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foot of page Francis Booker "Known" debut | But there was no middle stump | Last known match | Venues where Booker is known to have played |
Francis Booker
Here's a biography of a man who may be considered a typically good county cricketer in the second half of the 18th century. One of the reasons he is typical is that he was both a cricketer and an innkeeper. His name was Francis Booker and he was born on Wednesday, 8 October 1746 in the Kent village of Eynsford, which is about seven miles north of Sevenoaks, and five south of Dartford. He lived his whole life there and kept The Soho, which was a coaching inn. Arthur Haygarth visited the village in 1860.
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| The ford and bridge in Eynsford. |
Booker's known career was from 1773 to 1790. He is mentioned by sources in connection with a total of 53 top-class matches, including single wicket, though he must have played in many, many more whose scorecards are lost (or were never even created). He was a left-handed batsman who was noted as a fine hitter of the ball, and a very good outfielder, usually at mid-wicket. He was an occasional bowler, again left-handed, but we don't know if he was fast, medium or slow. He obviously bowled underarm like everyone else in the 18th century, and I assume he deployed a pitched delivery. Booker is, in fact, one of cricket's earliest known left-handers; another of the time was Hambledon's "general" Richard Nyren. Booker played mostly for Kent teams, and was rated a good single wicket player.
He is the subject of the seventh biography in Haygarth's Scores & Biographies (on page 7 of Volume One). Haygarth says much of his account is sourced to Thomas Booker, a nephew who was resident at Eynsford in 1860. Francis Booker was said to be about 5 ft 8 inches tall, and weighed around 12 stone. Haygarth describes him as "one of the cracks of his day". He provides an anecdote of Booker once jumping over a fence at Sevenoaks Vine, and still catching the ball. He reportedly defeated William Bullen in a single wicket match at Lord's (the original ground) to win £50, a considerable sum in those days, but the score of this match has not been preserved.
There is a brief mention of Booker in John Nyren's classic work The Cricketers of my Time. On page 74 of the revised edition, Nyren says that Booker was a player "of the first rank, though not the first of that rank". Booker was, says Nyren who must certainly have met him, an "excellent and steady batter and a sure field".
"Known" debut
The first match in which Booker is known to have played was Surrey v Kent at Laleham Burway, Chertsey. It was played Monday, 21 to Tuesday, 22 June 1773. Surrey won by 35 runs. No bowling or fielding data has survived, but we do know all the batsmen's scores, though not if they were actually dismissed (i.e., we don't know who the four "not out" batsmen were). Anyway, our man was listed seventh (which doesn't mean he batted seventh) in the Kent batting order, and he scored 2 and 4.
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The Young Cricketer is a famous painting by Francis Cotes. Completed in 1768, about the time Francis Booker started in top-class cricket. As you can see, plenty of room between the stumps for Lumpy to score his football hat-trick! |
Several of the amateur fraternity were involved, most notably Earl Tankerville (leading Surrey), the Duke of Dorset (leading Kent), and Horatio Mann (playing for Kent). As Haygarth himself said, Booker was 26 going on 27 when this match happened, so he must have been playing for some years already. His county career probably began in the 1760s. The problem is, of course, that regular compilation and retention of scorecards did not begin until 1772 so, alas, we know nothing of Booker, and little of his contemporaries, before 1773.
But there was no middle stump
In May 1775, Booker took part in what must be the most famous single wicket match ever played. He was one of a Five of Kent team which included the great bowler Lumpy Stevens as a given man. The other three Kent players were William Brazier, William Bullen, and Joseph Miller. Their opponents were Five of Hambledon, who included Thomas White as a given man. The Hambledon players were Tom Brett, George Leer, Tom Sueter and, significantly, master batsman John Small. Booker played very well in this game and, in doing so, helped to set up the game's dramatic finale.
Kent batted first, and were dismissed for only 37 by Brett and White. Booker scored 8. Hambledon scored 92 in reply for a first innings lead of 55 which, taking everything into account, was substantial. Small made 75 of those 92 runs, and all five Hambledon batsmen were bowled by Lumpy. In their second innings, Kent made 102 to avoid the innings defeat, and gave their bowlers hope by establishing a lead of 47. Bullen made the top score of 56, and Booker scored 35, a significant contribution. Hambledon needed 48 to win, but they were against Lumpy so the result was no certainty. Lumpy bowled White, Brett and Sueter. Booker caught Leer.
We don't know the overall batting order except that Small was last man in, and he still needed to score 14. It was master bowler versus master batsman, and the master batsman won, but only after Lumpy had sent the ball through the two-stump wicket without disturbing it. Not once, not twice, but three times. That's a hat-trick in football, but it was frustration for Lumpy. Small got the runs he needed, and Hambledon won the match by one wicket.
In due course, and it evidently did take quite a while to become universal, the three-stump wicket was introduced in response to Lumpy's justifiable protests. Booker certainly played his part.
Last known match
Booker's final known appearance was in September 1790 when he played for Stephen Amherst's West Kent XI against the East Kent XI selected by Horatio Mann. Because of bad weather, it was played over five days from Tuesday, 7 to Saturday, 11 September.
The match was played on Mann's Bourne Paddock at Bishopsbourne, near Canterbury. Amherst's XI won by 130 runs. They had first innings and scored 119. Booker had the second highest score with 29. Mann's XI were dismissed for 97, and Amherst's team then took the advantage with 148 in their second innings for a lead of 270, which was massive in those days. Mann's XI were clearly not up to the task, and were all out for only 40. Booker in his last known innings made only 3. He held one catch, but he may not have bowled in the match.
We don't know if Booker played again at the highest level. He was nearly 44 by this time, so perhaps not.
Francis Booker died, aged 60, on Thursday, 13 November 1806, the week before Napoleon announced his Continental System.
Venues where Booker is known to have played
There are only a dozen known venues, but Booker was one of very few players who took part in top-class matches at all three of Hambledon's grounds, including the little-known Cheden Holt.
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This plaque in Dorset Square commemorates the original Lord's ground, which opened in 1787. Francis Booker played there that year. |
- Artillery Ground, Finsbury
- Bourne Paddock, Bishopsbourne
- Broadhalfpenny Down, Hambledon
- Cheden Holt, Hambledon
- Itchin Stoke Down, Alresford
- Laleham Burway, Chertsey
- Lord's Old Ground, Marylebone
- Moulsey Hurst, West Molesey
- Star Inn, Coxheath
- The Old Park, Canterbury
- The Vine, Sevenoaks
- Windmill Down, Hambledon
He also played at both the Artillery Ground and the original Lord's. I don't suppose there were many who did that.
He was too late for Dartford Brent and Kennington Common but, no matter, his career would still make an excellent travelogue of 18th century cricket.
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