Ted Tyler
Encyclopedia
Edwin James Tyler (13 October 1864 in Kidderminster
, Worcestershire
, England
– 25 January 1917 in North Town, Taunton
, Somerset
, England) was a cricket
er who played first-class cricket
for Somerset County Cricket Club
between 1891
and 1907
. Tyler also played one Test match
for England
on their tour to South Africa in 1895-96.
Tyler will always be remembered for the share he had in securing Somerset's promotion to first-class rank in 1891, and his effective bowling in the seasons that immediately followed, when Somerset, with Sammy Woods
and Lionel Palairet
at their best, had such a strong and attractive team. In his own style Tyler was a remarkable left-handed bowler. So slow was his pace that unless he had had a good head and great command of length first-rate batsmen would have hit him all over the field. As it was he made even the best batsmen respect him, and on occasions he did great things. Though never ranking with Wilfred Rhodes
and Colin Blythe
he had a highly successful career. On the question of his delivery there is no need to say very much. It was fortunate for him that he came out at a time when great laxity prevailed with regard to throwing. He was too slow to hurt anybody, and so his action, though often talked about, passed muster for many years. Had he appeared after the captains of the first-class counties had taken the matter of unfair bowling into their own hands, things might not have gone so pleasantly for him. One may say this without doing him any injustice. Many offenders, ten times worse than Tyler, were allowed to pursue their evil courses quite unchecked till the hour of reform arrived. Tyler played much of his early cricket for the Kidderminster Club, and for two years, 1885 and 1886, he was in the Worcestershire eleven, bowling with marked success in 1885. Then came his connection with Somerset and his fame as a slow bowler. Personally Tyler was very popular, his genial nature gaining him friends wherever he went.
Kidderminster
Kidderminster is a town, in the Wyre Forest district of Worcestershire, England. It is located approximately seventeen miles south-west of Birmingham city centre and approximately fifteen miles north of Worcester city centre. The 2001 census recorded a population of 55,182 in the town...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
– 25 January 1917 in North Town, Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England) was a 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 who played first-class cricket
First-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...
for Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
between 1891
1891 English cricket season
The 1891 English cricket season featured no international tours, but the County Championship went into its second season. Surrey won in even more dominant fashion before, winning 12 of 16 games, while debutants Somerset finished fifth out of the nine teams....
and 1907
1907 English cricket season
The 1907 English cricket season gave Nottinghamshire its first-ever official County Championship title and saw the first Test matches to be held in England against South Africa.-Honours:*County Championship - Nottinghamshire...
. Tyler also played one Test match
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...
for England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
on their tour to South Africa in 1895-96.
Tyler will always be remembered for the share he had in securing Somerset's promotion to first-class rank in 1891, and his effective bowling in the seasons that immediately followed, when Somerset, with Sammy Woods
Sammy Woods
Samuel Moses James "Sammy" Woods was an Australian sportsman who represented both Australia and England at Test cricket, and appeared thirteen times for England at rugby union, including five times as captain. He also played at county level in England at both soccer and hockey...
and Lionel Palairet
Lionel Palairet
Lionel Charles Hamilton Palairet was a famous cricketer of the so-called "Golden Age" of English cricket before the First World War...
at their best, had such a strong and attractive team. In his own style Tyler was a remarkable left-handed bowler. So slow was his pace that unless he had had a good head and great command of length first-rate batsmen would have hit him all over the field. As it was he made even the best batsmen respect him, and on occasions he did great things. Though never ranking with Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes
Wilfred Rhodes was an English professional cricketer who played 58 Test matches for England between 1899 and 1930. In Tests, Rhodes took 127 wickets in and scored 2,325 runs, becoming the first Englishman to complete the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test matches...
and Colin Blythe
Colin Blythe
Colin Blythe , also known as Charlie Blythe, was a Kent and England left arm spinner who is regarded as one of the finest bowlers of the period between 1900 and 1914 - sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age" of cricket.-Career:Blythe first played...
he had a highly successful career. On the question of his delivery there is no need to say very much. It was fortunate for him that he came out at a time when great laxity prevailed with regard to throwing. He was too slow to hurt anybody, and so his action, though often talked about, passed muster for many years. Had he appeared after the captains of the first-class counties had taken the matter of unfair bowling into their own hands, things might not have gone so pleasantly for him. One may say this without doing him any injustice. Many offenders, ten times worse than Tyler, were allowed to pursue their evil courses quite unchecked till the hour of reform arrived. Tyler played much of his early cricket for the Kidderminster Club, and for two years, 1885 and 1886, he was in the Worcestershire eleven, bowling with marked success in 1885. Then came his connection with Somerset and his fame as a slow bowler. Personally Tyler was very popular, his genial nature gaining him friends wherever he went.
External links
- Obituary of Ted Tyler from the 1918 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, this obituary is now out of copyright and much of this article is based on this obituary.