John Minshull
Encyclopedia
John Minshull aka Minchin (born c.1741; died 23 October 1793 at Kingston upon Thames
, Surrey
) was a famous English cricket
er during the 1770s. He scored the first definitely recorded century, albeit in a minor match.
According to John Nyren
, Minshull was a "capital hitter, and a sure guard of his wicket" but "not an elegant player, his position and general style were both awkward and uncouth". Minshull evidently had a high opinion of his own ability and was said to have been "as conceited as a wagtail and from his constantly aping what he had no pretensions to, was, on that account only, not estimated according to the price at which he had rated his own merits". Nyren added a physical description: "a thick-set man, about 5"9" in height, rather a slow mover in the field (and had) a tendency towards injury and illness" .
Little is known about him personally except that he was for a time employed by the Duke of Dorset as a gardener at Knole House
, near Sevenoaks
. He played for Dorset's Kent county cricket teams
during this period but it seems he then moved to Middlesex and then Surrey as he played for the Surrey eleven
from 1775 till he was last recorded in 1780 .
Minshull's century was scored on Thursday 31 August 1769 when he played for the Duke of Dorset's XI against Wrotham. It was a minor match but Minshull's score of 107 is the earliest definitely known century in any class of cricket . To reach his century Minshull scored 34 singles, 15 twos, 9 threes and 4 all run fours .
He was also the first batsman to be recorded dismissed 'hit wicket', while playing for All England against Hampshire at The Vine in 1773. Strangely he was not actually on strike at the time http://content.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/398161.html.
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) was a famous English 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 during the 1770s. He scored the first definitely recorded century, albeit in a minor match.
According to John Nyren
John Nyren
John Nyren was an English cricketer and author. Nyren made 16 known appearances in first-class cricket from 1787 to 1817...
, Minshull was a "capital hitter, and a sure guard of his wicket" but "not an elegant player, his position and general style were both awkward and uncouth". Minshull evidently had a high opinion of his own ability and was said to have been "as conceited as a wagtail and from his constantly aping what he had no pretensions to, was, on that account only, not estimated according to the price at which he had rated his own merits". Nyren added a physical description: "a thick-set man, about 5"9" in height, rather a slow mover in the field (and had) a tendency towards injury and illness" .
Little is known about him personally except that he was for a time employed by the Duke of Dorset as a gardener at Knole House
Knole House
Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent, surrounded by a deer park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards...
, near Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
. He played for Dorset's Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
during this period but it seems he then moved to Middlesex and then Surrey as he played for the Surrey eleven
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
from 1775 till he was last recorded in 1780 .
Minshull's century was scored on Thursday 31 August 1769 when he played for the Duke of Dorset's XI against Wrotham. It was a minor match but Minshull's score of 107 is the earliest definitely known century in any class of cricket . To reach his century Minshull scored 34 singles, 15 twos, 9 threes and 4 all run fours .
He was also the first batsman to be recorded dismissed 'hit wicket', while playing for All England against Hampshire at The Vine in 1773. Strangely he was not actually on strike at the time http://content.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/398161.html.