
heightm =
batting = Right-hand
bowling = Right-arm fast
role = Bowler
club1 = Gentlemen of Philadelphia
year1 = 1893–1912
clubnumber1 =
club2 = G.S. Patterson XI
year2 = 1894
clubnumber2 =
type1 = First-class
debutdate1 = 29 September
debutyear1 = 1893
debutfor1 =
Gentlemen of Philadelphia
debutagainst1 = Australians
lastdate1 = 4 October
lastyear1 = 1912
lastfor1 =
Gentlemen of Philadelphia
lastagainst1 = Australians
deliveries = balls
columns = 1
column1 = FC
matches1 = 65
runs1 = 2134
bat avg1 = 20.51
100s/50s1 = 1/8
top score1 = 113*
deliveries1 = 13729
wickets1 = 415
bowl avg1 = 15.65
fivefor1 = 38
tenfor1 = 11
best bowling1 = 10/53
catches/stumpings1 = 67/–
date = 18 August
year = 2007
source = http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6356/6356.html cricketarchiveJohn Barton "Bart" King (October 19, 1873 – October 17, 1965) was an American
cricket er, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. King was one of the Philadelphian cricketers that played from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak ofWorld War I . This period of cricket in the United States was dominated by "gentleman" players—men of independent wealth who did not need to work. King was an amateur from a middle-class family, who was able to devote time to cricket thanks to a job set up by his teammates.King was a skilled
batsman , but proved his worth as a bowler. During his career, he set numerous records in North America and led the first-class bowling averages in England in 1908.cite book | last = Rolfe | first = John |title=Everything You Want to Know About Sports (Sports Illustrated for Kids) |publisher=Bantam Books for Young Readers |location=New York |year=1994 |isbn=0-553-48166-5 |oclc= |doi=] He successfully competed against the best cricketers from England and Australia. King was the dominant bowler on his team when it toured England in 1897, 1903, and 1908. He dismissed batsmen with his unique delivery, which he called the "angler," and helped develop the art ofswing bowling in the sport. Many of the great bowlers of today still use the strategies and techniques that he developed. cite web|url=http://www.sabruk.org/examiner/10/cricket.html |title=SABR UK Examiner no.10: Baseball and Cricket: Cross-Currents |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Synge |first=Allen |year=2007 |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research (UK Chapter) ] Sir Pelham Warner described Bart King as one of the finest bowlers of all time, cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/234625.html |title=Wisden - 1966 - Obituaries in 1965 |accessdate=2007-01-31 |year=1966 |publisher=John Wisden & Co ] andDonald Bradman called him "America's greatest cricketing son."cite book | last = Bradman | first = Donald | authorlink = | title = The Art of Cricket | publisher = Robson Books | year = 1998 | pages = | doi = | isbn = ]Early and personal life
King was born in
Philadelphia in 1873. Early in his life, he worked in thelinen trade. Although this was the family business, his father later allowed him to leave to enter theinsurance industry. King was not a member of the aristocratic and wealthy families of Philadelphia that produced many of the era's top cricketers. King's obituary in "Cricket Quarterly" suggests that his career in insurance was set up for him by those families to allow him to continue playing the game. In 1913, King married a young woman by the name of Lockhart; the marriage lasted for fifty years. King's wife died in 1963, and he died in 1965 in his native Philadelphia just two days short of his 92nd birthday. This was also the year which saw the United States gain membership in the ICC after it had been denied during his playing career.Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/JBKING.HTM ] cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/usa/content/player/25637.html |title=Cricinfo - Players and Officials - Bart King |accessdate=2007-01-31 |year=2007 |publisher=Cricinfo ]Bart King was regarded by many of his contemporaries as an affable person. Ralph Barker called him the
Bob Hope of cricket thanks to his quips and stories. King was also noted for making jabs at opponents, but leaving them laughing at themselves. The same held true when he would question umpires that turned down his appeals. He is said to have spoken for ninety minutes at a dinner during his last tour to England, punctuated every few seconds with laughs. The dinner guests were kept laughing even while King spoke with adead-pan expression. One man who attended the dinner noted that King "told his impossible tales with such an air of conviction...that his audiences were always in doubt when to take him seriously. He made their task doubly difficult by sprinkling in a fair mixture of truth with his fiction."cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ]Cricketing career
Like most young American men of this era, Bart King came to cricket only after first playing
baseball . He began to playclub cricket atTioga Cricket Club in 1888, aged 15,Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/site_update/famous_King.htm ] starting out as abatsman . cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/234625.html |title=Wisden - 1966 - Obituaries in 1965 |accessdate=2007-01-31 |year=1966 |publisher=John Wisden & Co ] Tioga was one of the lesser Philadelphian cricket clubs. King played his first recorded match for the club in 1889, when he was tried as a bowler due to his physique. He took 37wicket s for 99 runs for the club in the 1889 cricket season. cite book |author=Ramachandra Guha, Ed |title=The Picador Book of Cricket |publisher=Picador |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-330-39612-9 |oclc= |doi=]King played for Tioga until 1896, when he joined
Belmont Cricket Club . King joined thePhiladelphian cricket team for three tours of England while playing at Belmont. King's most dominating matches came during these tours, playing with the premier American team of the era.Australia in Philadelphia
In 1893, the Australian team stopped by Philadelphia on its way home from a tour of England. Australia fielded a strong side, but the team was tired after a long tour and trip. In spite of this fatigue, the Australians chose to face the full strength of the Gentlemen of Philadelphia in a three day match starting September 29.
