Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

included most of the regular undergraduates. His work done, Fuller returned to Canterbury where he learned of his protégés’ victory by an innings in the Varsity match at Lord’s in mid-June. He only played once at Lord’s himself in 1853, scoring nought and twelve for Kent against England on 27 and 28 June, but appeared at the Kennington Oval in three matches. The first of these fixtures was a North v South match on 7 and 8 July scoring eight and six: both teams in this match were put together by Clarke from a selection of his All-England players. There is no record that Fuller made any appearances for the East Kent Club that summer, but he turned out for his old friend and Kent team-mate Edward Wenman in both Benenden matches with Hollingbourne, the first in the second week of July at Benenden where his top score of 18 out of 78 helped the home team to a ten-wicket victory. Then he was persuaded by Clarke to appear in one more game for him, this time for a combined Kent and Sussex eleven against an England Eleven at Tunbridge Wells on 21, 22 and 23 July where both sides were selected by Clarke from his All-England players. This was followed by the return match between Benenden and Hollingbourne on 25 and 26 July, which was unfinished with Fuller not out in Benenden’s second innings at 46 for seven, chasing 119 to win. Fuller did not play again until Canterbury Week when Kent faced England on 15, 16 and 17 August. Five batsmen were run out in Kent’s first innings, including Fuller for ten in a total of 47, and England went on to win by an innings and 179 runs. The Kent batsmen who were not run out, all lost their wickets to Clarke, seven, and Wisden, eight, who had apparently settled their differences and shared all the bowling for the England eleven. The side included players from both the All-England and United England camps. The next week Fuller was back at The Oval in a benefit match for the old Surrey umpire Thomas Mortlock between eighteen Gentlemen of the Surrey Club and an eleven of Players on 25, 26 and 27 August. Fuller top-scored with 27 out of the Players’ first innings of 86 but was absent ill from the second innings and the Gentlemen won by an innings. He made a quick recovery and was back in the Kent team for the match with Surrey at The Oval on 29, 30 and 31 August; he scored one and nought in what would be his last appearance of the season. Fuller celebrated his fiftieth birthday before the start of the 1854 season and this milestone may have convinced him that his ability to keep playing at the highest level was coming to an end. Coaching at Oxford was apparently no longer an option, as travelling outside Kent, other than one visit to Lord’s, was not attempted and even then his appearances on the field were fewer than ever before. He missed Kent’s first match of the season at Hove against Sussex and the return at Gravesend. In what proved to be farewell performances at Lord’s and Canterbury he experienced the highs and the lows. For Kent against MCC at Lord’s on 24 and 25 July he opened the innings and it looked like he was his old self 114 Fuller’s final seasons