Edgar Willsher: The Lion of Kent

Giles Phillips

touko 2012 · Lives in Cricket Kirja 24 · Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians

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A hundred and fifty years ago, on a warm August afternoon, Edgar 'Ned' Willsher (1828-1885), a left-arm quick bowler from Kent playing at The Oval for England against Surrey, was ‘no-balled’ six times in succession. Ned threw down the ball in exasperation, and left the field with his fellow professionals. A compromise was reached. Ned apologized for his quick temper, and the game restarted the following day, without any noticeable change to his bowling style. But the incident put the game’s authorities, who had long failed to enforce the rules consistently, onto the back foot.

Ned’s transgression – his hand was higher than his shoulder – led to a change in the Law in 1864 and the legalising of overarm bowling, the biggest-ever single change to the conduct of cricket. Today’s bowlers are still working out new ways of delivering the ball overarm.

Willsher himself served his county team loyally for over twenty seasons, taking well over a thousand first-class wickets. He was a regular in the bigger representative matches of his time. In recognition of his status in the game, he captained an England side to North America before such a position was thought to be an amateur prerogative. Poacher turned gamekeeper, he was 'there' when listing first-class umpires started in 1883.

Giles Phillips traces the career of a farmer’s son from East Kent as a successful player and umpire and his struggle to make a living off the field of play.

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Giles Phillips has been a Kent supporter all his life, having grown up idolising Alan Knott and Derek Underwood in their considerable pomp. Edgar Willsher always attracted him as a potential literary subject, but only when middle age hit did he finally get round to tackling it. Since moving to Cambridge at the turn of the century, he has been an avid follower of CUCC, and indeed his first book, On Fenner’s Sward (2005), was a history of the Club.