On a small ground at Belmont, the September grass was coarse. It had been rolled so that balls moved very quickly across the ground. The Australian side, fielding first, dropped many catches and could not cope with the short boundary, allowing the Philadelphians reach the huge total of 525 runs. King came in to bat last, at number 11, making 36 runs. The leading Australian bowlers,
Hugh Trumble andGeorge Giffen , took 2 for 104 and 0 for 114 respectively. When the Australians came to bat, they hoped that they would have recovered from their tiring journey, but they ran into problems in dealing with Bart King's developing swing bowling. The side was all out for 199, with King taking 5 wickets for 78 runs. The Australians followed on and were all out again for 268, allowing the Gentlemen of Philadelphia to win by aninnings and 68 runs. cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4057.html |title=Philadelphians v Australians in 1893 |accessdate=2007-04-17 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ]The cricket world was stunned that a single American city could turn out a side capable of beating the full strength of Australia. The Australians won the return match on 6 October by six wickets, cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/4/4059.html |title=Philadelphians v Australians in 1893 |accessdate=2007-04-17 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=
CricketArchive ] but the Australian captain,Jack Blackham , said to the Americans, "You have better players here than we have been led to believe. They class with England's best."cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ]Tour of England in 1897
King won the Child's Bowling Cup, the premier award for bowling in American cricket, for the first time in 1896,cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ] and joined the Philadelphian cricket team's tour of England in 1897. The tour was very ambitious, and was arranged mainly for educational purposes: few of those on the American side expected to win many matches. cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150157.html |title=Wisden - 1898 - The Philadelphians in England, 1897 |accessdate=2007-01-31 |year=1898 |publisher=John Wisden & Co ] Previous tours had tended to involve amateur English sides with a low level of competition. In 1897, the tour started on June 7 at
Oxford , ending in late July atThe Oval almost 2 months later. The schedule included fifteen matches against all of the top county cricket teams, the Oxford and Cambridge University teams, theMarylebone Cricket Club , and two other sides, though only a few of the counties thought it worth while to put their best elevens onto the field. cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150157.html |title=Wisden - 1898 - The Philadelphians in England, 1898 |accessdate=2007-01-31 |year=1998 |publisher=John Wisden & Co ]While the tour initially aroused some curiosity, many English fans lost interest until Bart King and the Philadelphians met the full Sussex team at
Brighton on June 17. King demonstrated his batting ability in first innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 107 withJohn Lester . cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/4/4791.html |title=Sussex v Philadelphians in 1897 |accessdate=2007-02-09 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ] He then took 7 wickets for 13 runs, and Philadelphia dismissed Sussex for 46 in less than an hour.cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ] King took 6 for 102 in Sussex's second innings, helping the Philadelphians to a victory by 8 wickets.Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/site_update/famous_King.htm ]Despite the excitement surrounding King's performance, the Americans did not fare well overall, and the results may have been worse than hoped for the tour's promoters. Philadelphia won only two of their fifteen matches, losing nine and earning a draw in the remaining four. After their win against Sussex, the only other win of the tour came against Warwickshire. During this match, King took 5 for 95 and 7 for 72 and scored 46 runs. cite book |author=Ramachandra Guha, Ed |title=The Picador Book of Cricket |publisher=Picador |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-330-39612-9 |oclc= |doi=] According to "
