William Attewell
Encyclopedia
William Attewell (12 June 1861, Keyworth
, Nottinghamshire
, England
– 11 June 1927, Long Eaton
, Derbyshire
, England) was a cricket
er who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
and England
. Attewell was a medium pace bowler who was renowned for his extraordinary accuracy and economy. On the many sticky or crumbling pitches encountered in his prime Attewell could get on a great deal of spin so as to always beat the bat, whilst his accuracy would make slogging - the only way to make runs under such conditions - very difficult. He was responsible for the development of "off theory" - bowling wide of the off stump to a packed off-side field to frustrate batsmen on the rapidly improving pitches of the 1890s. At times Attewell was a useful batsman for his county, and he scored 102 against Kent
in 1897
.
It is true that against the extremely fleet-footed Australian batsmen of his time, Attewell was fairly ineffective. Moreover, with bowlers such as Lohmann
and J.T. Hearne
available who could do all Attewell could, he had trouble maintaining his place at Test level despite all he did for Nottinghamshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club
.
Attewell first played for Nottinghamshire in 1881 as a result of a strike
by senior players such as Alfred Shaw
and Fred Morley
. He bowled very well but did not establish himself until 1884 after Morley had died, when he took 100 wickets for less than thirteen runs each. From then on, Attewell was always in the front rank of English bowlers, and after Shaw dropped out of the Nottinghamshire eleven in early 1887 he became the undisputed leader of the county's attack. His first Ashes tour was modest, partly owing to the dry weather, but he continued improving in England - taking 9 for 23 against Sussex at Trent Bridge
in 1886 - and toured Australia again in 1887/1888. He proved deadly in a wet La Niña
season in minor games, but had no opportunity of showing his deadliness on a sticky wicket at the highest level because Lohmann and Briggs
were so effective. However, Attewell's skill and economy, along with the brilliant batting of Shrewsbury
, allowed Nottinghamshire to maintain their position as one of the top counties in first-class county cricket right up to the end of 1892.
Even when Attewell became the MCC's chief bowler and increased his aggreagte of wickets to around 150 from 1889 to 1892, he did not cement his Test spot, and improving pitches and a severe shortage of support bowling caused Attewell's average to blow out to 21 in 1893 - and his record of 111 wickets at 17.54 in 1894 was disappointing given how much the pitches helped a bowler of his type. Although for the following three years Attewell did remarkably well on all pitches considering Nottinghamshire had no other bowlers even approaching county standard, the great strength of English bowling meant he was not considered for a Test match after 1891. In 1898, Attewell's tireless bowling at last seemed to lose some of its sting, and he failed to reach 100 wickets for the first time in a decade. The extremely dry summer of 1899 showed Attewell's capacity to bowl and bowl all day really was no more: he took only 29 wickets at the extremely high (even on such pitches) cost of 34.62 - in county matches he took just 19 wickets for 38.73 each.
Attewell retired at the end of 1899 (apart from an abortive appearance for MCC in August 1900) and became a first-class
umpire
. He continued in this role on a regular basis until 1909, and even umpired at Lord's in an emergency in 1911.
Keyworth
Keyworth is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located about 6 miles southeast of the centre of Nottingham...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, 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...
– 11 June 1927, Long Eaton
Long Eaton
Long Eaton is a town in Derbyshire, England. It lies just north of the River Trent about southwest of Nottingham and is part of the Nottingham Urban Area...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, 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 for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
and 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...
. Attewell was a medium pace bowler who was renowned for his extraordinary accuracy and economy. On the many sticky or crumbling pitches encountered in his prime Attewell could get on a great deal of spin so as to always beat the bat, whilst his accuracy would make slogging - the only way to make runs under such conditions - very difficult. He was responsible for the development of "off theory" - bowling wide of the off stump to a packed off-side field to frustrate batsmen on the rapidly improving pitches of the 1890s. At times Attewell was a useful batsman for his county, and he scored 102 against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in 1897
1897 English cricket season
The 1897 English cricket season saw Lancashire win the County Championship title for the first time in the official running of the Championship, thanks mainly to only three losses in twenty-six matches. Surrey won more games, and beat Lancashire twice, but one more loss than Lancashire meant that...
.
It is true that against the extremely fleet-footed Australian batsmen of his time, Attewell was fairly ineffective. Moreover, with bowlers such as Lohmann
George Lohmann
George Alfred Lohmann is regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time...
and J.T. Hearne
Jack Hearne (John Thomas Hearne)
John Thomas Hearne was a Middlesex and England medium-fast bowler...
available who could do all Attewell could, he had trouble maintaining his place at Test level despite all he did for Nottinghamshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
.
Attewell first played for Nottinghamshire in 1881 as a result of a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
by senior players such as Alfred Shaw
Alfred Shaw
Alfred Shaw was an eminent Victorian cricketer and rugby footballer, who bowled the first ball in Test cricket and was the first to take five wickets in a Test innings . He who organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888...
and Fred Morley
Fred Morley
Frederick Morley was a professional cricketer who was reckoned to be the fastest bowler in England during his prime...
. He bowled very well but did not establish himself until 1884 after Morley had died, when he took 100 wickets for less than thirteen runs each. From then on, Attewell was always in the front rank of English bowlers, and after Shaw dropped out of the Nottinghamshire eleven in early 1887 he became the undisputed leader of the county's attack. His first Ashes tour was modest, partly owing to the dry weather, but he continued improving in England - taking 9 for 23 against Sussex at Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge is a Test, One-day international and County cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. As well as International cricket and Nottinghamshire's home games, the ground has hosted the Finals Day of...
in 1886 - and toured Australia again in 1887/1888. He proved deadly in a wet La Niña
La Niña
La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern. During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3–5 °C...
season in minor games, but had no opportunity of showing his deadliness on a sticky wicket at the highest level because Lohmann and Briggs
Johnny Briggs (cricketer)
Johnny Briggs was a left arm spin bowler for Lancashire County Cricket Club between 1879 and 1900 who still stands as the second-highest wicket-taker in the county's history after Brian Statham...
were so effective. However, Attewell's skill and economy, along with the brilliant batting of Shrewsbury
Arthur Shrewsbury
Arthur Shrewsbury was an English cricketer, and rugby football administrator, who organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888, and who was widely rated as competing with W. G...
, allowed Nottinghamshire to maintain their position as one of the top counties in first-class county cricket right up to the end of 1892.
Even when Attewell became the MCC's chief bowler and increased his aggreagte of wickets to around 150 from 1889 to 1892, he did not cement his Test spot, and improving pitches and a severe shortage of support bowling caused Attewell's average to blow out to 21 in 1893 - and his record of 111 wickets at 17.54 in 1894 was disappointing given how much the pitches helped a bowler of his type. Although for the following three years Attewell did remarkably well on all pitches considering Nottinghamshire had no other bowlers even approaching county standard, the great strength of English bowling meant he was not considered for a Test match after 1891. In 1898, Attewell's tireless bowling at last seemed to lose some of its sting, and he failed to reach 100 wickets for the first time in a decade. The extremely dry summer of 1899 showed Attewell's capacity to bowl and bowl all day really was no more: he took only 29 wickets at the extremely high (even on such pitches) cost of 34.62 - in county matches he took just 19 wickets for 38.73 each.
Attewell retired at the end of 1899 (apart from an abortive appearance for MCC in August 1900) and became a first-class
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...
umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
. He continued in this role on a regular basis until 1909, and even umpired at Lord's in an emergency in 1911.