Lives in Cricket No 17 - Fuller Pilch

may be some prone to censure without giving themselves time to reflect, it may be well to say a few words. Who is the man that would be bold enough to attempt to purchase the honour of eleven Kentish cricketers, numbering (without being invidious to others) the names of Baker, Mynn, Pilch, Wenman, and Dorrington? Such a man would no more dare to show his face on a cricket field again than the men who could be so basely bought. This villainous report emanated from some sordid ‘snob’, who had missed winning his sixpence by the match, and thus vomited forth his frothy poison, and what at first was an idle tale became a serious speculation. If such a thing were possible, would it be done so barefacedly? Would five good men have gone out without a run when a hundred runs were wanting? Perish such a thought with him who dares to think it. Did anyone hear that England’s eleven was sold when the men of Kent put them out at Lord’s on the 26th and 27th of July last year for 31 and 44 runs? Surely no more need be said. Fuller continued his 1841 season by umpiring a couple of Town Malling matches against Yalding on August 16 and 23 before joining the Kent team on a visit to Nottingham to play Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on August 26, 27 and 28. Redgate was unable to play for the home side and Fuller’s top score of 48 out of 130 set Kent up for a win by 22 runs despite J.N.Dudlow going missing and batting with only ten men. Two days later six of the Kent team, including Fuller, were appearing as given men for Tunbridge Wells at home to Sevenoaks who themselves had engaged seven given men including Redgate. Fuller top-scored with 43 out of 149 in the home side’s first innings and Sevenoaks eventually gave up the match before even attempting to reach the 226 runs they needed to win. The Kent team re-assembled at the White Hart Ground behind the White Hart Inn in Bromley on 13 and 14 September to beat a weak England team by an innings and ten runs. Redgate bowled only 24 balls in England’s innings and again failed to dismiss Fuller, who top-scored with 20 out of 104 to end his year on a high note. The growing influence of the Beverley Club 72