John Selby (cricketer)

John Selby (1 July 1849 – 11 March 1894), born John Burrows,[1] played cricket professionally for Nottinghamshire between 1870 and 1887, and played six Test matches for England between 1877 and 1882.[2]

John Selby

Lillywhite's Australian touring team in 1876. Selby is seated on the ground on the right.
Personal information
Born	1 July 1849 Nottingham, England
Died	11 March 1894 (aged 44) Nottingham, England
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
International information
National side	England
Test debut	15 March 1877 v Australia
Last Test	14 March 1882 v Australia
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class Matches 6 222 Runs scored 256 6,215 Batting average 23.27 18.83 100s/50s 0/2 4/27 Top score 70 128* Balls bowled – 436 Wickets – 5 Bowling average – 37.60 5 wickets in innings – 0 10 wickets in match – 0 Best bowling – 2/27 Catches/stumpings 1/0 228/4
Source: CricInfo, 22 April 2020

Life and career

Selby toured Australia in 1876–77 and 1881–82, playing a total of six Test matches on those tours, and he toured North America in 1879. Selby played in the first Test Match in Melbourne in March 1877, opening the batting and keeping wicket. He was the first England batsman to be dismissed in Test cricket.[3][4] Batting at number three, he scored 55 and 70 in the First Test of the 1881-82 series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[5]

In 1878, he headed the English cricket averages with 938 runs at a batting average of 31.82 runs per innings. His highest first-class score was 128 not out for Nottinghamshire against Gloucestershire in 1872.[6]

Selby was a noted sprinter in his younger days, and won several major handicap races. At cricket, when he was not keeping wicket his speed in the outfield made him an excellent fieldsman.[7]

Selby went on to become a pub landlord, but his financial dealings were unsuccessful and led to a run-in with the law. He died after suffering a paralytic stroke in Nottingham General Hospital in 1894.[2] He had a wife, Annie.

References

1. "John Selby". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
2. Williamson, Martin. "John Selby". Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
3. "Cricket's pioneers – a look at England's firsts". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
4. "1st Test, England tour of Australia at Melbourne, Mar 15-19 1877". Cricinfo. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
5. "Australia v England (1st Test) 1881-82". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
6. "Nottinghamshire v Gloucestershire 1872". CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
7. "Pavilion Gossip", Cricket, 22 March 1894, pp. 41–42.

External links

• John Selby at ESPNcricinfo