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ", King proved himself to be the best bowler on the American side and had to do much of the work. He bowled three hundred overs, more than anyone else in the team, taking 72 wickets with abowling average of a little over 24 runs. In addition to his bowling, King scored 441 runs as a batsman cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/Seasonal_Averages/ENG/1897_f_Batting_by_Runs.html |title=First-class Batting and Fielding in England for 1897 (Ordered by Runs) |accessdate=2007-02-09 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ] at abatting average of just over 20. cite web|url=http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/150157.html |title=Wisden - 1898 - The Philadelphians in England, 1898 |accessdate=2007-01-31 |year=1998 |publisher=John Wisden & Co ]Following the 1897 tour, many English counties were interested in securing King's services. It was thought that he would not play as a professional, so alternative means of remuneration had to be found: one county reportedly offered to arrange a marriage with a widow who had an income of £7000 per year. cite book |author=Ramachandra Guha, Ed |title=The Picador Book of Cricket |publisher=Picador |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-330-39612-9 |oclc= |doi=] In the end, King returned to the United States, where he continued to perform very well in club cricket.
Tour of England in 1903
The Philadelphian team returned to England in 1903. This proved to be King's most successful tour, particularly his performances in the matches against Lancashire and Surrey. King played in 13 of the 15 matches on the tour, missing two with a strained side. In his first match, against Cambridge University, he took 5 for 136 and 4 for 28. He followed that with 8 for 39 in the first innings against Oxford University, though the match was eventually abandoned as a draw due to rain. In his next match, against Gloucestershire, he took 2 for 26 in the first innings but did not bowl in the second. He also took 7 for 51 and 2 for 28 against a strong MCC side at Lord's. cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/6/6232.html |title=Marylebone Cricket Club v Philadelphians in 1903 |accessdate=2007-02-09 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=
CricketArchive ] Then came the Lancashire match atOld Trafford Cricket Ground .cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ]In Lancashire's first innings, King bowled 27 overs and took 5 wickets for 46 runs. The Philadelphians passed Lancashire's first innings score, but their lead was quickly overtaken in Lancashire's second innings. With the wind strong over King's left shoulder, the scene was set for him to dominate the opposition. In his first over after the lunch break on day two of the match, he yorked one of Lancashire's opening batsmen and his replacement with successive balls. He clean
bowled two more batsmen in his second over, and bowled a stump out of the ground in the third. In 3 overs, he had taken 5 wickets for 7 runs. After this performance, King had to be rested in the field. One more wicket was taken before King returned to take 4 more wickets, ending the innings with 9 for 62. cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/6/6257.html |title=Lancashire v Philadelphians in 1903 |accessdate=2007-04-17 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ] The Philadelphians won next morning by nine wickets. cite book |author=Ramachandra Guha, Ed |title=The Picador Book of Cricket |publisher=Picador |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-330-39612-9 |oclc= |doi=]Against Surrey on August 6, King was overpowering again. It was in this match that King gave what Barker called his finest first-class performance ever.cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ] Batting first, he scored 98 runs in the Philadelphian's first innings before being
run out , and he then took 3 for 89 in Surrey's reply. In the second innings, he made 113not out and then took 3 for 98. cite web|url=http://cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/6/6316.html |title=Surrey v Philadelphians in 1903 |accessdate=2007-02-09 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ] Surrey lost the match by 110 runs. Apparently, King was so exhausted after his performance that he fell asleep during a speech by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Alverstone at a banquet after the match.Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/site_update/famous_King.htm ]Tour of England in 1908
King toured England with the Philadelphians a third time in 1908. This tour included both first-class matches and more minor ones. The first match that was played was against South Wales in
Cardiff . The Philadelphians won by 36 behind the bowling of King andRanji Hordern . The pair took all 20 wickets of the Welsh side. [cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/7/7627.html |title=South Wales v Philadelphians in 1908 |accessdate=2007-04-18 |last= |first= |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ] After this, the first-class matches began with Worcestershire on July 9. Again the Philadelphians won and again Hordern and King took most of the wickets. [cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/7/7632.html |title=Worcestershire v Philadelphians in 1908 |accessdate=2007-04-18 |last= |first= |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ] This trend continued throughout the tour. In the first-class matches that King played, the Philadelphians recorded four wins and six losses. [cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/ENG/1908_ENG_Philadelphians_in_England_1908.html |title=Philadelphians in England 1908 |accessdate=2007-04-18 |last= |first= |date=2003–2007 |publisher=CricketArchive ] Although he was already 35 years old, King had posted extraordinary numbers in his bowling. He topped the bowling averages for the entire1908 English cricket season at 11.01. This mark was not bettered until 1958, whenLes Jackson of Derbyshire posted an average of 10.99. cite web|url=http://www.sabruk.org/examiner/10/cricket.html |title=SABR UK Examiner no.10: Baseball and Cricket: Cross-Currents |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Synge |first=Allen |year=2007 |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research (UK Chapter) ]Later career
