Tom Sueter
Encyclopedia
Thomas Sueter (17 April 1750 at Hambledon, Hampshire
– 17 February 1827 at Hambledon) was a famous English cricket
er who played for the Hambledon Club
.
Sueter was a left-handed batsman and, with William Yalden
, one of the two most famous wicket-keepers of the 18th century. He played mainly for Hampshire
but in his closing seasons he represented Surrey
, probably because of temporary residence in the county, though he evidently returned to Hambledon after he finished playing .
Sueter was a carpenter and builder by trade and Arthur Haygarth
recorded that above the Hambledon church door in the 1860s was affixed a plaque saying: "Thomas Sueter and Richard Flood, builders, 1788" .
Sueter began playing in the 1760s and made 67 known first-class appearances from the 1772 season
to the 1790 season
. He is said "to have been the first (or one of the first) who departed from the custom of the old players, who deemed it a heresy to leave the crease for the ball; but he would get in at it, hit it straight off and straight on, and egad it went as if it had been fired" (sic) . Sueter was also reckoned an excellent judge of a short run .
Like George Leer
, Sueter was a fine singer and he belonged to the choir at his parish church. When he died, according to Haygarth, he left behind him a sovereign in order that an anthem should be sung in the church over his coffin; and this was done. Haygarth records that Sueter’s tombstone was still standing in Hambledon churchyard in 1858 with the following inscription:
Hambledon, Hampshire
Hambledon is a small village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire in England, situated about north of Portsmouth.Hambledon is best known as the 'Cradle of Cricket'. It is thought that Hambledon Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs known, was formed about 1750...
– 17 February 1827 at Hambledon) 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 who played for the Hambledon Club
Hambledon Club
The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...
.
Sueter was a left-handed batsman and, with William Yalden
William Yalden
William "The Yold" Yalden was a noted English cricketer. He was a very good batsman but was primarily known as a wicket-keeper....
, one of the two most famous wicket-keepers of the 18th century. He played mainly for 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...
but in his closing seasons he represented Surrey
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:...
, probably because of temporary residence in the county, though he evidently returned to Hambledon after he finished playing .
Sueter was a carpenter and builder by trade and Arthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth
Arthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
recorded that above the Hambledon church door in the 1860s was affixed a plaque saying: "Thomas Sueter and Richard Flood, builders, 1788" .
Sueter began playing in the 1760s and made 67 known first-class appearances from the 1772 season
1772 English cricket season
The 1772 English cricket season was notable in English cricket history because it is from then that surviving scorecards are common. There are three scorecards from 1772, all recording matches that were organised by the Hambledon Club...
to the 1790 season
1790 English cricket season
Samuel Britcher’s scorecards started in the 1790 English cricket season. The works of Mr Britcher have not been readily available and it is only recently that they have been studied in any depth, especially by Keith Warsop...
. He is said "to have been the first (or one of the first) who departed from the custom of the old players, who deemed it a heresy to leave the crease for the ball; but he would get in at it, hit it straight off and straight on, and egad it went as if it had been fired" (sic) . Sueter was also reckoned an excellent judge of a short run .
Like George Leer
George Leer
George Leer was a famous English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the time of the Hambledon Club.Leer began playing in the 1760s...
, Sueter was a fine singer and he belonged to the choir at his parish church. When he died, according to Haygarth, he left behind him a sovereign in order that an anthem should be sung in the church over his coffin; and this was done. Haygarth records that Sueter’s tombstone was still standing in Hambledon churchyard in 1858 with the following inscription:
-
-
-
-
- Sacred to the memory of THOMAS SUETER,
- who departed this life the 17th day of February, 1827, aged 77 years
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External links
Further reading
- H S AlthamHarry AlthamHarry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962 - Rowland BowenRowland BowenMajor Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 - Ashley MoteAshley MoteAshley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
, The Glory Days of Cricket, Robson, 1997 - David UnderdownDavid UnderdownDavid E. Underdown was a historian of 17th-century English politics and culture and Professor Emeritus at Yale University. Born at Wells, Somerset, Underdown was educated at the Blue School and Exeter College, Oxford...
, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000