Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

Wenman, and then joining Wenman as a pair of given men for the Updown Club on John Bayley’s ground near Sandwich against MCC. During these matches Fuller recorded his greatest performance as a bowler. Playing for Town Malling on 27 July, in the second match against Penshurst, he took all ten first-innings wickets, demonstrating that, while round-arm bowling continued to dominate, there was still a place for under-arm bowling if the bowler was expert in its application. After the group of games in Kent, Fuller joined Sussex again at Brighton on 10 and 11 August to face the England eleven including Redgate who failed to take his wicket. Fuller’s 24 out of 65 in the Sussex second innings was not enough to prevent England winning by four wickets. A week later he played at Town Malling for Kent facing most of the same England team strengthened by three Sussex players, including Lillywhite, who took eight wickets, but failed like Redgate to dismiss Fuller in either innings. Fuller’s 46 out of Kent’s 110 gave them enough of a first-innings lead to ensure Kent’s victory by three wickets. There was just time to fit in an engagement for Penshurst against Benenden at Penshurst Park on 27 and 28 August before Fuller rejoined Kent at Bromley to meet England for their third encounter on 3, 4 and 5 September. It was a very weak Kent eleven, lacking five regular players, and nobody reached double figures in either innings, in both of which Fuller top-scored with eight and nine, falling to Redgate in the first innings and Lillywhite in the second. This was Fuller’s last match in 1840 when, as luck would have it, his 19-year-old nephew William was present. Ned Wenman was hit in the mouth while keeping wicket during England’s first innings and had to withdraw. William stepped up to take the injured player’s place in the field and as Kent had not yet batted he was allowed to bat as well. A somewhat unusual county debut and it would be another four years before young Pilch played for Kent again. Fuller’s first county match of 1841 was at Brighton on 7 and 8 June to face Sussex and his top score of 53 played a major role in Kent’s innings victory. The Sunday before the game started was the day of the 1841 Census, 6 June, and eight Kent players, Fuller Pilch, Alfred Mynn, Walter Mynn, Ned Wenman, Dorrinton, Martingell, Clifford and Mills, had stayed overnight at the Bear Inn in Lewes. The opportunity to learn the address of Fuller’s residence in Town Malling at that time was thus lost. It is interesting to note, however, that he preferred to enter his occupation as ‘tailor’ and not ‘cricketer’ and, by so doing, even ignored his position as ‘innkeeper’ back at Town Malling. At least it does confirm that he had continued to practice his original profession (and that he needed to) despite the demands on his time travelling the roads of England playing cricket for a living and managing an inn on his return. Fuller returned to Town Malling from Sussex before heading off ten days later to Gravesend with the club to lose badly to the home side by 141 runs. Three days later he played in the ‘Fast Bowlers v Slow Bowlers’ match at Lord’s on June 21, 22 and 23 June which had established itself as a popular fixture. This time he was selected to strengthen the Fast Bowlers eleven The growing influence of the Beverley Club 69