Charles Kortright
Encyclopedia
Charles Jesse Kortright (January 9, 1871 at Furze Hall, Fryerning
, Ingatestone
, Essex
– December 12, 1952 at Brookstreet, South Weald, Essex) was an English
cricketer
, who played for Essex
and Free Foresters. In his obituary in the 1953 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
, he was described as "probably the fastest bowler in the history of the game", a testimony fervently supported by countless of those who saw and faced him.
matches at an average of 21.05, with best innings figures of 8/57. (Many of Essex's matches prior to 1895, when they were admitted to the County Championship
, were not first-class.) He was also a useful, hard-hitting batsman, with two first-class hundreds to his credit and an average of 17.61.
He played as an amateur, having a private income which meant he did not need to work for a living. Unlike most other gentleman amateurs, Kortright trained hard and bowled fast off a long run-up.
Though he never played Test cricket
, he appeared for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players
match which, in years when no Test team was touring England, was the most prestigious fixture of the season. John Arlott
included him in his best XI never to play Test cricket for England.
Kortright lived until 1952 and was interviewed shortly before his death providing a wonderful insight into Victorian cricket. The bowlers of his era used the yorker as their main weapon; they had bowled on some pitches just as flat as modern "shirt fronts". The bowling crease was smaller in those days, which restricted their angles of attack. He pointed out that he had used a larger ball and had smaller stumps to bowl at. The way to overcome these obstacles was simply to get fitter and bowl faster.
Many batsmen were given a thorough battering by Kortright and W. G. Grace
was no exception. In 1898, the batsman was approaching 50 years old and refused to speak to Kortright following a Gloucestershire vs Essex match. This was the famous occasion on which Kortright, having uprooted two of the stumps after Grace had shamelessly intimidated the umpire out of giving several dismissals, said: "Surely you're not going, Doc? There's still one stump standing". This witticism rather than the battering he received, may have been the main cause of Grace's ire. He claimed that he had never been so insulted.
They made up a few days later when they almost batted their way to a draw in the Gentlemen v Players
match. Kortright told the whole story in a radio interview in the 1950s. The Gentlemen were two minutes away from saving the match when Kortright was out after a lengthy last wicket partnership.
Another story he was fond of telling was of bowling a bouncer at Wallingford which flew over the batsman and was still rising as it cleared the boundary. He claimed this was the only time anyone had bowled six byes. If it happened it would have been an incorrect ruling from the umpire as, under the Laws of cricket, it should have scored four.
He never played a Test match. There were some who doubted the legality of his action, on one occasion he bowled with his arm splinted to prove it was straight. Eventually he turned to wrist spin and continued to take significant numbers of wickets. In 1903, he captained Essex. In retirement, he played golf. He proudly boasted he had never done a day's work in his life.
Fryerning
Fryerning is a village in south Essex. It is situated just 1.5 miles north of Ingatestone. The Parish Church is St. Mary the Virgin in Blackmore Road...
, Ingatestone
Ingatestone
Ingatestone is a small town in Essex, England, with a population of about 4500 people. To the immediate north lies the village of Fryerning, and the two form the civil parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
– December 12, 1952 at Brookstreet, South Weald, Essex) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
, who played for Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
and Free Foresters. In his obituary in the 1953 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
, he was described as "probably the fastest bowler in the history of the game", a testimony fervently supported by countless of those who saw and faced him.
Life and career
Educated at Brentwood school and Tonbridge, Charles Kortright played for Essex from 1889 to 1907. He took 489 wickets in first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches at an average of 21.05, with best innings figures of 8/57. (Many of Essex's matches prior to 1895, when they were admitted to the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, were not first-class.) He was also a useful, hard-hitting batsman, with two first-class hundreds to his credit and an average of 17.61.
He played as an amateur, having a private income which meant he did not need to work for a living. Unlike most other gentleman amateurs, Kortright trained hard and bowled fast off a long run-up.
Though he never played Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, he appeared for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
match which, in years when no Test team was touring England, was the most prestigious fixture of the season. John Arlott
John Arlott
Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
included him in his best XI never to play Test cricket for England.
Kortright lived until 1952 and was interviewed shortly before his death providing a wonderful insight into Victorian cricket. The bowlers of his era used the yorker as their main weapon; they had bowled on some pitches just as flat as modern "shirt fronts". The bowling crease was smaller in those days, which restricted their angles of attack. He pointed out that he had used a larger ball and had smaller stumps to bowl at. The way to overcome these obstacles was simply to get fitter and bowl faster.
Many batsmen were given a thorough battering by Kortright and W. G. Grace
W. G. Grace
William Gilbert Grace, MRCS, LRCP was an English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having a special significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport...
was no exception. In 1898, the batsman was approaching 50 years old and refused to speak to Kortright following a Gloucestershire vs Essex match. This was the famous occasion on which Kortright, having uprooted two of the stumps after Grace had shamelessly intimidated the umpire out of giving several dismissals, said: "Surely you're not going, Doc? There's still one stump standing". This witticism rather than the battering he received, may have been the main cause of Grace's ire. He claimed that he had never been so insulted.
They made up a few days later when they almost batted their way to a draw in the Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
match. Kortright told the whole story in a radio interview in the 1950s. The Gentlemen were two minutes away from saving the match when Kortright was out after a lengthy last wicket partnership.
Another story he was fond of telling was of bowling a bouncer at Wallingford which flew over the batsman and was still rising as it cleared the boundary. He claimed this was the only time anyone had bowled six byes. If it happened it would have been an incorrect ruling from the umpire as, under the Laws of cricket, it should have scored four.
He never played a Test match. There were some who doubted the legality of his action, on one occasion he bowled with his arm splinted to prove it was straight. Eventually he turned to wrist spin and continued to take significant numbers of wickets. In 1903, he captained Essex. In retirement, he played golf. He proudly boasted he had never done a day's work in his life.