Gill (Buckinghamshire cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Gill (first name and dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted All-England
cricket
er of the 18th century who was a prominent wicketkeeper. Personal details of Gill, including his first name, have not been found in surviving records.
Gill was active in the period before cricket's statistical record began in the 1772 season
and his name appears in the first scorecard of that season. However, it was the last time he is recorded as he must have reached the end of his career. He was previously recorded in the All-England team that played two matches against Dartford
in 1759 and it is here that he is named as a wicketkeeper from Buckinghamshire
.
Gill's career therefore spanned at least the 1759 to 1772 seasons and, given his involvement in All-England teams at both ends of that span, there can be little doubt that he was one of the most accomplished wicketkeepers of the 1760s, a period from which unfortunately little information has survived.
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er of the 18th century who was a prominent wicketkeeper. Personal details of Gill, including his first name, have not been found in surviving records.
Gill was active in the period before cricket's statistical record began in the 1772 season
1772 English cricket season
The 1772 English cricket season was notable in English cricket history because it is from then that surviving scorecards are common. There are three scorecards from 1772, all recording matches that were organised by the Hambledon Club...
and his name appears in the first scorecard of that season. However, it was the last time he is recorded as he must have reached the end of his career. He was previously recorded in the All-England team that played two matches against Dartford
Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent...
in 1759 and it is here that he is named as a wicketkeeper from Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
Gill's career therefore spanned at least the 1759 to 1772 seasons and, given his involvement in All-England teams at both ends of that span, there can be little doubt that he was one of the most accomplished wicketkeepers of the 1760s, a period from which unfortunately little information has survived.