King's cricketing career did not end with his last first-class match. He continued to play club matches in Philadelphia and participated in non-first-class fixtures around the continent. King is noted for holding the bowling record against Canada. On a rainy afternoon at Philadelphia in 1906, King bowled into a slight breeze to capture 8 wickets for 17 runs. cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/NATIONAL/ICC_MEMBERS/CAN/CCA_HISTORY_11SEP1997.html |title=Cricinfo - Canada |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Boller |first=Kevin |year=2007 |publisher=
Cricinfo ] This record came in a four-year period during which King focused on club cricket in Philadelphia, when he won the city's batting award three times and the bowling award four times.cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ]King played in his last two international matches in 1912, against Australia. His performances were of the highest quality, given that he was nearing his fortieth year.Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/site_update/famous_King.htm ] In the first match, he took 9 wickets for 78 runs to help Philadelphia win by 2 runs; in the second, Australia won by 45 runs despite him taking 8 for 74.
King joined the
Philadelphia Cricket Club after the 1912 season. Despite being well past his 40th year, he continued to play competitive cricket for another 4 years. His 27-year career ended with his last game for the Philadelphia Cricket Club against Frankford, on July 20, 1916. On this occasion, his bowling and batting skills had declined, but he maintained a batting average of 43.33 for that final season.Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/site_update/famous_King.htm ]King died at a
nursing home in his native Philadelphia in 1965, two days short of his 92nd birthday.cite news|title=Obituary — J. B. King|publisher=The Times |date=1965-10-23 |page=10] "The Times " newspaper in the UK ran an obituary for him, which quoted Plum Warner as saying that: "Had he been an Englishman or an Australian, he would have been even more famous than he was."Achievements and legacy
Though King focused on bowling throughout his career, he was also a very fine batsman. In 1905, he established a North American record batting record by scoring 315 at the
Germantown Cricket Club . The following year, he scored 344 not out for Belmont against theMerion Cricket Club , setting a North American batting record which still stands. cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/NATIONAL/ICC_MEMBERS/CAN/CCA_HISTORY_11SEP1997.html |title=Cricinfo - Canada |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Boller |first=Kevin |year=2007 |publisher=Cricinfo ] He scored 39 centuries in his North American career, and he topped 1,000 runs in six seasons. He took over 100 wickets in eight seasons, including a double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in four seasons. In his whole career, he scored 19,808 runs at an average of 36.47, and took 2,088 wickets at an average of 10.47.Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/site_update/famous_King.htm ] He took all 10 wickets in an innings on three occasions, and took 9 wickets in an innings five times. One of these occasions, in the Gentlemen of Ireland's first innings in 1909, was followed by ahat-trick in the second innings. cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Scorecards/8/8031.html |title=Cricket Archive - Philadelphians v Ireland in 1909 |accessdate=2007-01-31 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=Cricket Archive ]There is an apocryphal story of King emulating a famous baseball pitcher of the day,
