Thomas Waymark
Encyclopedia
Thomas Waymark was an English professional cricket
er in the first half of the 18th century. He is one of the earliest first-class
players on record and is widely accounted the sport's first great all-rounder
.
when he was 22. He was last recorded in the 1749 season
playing for All-England
in a major single wicket
contest.
He was initially a groom by trade and was employed as such by his patron Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
. There was probably no shortage of capable grooms and it is fair to assume that Richmond employed Waymark because of his outstanding ability with bat and ball, Richmond being the foremost investor in cricket at the time. Richmond's teams were representative of Sussex as a county and the few reports in which Waymark is mentioned make clear that he was the first great all-rounder
in the game's history.
For example, in the report of Mr Edward Stead
’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI at Penshurst Park on 28 August 1729, it states that "a groom of the Duke of Richmond signalised himself by extraordinary agility and dexterity". This was Waymark playing for Gage's XI who won the match by an innings.
In August 1730, a major match between the teams of Richmond and Gage was postponed "on account of Waymark, the Duke’s man, being ill". Assuredly this was not done out of sympathy for Waymark's condition, but because every major match in the 18th century was based on a wager and the betting on Waymark's expected contribution must have been so high that stakes would have to be repaid unless the game could be played when Waymark was fully fit.
. He is given as a Berkshire resident and playing for the Berkshire XI
or the London XI
.
In the 1744 season
, Waymark played in both of the two games of which the earliest known scorecards have survived. On 2 June, he played for London
versus Slindon Cricket Club
at the Artillery Ground
. Slindon, backed by his old employer the Duke of Richmond, won by 55 runs. On 18 June, Waymark played for the All-England
team against Kent
at the Artillery Ground
in the match which commences Arthur Haygarth
's Scores & Biographies. Kent won by 1 wicket.
Waymark was an outstanding single wicket
player and took part in several big money contests. Single wicket was the most lucrative form of cricket in the 1740s. For example, on 16 & 17 September 1748, Waymark teamed up with Robert Colchin
to play two doubles matches against Tom Faulkner
and Joe Harris
at the Artillery Ground
. At the time, these four were arguably the best players in England. The matches were played for huge prizes of fifty guineas each. Waymark and Colchin won them both, the first by 12 runs and the second by an unrecorded margin.
The last surviving record of Thomas Waymark is in July 1749 when he was part of an All-England team that played three single wicket "fives" matches against Addington
, though Waymark did not play in the third match. He seems to have ceased playing c.1750.
who excelled at both the single wicket
and 11-a-side variants of the sport. He was noted (see above) for his "extraordinary agility and dexterity" which would indicate that he was an outstanding fielder in addition to his batting and bowling skills.
Throughout his career, the ball was bowled underarm
along the ground at a two-stump wicket. It is believed that Waymark bowled at a fastish pace with variations. He was also an accomplished batsman, though not as highly regarded in this department as his single wicket partner Colchin. The bat was curved like a modern hockey
stick and the batsman generally attacked the rolled ball. Batsmen did not develop defensive techniques until the straight bat was invented in response to the pitched delivery, which was introduced in the 1760s, more than a decade after Waymark's career ended.
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 in the first half of the 18th century. He is one of the earliest 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...
players on record and is widely accounted the sport's first great all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
.
1720s and 1730s
Surviving details of Waymark's career are few but it is known that his career began in the 1720s and the earliest definite mention of him is in the 1727 season1727 English cricket season
The 1727 English cricket season saw a number of matches promoted by wealthy landowners like the Duke of Richmond, Sir William Gage, Mr Alan Brodrick and Mr Edward Stead...
when he was 22. He was last recorded in the 1749 season
1749 English cricket season
In the 1749 English cricket season, the popularity of single wicket may have waned as there is a greater proportion of eleven a side games in the year’s reports.- Matches :-Other events:...
playing for All-England
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
in a major single wicket
Single Wicket
Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one who scores more runs...
contest.
He was initially a groom by trade and was employed as such by his patron Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom...
. There was probably no shortage of capable grooms and it is fair to assume that Richmond employed Waymark because of his outstanding ability with bat and ball, Richmond being the foremost investor in cricket at the time. Richmond's teams were representative of Sussex as a county and the few reports in which Waymark is mentioned make clear that he was the first great all-rounder
All-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
in the game's history.
For example, in the report of Mr Edward Stead
Edward Stead
Edward Stead was a famous patron of English cricket, particularly of Kent county cricket teams, in the early 18th century.-Cricket career:...
