Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

1740 to the present time. It will be divided into two parts, the first relating to the Origins of Cricket – rise and progress of the Old Hambledon, Star and Garter, White Conduit and Marylebone Clubs, the days of Underhand Bowling; and the second to the Rise of Round Arm Bowling – the great days of the old Kent Eleven – the Average System.’ The newspaper added: ‘In a city and county so noted for a love of and proficiency in the “noble and manly game”, we surely need urge nothing in recommendation of such a theme to the attention of our readers.’ The idea of a memorial to Fuller Pilch would no doubt have been raised during Gale’s lecture and one day later, another notice appeared confirming that ‘a fund is being raised for the purpose of erecting some suitable memorial to the late Fuller Pilch, whose fame as a cricketer needs no word of ours to enhance. But beyond his marvellous skill as a cricketer, he bore throughout his career an unimpeachable character as a man.’ The Gazette added: ‘All our sporting contemporaries have borne honourable testimony to his integrity. He was before the public … from early youth to old age, and bore a spotless character throughout.’ The newspaper asked that contributions be sent to the secretary of the Pilch Memorial Fund Committee. Details of a meeting of the committee appeared on another page: ‘At a meeting of the Friends of the late Fuller Pilch (well-known for many years in Kent and throughout the Kingdom as an unrivalled cricketer) held at the Fleece Hotel, Canterbury, on Monday evening, 9th May, it was resolved that, it being desirable that some suitable memorial should be erected over his grave in St Gregory’s burying ground, as a mark of the esteem in which he was held as a man and a Christian.’ The meeting decided that subscriptions should be solicited for that purpose, and that they be limited to five shillings from each subscriber. Contributions to the fund flooded in and during 1871 a memorial was erected over his grave consisting of a massive square pedestal and obelisk twelve feet high. 22 It bore an inscription, unfortunately with the wrong year of birth: ‘Fuller Pilch, born at Horningtoft, Norfolk March 17th 1803. Died at Canterbury May 1st 1870 aged 67. This monument is erected to the memory of Fuller Pilch by upwards of 200 friends, to mark their admiration of his skill as a cricketer and his worth as a man. Viro simlici, constanti probo.’ This last sentence accorded him approval as ‘a straightforward man, constant and honest . ’ Some years later Frederick Gale went to the churchyard and was less than impressed: I paid a visit a year or two back to his grave to see his monument and the bas-relief of him retiring from a broken wicket. I pictured to myself his grand commanding figure, and in imagination re-peopled the old Town Malling ground with the brave old Kentish yeomen, and could 130 A pension and a monument 22 In the meanwhile, the eighth issue of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, for 1871, had appeared. A slim publication of just 152 pages, it was not then given to long obituary notices. Even so, it said firmly: ‘Pilch was the great batsman of his time, and the finest forward player known.’