Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

Taking a brief respite from his responsibilities in East Anglia, Fuller travelled down to Brighton to play for England against Sussex on 17, 18 and 19 August and was dismissed twice by William Lillywhite, after making 18 in the first innings but without scoring in the second. Then he returned to Suffolk to appear for Bury against Woodbridge on 25 and 26 August before hurrying off to Godalming to play for England against Surrey the next day where he faced Lillywhite and Broadbridge again as given men for the county. His last appearance of the season was for Bury at Woodbridge in the return match on 14 and 15 September. The 1830 season was very much more of the same for Fuller, with appearances for eight different teams including three games for Bury, two for Norfolk, and one appearance for Suffolk at Lord’s. He began by joining the Bury team at Woodbridge on 10 June where his 38 out of 56 in Bury’s second innings ensured victory by 23 runs. A few days later Fuller arrived in London for a series of four consecutive matches at Lord’s. The annual Gentlemen v Players match starting on 14 June was rained off before Fuller could have a turn at the wicket. This time he was supporting the Gentlemen after being engaged, with Lillywhite, to appear against the professionals in another attempt to balance the strength of the two sides and make the result less predictable. The weather improved and Fuller joined a Suffolk side strengthened by Searle, Broadbridge and Beagley playing an MCC eleven that also included three given men, Marsden, Lillywhite and Saunders, on 21 and 22 June. Fuller played an outstanding innings when, in reply to MCC’s 117, 6 he ensured Suffolk stayed in the game with a first innings lead of 29 while he remained unbeaten on 70. The Suffolk Chronicle reported that ‘the batting of Pilch on Monday evening for more than 3 hours and the following day for 2 hours without giving a single chance to his formidable opponents was never before surpassed.’ The result was touch and go with the visitors needing 28 to win and losing five wickets until Fuller hit the winning shot, ensuring that he remained unbeaten in either innings by Lillywhite. This was his last appearance for Suffolk and he ended with a career record for the county of 315 runs from seven matches with an average of 28.64, plus 34 wickets. On 28 and 29 June, Fuller was engaged to appear at Lord’s for the Gentlemen of England against the Gentlemen of Hampshire team strengthened by the bowling of Broadbridge, who bowled him for nought in the first innings, and Lillywhite, who dismissed him for seven in the second, before the Gentlemen of England won by seven wickets. Neither of them, playing for MCC against Norfolk, could get him out at Lord’s a week later where his 28 out of 58 in the county’s second innings ensured victory by 24 runs. The month of July also saw the first attempt by a club to lure Fuller south of the Thames on a permanent basis when he was hired by Surrey to play 30 Committed to East Anglia, for now 6 He took five wickets in this innings, the first occasion where he is known to have done this in a recognised first-class match.