Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

Chapter Eleven Norfolk: the final years The 1834 season was a vintage year for Fuller Pilch with two centuries in important matches and four half-centuries. He spent the first two months of the summer in Norfolk playing in club matches with his brothers and nephew, scoring 170 runs in his five innings in preparation for the arrival on 18 June of a representative team from Yorkshire for a county match. Although there was some criticism that as nearly all their players were from Sheffield it did not represent the county it was announced in posters throughout Norwich as: ‘The Great Match of Cricket between Yorkshire and Norfolk will take place at Norwich on Wednesday, 18th June 1834 and following days. The Match will include the celebrated Marsden and Dearman, The Three Pilches, and the best players of the two counties.’ Norfolk batted first: the Norfolk Chronicle reported that ‘Fuller Pilch went in fourth and shewed himself a perfect master of the science, notwithstanding he had most experienced bowling against him he held his bat to the end of the day, when the Norfolk side had scored 175, with four wickets to go down. On the following morning (Thursday) the game was resumed, and the Norfolk men raised their innings to 215, Fuller Pilch carrying out his bat.’ With 87 runs Fuller must have been disappointed that he had not reached the coveted three figures, and after Yorkshire had been skittled out for 37, set about making amends in his second innings before falling short again with 73. The day ended with Norfolk 155 for three and eventually Yorkshire were asked to make a colossal 369 to win. Then William Pilch got among the Yorkshire batsman taking six wickets, either caught or bowled, another huge Pilch family contribution to a win by 272 runs. It was then down to London for England against Sussex on 2 and 3 July, where Fuller made his first century at Lord’s (and his first in what we now regard as first-class cricket), 105 not out, after retiring hurt for a short time having been hit by the ball on the brow of his left eye, then returning in style: ‘After a few runs he began to feel his bat and fours, fives, sixes and even a seven were scored.’ Not even Lillywhite, who took 11 wickets in the match, could hold him back. Four days later Kent came to Lord’s for the first match they had played as a county for over five years and the first England versus Kent match on level terms since the eighteenth century. But Kent now had Alfred Mynn in their ranks for the first time and, although he could not save them from defeat after Kent were dismissed for 21 on the first day, he bowled Fuller for only 43