Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

seems to have ended early, as there is no record of him playing again in 1834. The decision to move south was finally made in August 1835. But the year started for Fuller with a few weeks at Cambridge helping his old friend Caldecourt to coach the University undergraduates, including an exhibition three-a-side, single-wicket challenge on 2 June for which they were joined by Redgate, Fenner, Saunders and Parnther, described in Bell’s Life as ‘truly the finest display of cricketing skills ever witnessed on Parker’s Piece.’ This was the first time that Fuller faced Sam Redgate, the 24-year-old round-arm bowler from Nottingham, whose bowling was described by Haygarth as ‘very fast and ripping, with a good deal of “spin”’. Fuller struggled against him in the first innings, managing only four hits from seven balls before being bowled without scoring. In the second innings Fuller, going in last and needing 32 runs to win, took his time to study Redgate’s venomous bowling and managed to hit 39 of the 57 balls he faced but had only scored six runs before Redgate bowled his wicket down for the second time. A brief return to Norfolk followed, for a couple of club matches, and then Fuller bid farewell to his family and headed south to Hemsted Park in Kent where Thomas Hodges and his son had now established their cricket ground for the village team of Benenden and were due to face Kent on 2 and 3 July. The ground was encircled by marquees and accommodated over 5,000 spectators. ‘The new ground and the fine scenery about this enchanting spot won the admiration of everyone’ and Kent brought a strong team that included Alfred Mynn. As a ‘given’ man for Benenden, Fuller top-scored in both innings with 25 out of 74 and 33 out of 120, but this could not prevent a Kent victory by three wickets. It was unlikely that the Hodges were thinking of offering a permanent position to Fuller, whereas the consortium at Town Malling of Thomas Selby, Silas Norton and Lord Harris had been formed with the aim of promoting county cricket in the George Field at West Malling, despite being little more than a village with just two main streets and barely 1,500 residents. They now convinced Fuller to settle in the town in return for a salary of £100 a year, 8 and the position as landlord of the George tavern. The average annual earnings of a farm worker in 1835 was £40, a skilled industrial worker between £60 and £70, and a teacher £82, so Fuller was doing well, and of course still able to augment his income by accepting engagements for other teams at about £5 a match. Despite his celebrity, he was still ‘defined’ as a ‘tradesman’ and expected, as he had been at Bury St Edmunds and Norwich, to play when required, coach members and provide practice facilities while acting as groundsman, a job previously occupied by a labourer. It comes as no surprise that Fuller apparently viewed the situation philosophically: ‘Gentlemen were gentlemen, and players much in the same position as a nobleman and his head-keeper may be.’ 46 Norfolk: the final years 8 About £5,000 a year in 2010 money.