’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI at Penshurst Park on 28 August 1729, it states that "a groom of the Duke of Richmond signalised himself by extraordinary agility and dexterity". This was Waymark playing for Gage's XI who won the match by an innings.
In August 1730, a major match between the teams of Richmond and Gage was postponed "on account of Waymark, the Duke’s man, being ill". Assuredly this was not done out of sympathy for Waymark's condition, but because every major match in the 18th century was based on a wager and the betting on Waymark's expected contribution must have been so high that stakes would have to be repaid unless the game could be played when Waymark was fully fit.
1740s
By the 1740s, Waymark was no longer in the Duke’s employ as he was working at Bray Mills in BerkshireBerkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. He is given as a Berkshire resident and playing for the Berkshire XI
Berkshire county cricket teams
Berkshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
or the London XI
London Cricket Club
The original London Cricket Club was formed by 1722 and was one of the foremost clubs in English cricket over the next four decades. It is closely associated with the Artillery Ground, where it played most of its home matches.-Early history of London cricket:...
.
In the 1744 season
1744 English cricket season
1744 was a pivotal season in English cricket history. The earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket was written by the noblemen and gentlemen of the London Cricket Club which played at the Artillery Ground. Several great matches took place, particularly the challenge by Kent to take on...
, Waymark played in both of the two games of which the earliest known scorecards have survived. On 2 June, he played for London
London Cricket Club
The original London Cricket Club was formed by 1722 and was one of the foremost clubs in English cricket over the next four decades. It is closely associated with the Artillery Ground, where it played most of its home matches.-Early history of London cricket:...
versus Slindon Cricket Club
Slindon Cricket Club
Slindon Cricket Club was famous in the middle part of the 18th century when it claimed to have the best team in England. It was located at Slindon, a village in the Arun district of Sussex....
at the Artillery Ground
Artillery Ground
The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London...
. Slindon, backed by his old employer the Duke of Richmond, won by 55 runs. On 18 June, Waymark played for the All-England
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
team against Kent
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...
at the Artillery Ground
Artillery Ground
The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London...
in the match which commences Arthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
's Scores & Biographies. Kent won by 1 wicket.
Waymark was an outstanding single wicket
Single Wicket
Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one who scores more runs...
player and took part in several big money contests. Single wicket was the most lucrative form of cricket in the 1740s. For example, on 16 & 17 September 1748, Waymark teamed up with Robert Colchin
Robert Colchin
Robert "Long Robin" Colchin was a highly influential professional English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period at a time when the single wicket version of the game was popular.-Cricket career:...
to play two doubles matches against Tom Faulkner
Tom Faulkner
Tom Faulkner , known as "Long Tom", was a noted English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period.A Surrey man, he was a prominent single wicket player who frequently played in challenge matches at the Artillery Ground....
and Joe Harris
Joe Harris (cricketer)
Joseph Harris and his brother John Harris were English cricketers in the 1740s and 1750s...
at the Artillery Ground
Artillery Ground
The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London...
. At the time, these four were arguably the best players in England. The matches were played for huge prizes of fifty guineas each. Waymark and Colchin won them both, the first by 12 runs and the second by an unrecorded margin.
The last surviving record of Thomas Waymark is in July 1749 when he was part of an All-England team that played three single wicket "fives" matches against Addington
Addington Cricket Club
Addington is about three miles south-east of Croydon. It is only a small place but Addington Cricket Club fielded one of the strongest cricket teams in England from about the 1743 season to the 1752 season....
, though Waymark did not play in the third match. He seems to have ceased playing c.1750.
Style and technique
Waymark was a right-handed all-rounderAll-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who excelled at both the single wicket
Single Wicket
Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one who scores more runs...
and 11-a-side variants of the sport. He was noted (see above) for his "extraordinary agility and dexterity" which would indicate that he was an outstanding fielder in addition to his batting and bowling skills.
Throughout his career, the ball was bowled underarm
Underarm bowling
In cricket, underarm bowling is as old as the sport itself. Until the introduction of the roundarm style in the first half of the 19th century, bowling was performed in the same way as in bowls, the ball being delivered with the hand below the waist...
along the ground at a two-stump wicket. It is believed that Waymark bowled at a fastish pace with variations. He was also an accomplished batsman, though not as highly regarded in this department as his single wicket partner Colchin. The bat was curved like a modern hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
stick and the batsman generally attacked the rolled ball. Batsmen did not develop defensive techniques until the straight bat was invented in response to the pitched delivery, which was introduced in the 1760s, more than a decade after Waymark's career ended.