William Lambert (cricketer, born 1779)

William Lambert (1779 at Burstow, Surrey – 19 April 1851 at Nutfield, Surrey) was an English professional cricketer in the first two decades of the 19th century. Playing mainly for Surrey from 1801, but also for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and some other county teams, Lambert was a right-hand batsman and an underarm slow bowler.

William Lambert
William Lambert
Personal information
Born1779
Burstow, Surrey
Died19 April 1851(1851-04-19) (aged 71–72)
Nutfield, Surrey
BattingRight-handed
BowlingSlow underarm
RoleBatsman
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
Data unavailableHampshire
Data unavailableKent
Data unavailableSurrey
Data unavailableSussex
Career statistics
Competition FC[a]
Matches 64
Runs scored 3,013
Batting average 27.64
100s/50s 4/Data unavailable
Top score 157
Balls bowled Data unavailable
Wickets 187+
Bowling average
5 wickets in innings 2
10 wickets in match
Best bowling 6/?
Catches/stumpings 62/26
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 25 January 2019 see also Footnote[a]

Lambert was described by Arthur Haygarth as "one of the most successful cricketers that has ever yet appeared, excelling as he did in batting, bowling, fielding, keeping wicket, and also single wicket playing".[1]

Career

His main claim to fame is that he is the first player known to have scored two centuries in the same match, though others such as Tom Walker had come close. Lambert achieved this in the Sussex v Epsom match at Lord's between 2 and 6 July 1817. Curiously, this turned out to be his final first-class appearance because he was banned for life soon afterwards following allegations of match-fixing in an earlier game.

Although he was a professional, Lambert played for the Gentlemen in the inaugural and second Gentlemen v Players matches in 1806. He and William Beldham were selected for the Players but, to try to balance the two teams, they were given men for the Gentlemen in the first match. In the second match, Beldham returned to the Players but Lambert was again a given man for the Gentlemen.[2][3]

Lambert played in a great many matches that were not first-class including numerous single wicket events. Indeed, he was outstanding in the latter form of the game.

His first-class record from 1801 to 1817 has 64 matches. He played 114 innings (5 not out) and scored 3,014 runs at 27.65 with a highest score of 157 in the Sussex v Epsom game. He scored 4 centuries and 16 fifties.

He was a strong fielder and an occasional wicket-keeper, taking 61 catches and 26 stumpings.

Lambert's bowling analyses are incomplete and we only know of his bowled victims. He took 187 wickets (bowled only) and his best tally was 6 in one innings.

References
  1. Haygarth, p.289
  2. CricketArchive – scorecard of inaugural Gentlemen v Players match
  3. CricketArchive – scorecard of second Gentlemen v Players match

Footnote

 ^ Much of the data pertaining to the bowling of Lambert is either missing or incomplete. The 187 wickets against his name are "bowled-dismissal" alone, as the scorecard rules in that era were quite different from those of today.[1]

Bibliography
  • H S Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1926
  • Derek Birley, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999
  • Rowland Bowen, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970
  • Samuel Britcher, A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played (1790 to 1805)
  • G B Buckley, Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket, Cotterell, 1937
  • Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862
  • John Major, More Than A Game, HarperCollins, 2007
  1. "Lobsters in Cricket, part 7: William Lambert". Cricket County. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
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