James Southerton

James Southerton (16 November 1827 – 16 June 1880) was an English professional cricketer whose first-class career spanned 26 seasons from 1854 to 1879. Right-handed as both a batsman and bowler, he began his career as a specialist batsman. Having found little success as a batsman, he decided to concentrate on bowling and, using a roundarm action, developed into an outstanding slow bowler who took 1,682 wickets in his first-class career from 286 matches.

In the 1870 season, Southerton became the first bowler to take 200 first-class wickets in a season. He toured Australia in 1876–77 with James Lillywhite's team, and played for England against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, in what is retrospectively recognised as the first-ever Test match. He was 49 years and 119 days old when the match began, and remains the oldest Test debutant. In domestic cricket, Southerton was mostly associated with the county teams of Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex. As he tended to play for more than one county in a season, he became known as the 'Man of Many Counties', and it was largely because of him that residence qualifications were introduced ahead of the 1873 season.

Southerton stood intermittently as an umpire between 1864 and 1879. For the last ten years of his life, he was the landlord of The Cricketers public house in Mitcham. He became the first Test cricketer to die when he succumbed to a short attack of pleurisy in June 1880, aged 52.

Cricket Early career James Southerton was born in Petworth, Sussex on 16 November 1827. His family moved from Petworth to Mitcham, Surrey when he was three months old. By occupation a barber, he made his debut in first-class cricket for Surrey against Sussex at Hove in 1854. The following season he played twice for Surrey, against an All England Eleven and Sussex.

'Man of Many Counties' Southerton would spend a further season with Sussex in 1860, making two appearances, alongside playing for the South in the North v South fixture at Sleaford. with him playing once in first-class cricket against the MCC that season. His bowling proved a challenge to batsman, one which they were not easily able to adapt to. When he bowled outside the off stump, the ball was able to turn viciously off the unprepared pitches of the time into right-handed batsmen. Having taken 21 wickets from three matches in 1865 and 32 from four matches in 1866, Southerton took 132 wickets in 1867 at an average of 14.14; he took nineteen five wicket hauls and ten-wickets in a match on five occasions across the season. The following season, in which he played once again for both Surrey and Sussex, he took 136 wickets at an average of 15.30. He bowled 6,089 balls in the 1875 season, and for Surrey he is reputed to have not bowled a single wide.

Test cricket and later career The English touring team in 1876. Southerton is seated second from left. Southerton had previously been chosen to tour with a team captained by W. G. Grace in the winter which followed the 1873 season, although none of the matches played during the tour were afforded first-class status. Southerton was critical of Grace's captaincy on the tour, labelling him a "damn bad captain". Although his bowling returns had declined somewhat in the 1876 season, with 28 fewer wickets than the previous year (136 wickets), After featuring in a first-class match against New South Wales, he was chosen to play in the first-ever Test match, played between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Southerton was 49 years and 119 days old when he made his Test debut, making him the oldest ever Test debutant. On debut, he broke the 77 runs partnership of Charles Bannerman and Bransby Cooper, on his way to claiming figures of 3 for 61 in the Australians first innings. He played in the 2nd Test twelve days later, which was also played at the MCG. with England winning the match by four wickets to tie the series. These wickets bought his total Test tally to 7 wickets at an average of 15.28. Southerton also accompanied the touring party to New Zealand, but no matches of status were played there.

Returning home, age began to catch up with Southerton, and in the 1877 season he failed to take 100 first-class wickets in a season for the first time since 1866, though his average remained healthy. where the weather noted as being unfavourable for large periods of play. Following his retirement, he was appointed superintendent of the bowlers at The Oval by Surrey.

Playing style and career statistics Southerton's first-class career spanned from 1854 to 1879. He began his career as a batsman, but found little in the way of success in this role, both prior to and after he became a skilled bowler. Haygarth noted that he was an attacking batsman, while W. G. Grace wrote that Southerton seldom defended the ball, and was known to close his eyes when striking out. His bowling average was significantly higher when playing in the Gentlemen v Players match.

Umpiring Southerton first stood as a first-class umpire in the 1864 fixture between Surrey and the South of England. Nine years would elapse before he next stood, doing so in the 1873 Gentlemen v Players fixture. He would stand in first-class cricket between 1877 and 1879, doing so on ten occasions. W. G. Grace considered Southerton a "hazy" umpire, prone to errors. Grace recalled an incident during their 1873–74 Australia tour when Southerton was umpiring in a match played at Castlemaine, when he was caught by the fielder, who subsequently fell over the boundary rope. Southerton adjudged Grace to be not out, claiming that the fielder had caught the ball well over the rope; Grace subsequently ran five runs, but Southerton only awarded one run, when the decision should have either resulted in Grace's dismissal, or the awarding of the five runs. Amongst the mourners were former contemporaries at Surrey and Mitcham, including C. W. Alcock, Edward Garland, Will Mortlock, William Shepherd, and John Swan. Several past and present cricketers acted as his pallbearers, amongst whom were Frederick Gale, Frederick Harwood, Richard Humphrey, Thomas Mantle, Tom Sewell, and Edgar Willsher. Just over a year later, a memorial was erected over his grave through public subscription.