Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

Chapter Six Bury St Edmunds defeat MCC There had been rumblings of discontent among other clubs in Suffolk that Bury St Edmunds were calling themselves Suffolk, but picking only their own players. When the match arranged for 27, 28 and 29 August was announced in the Bury and Norwich Post , there was an attempt to mollify the critics by indicating that the team to face MCC included players from clubs other than Bury, comprised ‘eleven Players of the Ground and the Bury Club and Suffolk.’ The town was in festive mood, according to the Bury and Norwich Post , ‘preserving the appearance of a full fair day. At an early hour carriages of all descriptions began to arrive with many persons coming from a distance of thirty miles.’ Over the three days more than 4,000 spectators paid to watch the game, bringing in revenue of almost £200. The game lived up to all expectations. Fuller contributed 30 out of Bury’s first innings of 115 and took six wickets. After two days, when the betting odds had swung to and fro, Bury needed 60 runs to win on the third morning with six wickets left. Pilch put on 43 with Mr Brand by what the local paper called ‘scientific hitting’ when he ‘was caught by Mr Aislabie, a decision disputed by some of the other Marylebone players. With the scores level and Bury eight wickets down, the next 34 balls were bowled “without a notch” before Bury scraped home on a bye at 7 pm in the evening.’ Fuller received a silver watch and gold chain from a grateful gentleman ‘who was a great winner’ but cricket was the overall winner, clearly demonstrated by the report in the Bury and Norwich Post that ‘Mr W.Blake, one of the finest batters, was unfortunate in the first innings and was out on a point of honour which being highly creditable to him as well as illustrative of the friendly manner in which the game was played deserves notice. A ball was bowled to him by Mr G.Knight which he hit at: the wicket-keeper, Dark, who appealed to the umpire if it were out. The umpire decided it was not out. Mr Blake stated that it was impossible for the umpire to be aware of the circumstances, but the ball did touch his fingernail consequently it was a catch and he should go out.’ Perfectly appropriate for a gentleman of any team in the nineteenth century, of course. In the light of the modern practice where batsmen have almost completely banished the practice of ‘walking’ back to the pavilion without waiting for the umpire’s decision, it would be interesting to know if the professionals of those days would have been just as honest as Mr Blake of Bury. And honest or not, Fuller and the other professionals were not 26