George Bennett (cricketer, born 1829)

George Bennett (12 February 1829 – 16 August 1886), sometimes known as Farmer Bennett,^[1] was an English professional cricketer, who played first-class cricket from 1853 to 1873. He was mainly associated with Kent County Cricket Club, and made more than 150 appearances in first-class matches.^[1][2][3]

George Bennett

Personal information
Born	(1829-02-12)12 February 1829 Shorne Ridgeway, Kent
Died	16 August 1886(1886-08-16) (aged 57) Shorne Ridgeway, Kent
Nickname	Farmer Bennett
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm slow
Role	All-rounder
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1853–1873	Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 169^[A] Runs scored 4,199 Batting average 14.73 100s/50s 1/13 Top score 100 Balls bowled 21,799*^[B] Wickets 612 Bowling average 16.89* 5 wickets in innings 41 10 wickets in match 12 Best bowling 9/113 Catches/stumpings 122/–
Source: CricInfo, 26 March 2017

Life and career

Bennett was born in Shorne Ridgeway near Gravesend, Kent, where he was employed as a bricklayer^[4] and for 25 years at Cobham Hall by John Bligh, 6th Earl of Darnley as a cricket coach for his sons, including Edward and Ivo both of whom went on to play for Kent.^[5] He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm slow roundarm bowler who played in 126 matches for Kent.^[1] He played for several of the representative travelling teams including the United All-England Eleven (1860–1862); All-England Eleven (1864) and the United South of England Eleven (1872). He represented the Players in 1865 and 1866. He was described by Lord Harris in 1907 in the History of Kent County Cricket as "one of the best all rounders Kent has produced".^[4]

Bennett took part in the first English tour of Australia as a member of HH Stephenson's XI in Australia in 1861–62. The team travelled to Australia on the SS Great Britain. During the voyage, while the team was practising on deck, one passenger received a broken nose and cut cheek when he was struck in the face by a belaying pin which Bennett was using as an improvised cricket bat.^[6] In the only first-class match on the tour, playing for "The World" against a "Surrey XI" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1862, Bennett took seven wickets in each innings and made 72 in the first innings.^[7]

He was the first player to be ever given out handled the ball. In a match for Kent against Sussex at the County Cricket Ground, Hove, in August 1872, he removed a ball that had become lodged in his clothing, and was given out before he had scored a run.^[8][6]

Notes

1. CricInfo and CricketArchive disagree over the number of matches Bennett played. The CricInfo total of 169 has been used here as the site is not behind a paywall. CricketArchive provides a total of 170 matches. Runs scored and wickets taken are identical for both sources.
2. Due to incomplete scorecards from the mid-19th century, the number of balls bowled and bowling average are approximate

References

1. "Player Profile: Farmer Bennett". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
2. George Bennett, CricInfo. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
3. Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 53–57. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 6 August 2022.)
4. Monumental Inscriptions of St Peter & St Paul Church, Shorne - recorded by D. E. Williams 2013, Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
5. Wynne-Thomas P, Griffiths P (2002) Famous Cricketers Series: No. 67 Ivo Bligh, p. 3. Nottingham: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
6. "George Bennett". SS Great Britain. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
7. "The World v Surrey XI". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
8. Frindall, Bill (2009). Ask Bearders. BBC Books. pp. 179–180. ISBN 978-1-84607-880-4.

Sources

• Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, several volumes, Lillywhite, 1862–72
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, several volumes to 1874

External links

• George Bennett at ESPNcricinfo