Rube Waddell , by sending all his fielders back into the pavilion and finishing off the opponent's innings on his own. King and Belmont were playing Trenton in the Halifax Cup at Elmwood Cricket Ground. Some versions of the story have him banishing the fielders and then calling one of them to a position convert|22|yd|m back and convert|4|yd|m to the leg side. This fielder was stationed there to pick up thebails which landed at his feet after King bowled his trademark "angler." cite book |author=Ramachandra Guha, Ed |title=The Picador Book of Cricket |publisher=Picador |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-330-39612-9 |oclc= |doi=] This story was disputed some years later by the captain of Trenton, who claimed that when he "went in to bat that afternoon, King had four balls left in his over." He claimed to have "hit the first delivery tocover point but of course there was no one there. The ball stopped within three feet of the boundary, and King had to chase it. By the time he got back we had run six."cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ] The captain claimed to be the only batsmen to have hit four consecutive sixes off King, but commended the bowler on his ability to spin a tale.Thanks to his dominant performance over his career and his renown in the world of cricket, King was elected an honorary member of the Incogniti Cricket Club in 1908 and an honorary life member of the
Marylebone Cricket Club in 1962.Harvard reference | Surname= | Given= | Authorlink= | Title=Obituary of John Barton King | Journal=Cricket Quarterly | Volume=31 | Issue=1 | Year=1966| Page=61| URL=http://www.haverford.edu/library/cricket/site_update/famous_King.htm ] WhenPlum Warner was asked to name the greatest bowler who ever lived, he said that John Barton King, "at the top of his power and speed, was at least the equal of the greatest of them all."cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ]King is credited as one of the first bowlers to perfect
swing bowling . Other bowlers in his time could sometimes get the ball to swing, but King could do so at will with an old or new ball. cite book |author=Ramachandra Guha, Ed |title=The Picador Book of Cricket |publisher=Picador |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=0-330-39612-9 |oclc= |doi=] He made use of a lethal delivery which he called the "angler", a product of his experience as a baseball pitcher, to confuse the English batsmen. cite web|url=http://www.sabruk.org/examiner/10/cricket.html |title=SABR UK Examiner no.10: Baseball and Cricket: Cross-Currents |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Synge |first=Allen |year=2007 |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research (UK Chapter) ] He would come in with the ball clasped above his head in both hands as would a baseball pitcher. He was famous for his late swing—in and out—and would produce thein-swinger with his right hand coming down from a point over his left shoulder.cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ] He described it as an in-swinger which, if properly bowled, would change direction sharply in the last 10 or convert|15|ft|m of flight. King used this ball only sparingly and only against good batsmen. cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/usa/content/story/261614.html |title=Cricinfo - Cricket in the USA |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Marder |first=John |coauthors=Adrian Cole |year=2007 |publisher=Cricinfo ] After a tour to Philadelphia by an Australian side in 1896, cite web|url=http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/USA/1896_USA_Australia_in_North_America_1896.html |title=Australia in North America 1896 |accessdate=2007-04-17 |date=2003–2007 |publisher=Cricket Archive ]George Giffen said "the Philadelphians really have some high-class players, but it was the fact of their bowlers playing us with baseball curves that upset our batsmen."cite book | last = Barker | first = Ralph | authorlink = | title = Ten Great Bowlers | publisher = Chatto and Windus | year = 1967 | pages = 124–155 | doi = | isbn = ]The impact of King's bowling was very far-reaching. Before King and the Philadelphians toured England, English fast bowlers depended on sheer pace, with a possible last-second application of spin. After seeing King's work with the ball, many became "complete anglers" in the Barton King mold. A bowler like Yorkshire's
George Hirst started to shatter stumps with balls that ducked in with the force of a hard throw in from mid-off. The "swingers" became even more numerous through the decades. cite web|url=http://www.sabruk.org/examiner/10/cricket.html |title=SABR UK Examiner no.10: Baseball and Cricket: Cross-Currents |accessdate=2007-01-31 |last=Synge |first=Allen |year=2007 |publisher=Society for American Baseball Research (UK Chapter) ]First-class statistics
Teams
*United States of America
*Philadelphians
*GS Patterson's XI
*Philadelphia
*Belmont
*TiogaNotes
External links
*cricinfo|ref=england/content/player/25637.html
* [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/6/6356/6356.html Player Profile: Bart King] fromCricketArchive Persondata
NAME=King, John Barton
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Bart King, JB King
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American cricket bowler for the Philadelphian cricket team
DATE OF BIRTH=October 19, 1873
PLACE OF BIRTH=Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH=October 17, 1965
PLACE OF DEATH=Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania
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