Joseph Dennis
Encyclopedia
Joseph Dennis was an English first-class cricket
er who played for Nottingham Cricket Club from 1800 to 1829.
, Dennis took part in seven first-class matches for Nottingham, mostly against Sheffield Cricket Club. He also played against Hampshire
and, in 1826, he captained Nottingham against a combined Sheffield and Leicester
team. At forty-seven, he was the oldest man on his side.
Dennis retired from cricket after the 1828 season
because of failing vision, but he was a popular man and, in 1829, he gave in to public pressure and agreed to stage a two-match come-back.
On 16 November 1831, Dennis suffered a stroke while in the Bell Inn and was carried by its landlord, Mr Clarke, back to the Eclipse, where he died shortly afterwards, only a month after the death of his wife. Nottinghamshire author John Frost Sutton observed that "his name lived on in the memories of thousands".
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...
er who played for Nottingham Cricket Club from 1800 to 1829.
Career
A batsman and occasional wicket-keeperWicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, Dennis took part in seven first-class matches for Nottingham, mostly against Sheffield Cricket Club. He also played against Hampshire
Hampshire county cricket teams
Hampshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
and, in 1826, he captained Nottingham against a combined Sheffield and Leicester
Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Club
Cricket may not have reached the English counties of Leicestershire and Rutland until the 18th century. A notice in the Leicester Journal dated 17 August 1776 is the earliest known mention of cricket in the area.-The original Leicestershire club:...
team. At forty-seven, he was the oldest man on his side.
Dennis retired from cricket after the 1828 season
1828 English cricket season
The 1828 English cricket season saw a modification of the Laws of Cricket in an attempted compromise re the roundarm issue.-First-class matches:-Events:...
because of failing vision, but he was a popular man and, in 1829, he gave in to public pressure and agreed to stage a two-match come-back.
Private life
Dennis was landlord of the Eclipse Inn at Chapel Bar in Nottingham and had a reputation for gambling: in 1815, he laid £120 on a local match and won.On 16 November 1831, Dennis suffered a stroke while in the Bell Inn and was carried by its landlord, Mr Clarke, back to the Eclipse, where he died shortly afterwards, only a month after the death of his wife. Nottinghamshire author John Frost Sutton observed that "his name lived on in the memories of thousands".
External links
Further reading
- Arthur HaygarthArthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, Scores & Biographies, Volumes 1-2 (1744-1840), Lillywhite, 1862 - F S Ashley-Cooper: Nottinghamshire Cricket and Cricketers (H.B. Saxton, 1923).
- John Frost Sutton: The Date-Book of Remarkable and Memorable Events Connected with Nottingham and its Neighbourhood: 1750-1850 (Simpkin & Marshall, 1852).
- John Frost Sutton: Nottingham Cricket Matches from 1771 to 1853 (Simpkin & Marshall, 1853).