James Seymour (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
James Seymour was a Kent
cricket
er from 1902 until 1926, having previously played for W. G. Grace
's London County Cricket Club
in first-class
matches in 1900 and 1901. He was born in Sussex
.
A right-handed batsman, he was part of the Kent side which won the County Championship in 1906, contributing 1,096 runs. He passed 2000 runs in a season in 1913 with an aggregate of 2,088 runs. Against Worcestershire in 1904 he became the first ever player to score a century in both innings of a match for Kent. His innings of 204 against Hampshire at Tonbridge in 1907 was at the time a record for Kent, a record which he went on to twice exceed.
He finished his career with 26818 runs for Kent which puts him 4th on their all time run getters list. He is also one of only six players to have scored more than 50 centuries with Kent as of 2008. He made 1,000 runs in a season 16 times.
His benefit match was Kent v Hampshire at Canterbury in 1920. The game had important consequences for all county cricketers as the Inland Revenue
used it as a test case in an attempt to define benefits as taxable income. The case went all the way to the House of Lords
and was ruled in Seymour's favour and since then sports professionals' benefits and testimonials have, in certain circumstances, remained tax free.
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er from 1902 until 1926, having previously played for W. G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
's London County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
in first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches in 1900 and 1901. He was born in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
.
A right-handed batsman, he was part of the Kent side which won the County Championship in 1906, contributing 1,096 runs. He passed 2000 runs in a season in 1913 with an aggregate of 2,088 runs. Against Worcestershire in 1904 he became the first ever player to score a century in both innings of a match for Kent. His innings of 204 against Hampshire at Tonbridge in 1907 was at the time a record for Kent, a record which he went on to twice exceed.
He finished his career with 26818 runs for Kent which puts him 4th on their all time run getters list. He is also one of only six players to have scored more than 50 centuries with Kent as of 2008. He made 1,000 runs in a season 16 times.
His benefit match was Kent v Hampshire at Canterbury in 1920. The game had important consequences for all county cricketers as the Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
used it as a test case in an attempt to define benefits as taxable income. The case went all the way to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and was ruled in Seymour's favour and since then sports professionals' benefits and testimonials have, in certain circumstances, remained tax free.