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Stephen Amherst

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Stephen Amherst
Personal information
Born1750
Died6 May 1814 (aged 63–64)
West Farleigh, Kent
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1786–1795Kent
FC debut25 June 1783 East Kent v West Kent
Last FC31 August 1795 Kent v England XI
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 31
Runs scored 479
Batting average 8.87
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 39
Catches/stumpings 28/2
Source: CricInfo, 9 April 2022

Stephen Amherst or Amhurst (1750 – 6 May 1814), was an English cricketer and organiser of cricket matches.

Amherst was born in 1750.[1] He is most associated with organising matches involving Kent teams towards the end of the 18th century.[2][3] Amherst employed cricketers such as Thomas Boxall, a noted bowler who is believed to have been the first player to bowl legbreaks,[4] and John Crawte, who he persuaded to move from the Hambledon Club in Hampshire.[3][5] Both men played for Kent sides whilst employed by Amherst who built an indoor training centre in a converted barn for Boxall to use.[4]

As well as organising matches, Amherst played in 31 first-class matches between 1783 and 1795.[1][6] He played most frequently for Kent sides, making 18 appearances for teams using the name Kent as well as three for West Kent and one for both East Kent and for the Gentlemen of Kent. He is known to have played non-first-class matches until at least 1800, including for the Gentlemen of Kent and the Rochester club.[6]

Amherst died at West Farleigh near Maidstone in Kent in 1814.[1][6] Arthur Haygarth quoted from a tablet in the parish church at West Farleigh to confirm his view that the spelling of Amherst's name was correct, rather than Amhurst which is used in a number of other sources.[7] A Stephen Amhurst is recorded as the owner of Court Lodge in the village in 1798, a house his family had lived in since the 17th century,[8][9] and it is possible that both spellings of the name were used by the same family.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Stephen Amherst, CricInfo. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  2. ^ Ranjitsinhji KS ed. (1897) The Jubilee Book of Cricket, p. 394. London: William Blackwood and Sons. (Available online at Wikisource. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  3. ^ a b Pycroft J The Hambledon Club and the Old Players, in Lucas EV ed (1907) The Hambledon Men, p. 136, p. 142. London: Henry Frowde. (Available online at Wikisource. Retrieved 2022-03-20.)
  4. ^ a b Rajan A (2011) Twirlymen: The Unlikely History of Cricket's Greatest Spin Bowlers, p. 24. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 9780224083232
  5. ^ Arlott LTJ (1978) Alresford's Famous Cricketers, Alresford Historical and Literary Society. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  6. ^ a b c Stephen Amherst, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2018-04-10. (subscription required)
  7. ^ a b West Kent vs East Kent, Jun 25–26 1783 – scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  8. ^ Hasted E (1798) The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 5, pp. 136–145. Canterbury: Bristow. (Available online at British History Online. Retrieved 2022-04-09.)
  9. ^ East Farleigh: a brief history, p. 19, p. 27. East Farleigh Parish Council (2016).
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