Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

Chapter Twenty-Two Three cheers for the ‘stale’ men The following year, 1848, Clarke decided to make an earlier start to touring with his All-England players and not wait for MCC to complete their programme. Fuller appeared twice for Clarke in June, against Twenty-Two of Birmingham at Edgbaston on 19 and 20 June and Twenty-Two of Worcestershire at Worcester on 22, 23 and 24 June. He came back to Lord’s for Kent’s first match of the season against England on 10 and 11 July, which they lost by 55 runs despite the efforts of Edmund Hinkly, making his debut at Lord’s, who took six England wickets in their first innings and all ten wickets in their second, only the second time ever in a first-class match. Fuller missed the next All-England match at Walsall and did not appear again anywhere until 27, 28 and 29 July when Kent lost to Sussex by one wicket at Tunbridge Wells. Two days later he was back at Lord’s for the Gentlemen v Players match won by the Gentlemen by 27 runs. Fuller top-scored with 18 out of 79 in the Players’ first innings. Then Clarke brought his All-England players into Kent and Surrey for the first time and played at Gravesend on 3, 4 and 5 August to beat Fifteen of West Kent by 21 runs, but lose by eight wickets to Fourteen of Surrey at Kennington Oval on 7, 8 and 9 August. Surrey had claimed both Felix and Martingell for their team, plus the Kent bowler Hinkly, who only qualified by a brief residence near to The Oval, and justified his engagement by taking eight wickets in the match, including Fuller’s in the second innings. Fuller rejoined Kent at the Hove ground on Brunswick Lawns for their return match with Sussex on 10, 11 and 12 August, which ended in a draw with Sussex on 23 for six, still needing another 15 runs to win. Kent won their last game of the season against England by ten wickets at Canterbury, on 15 and 16 August, thanks to a brilliant 54 from Fuller in Kent’s first innings of 125 in which only William Pilch and William Dorrinton also reached double figures. Then Fuller caught up with Clarke’s men at Coventry against Twenty-Two of Coventry on 17, 18 and 19 August, but missed the next game at Derby before playing again at Manchester against Fifteen of Manchester on 24, 25 and 26 August. He was taken ill during the game at Bradford against Eighteen of Bradford in the first week of September, and returned to Canterbury, missing the final seven All-England engagements. He did not play again that season. It seems that age – he was now 44 – was beginning to catch up with him and in the views of some he was not alone. A letter appeared in Bell’s Life on 30 July from a correspondent signing 102