William Cropper
Encyclopedia
William Cropper was an English cricket
er and football
player who played cricket for Derbyshire CCC
between 1882 and 1888 and football once for Derby County
. He was one of nineteen sportsmen to achieve the Derbyshire double, but died aged 26 as a result of an unfortunate football accident.
Cropper was born at Brimington
, Derbyshire
, the son of Thomas and Mary Cropper, and was a bricklayer. He made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1882 season
. He also played for the North of England team. He shared most wickets for the club in the 1883
, 1884
, 1885
and 1886 season
s. In 1886 he played one football match for Derby County. Derbyshire lost first-class status for the 1888 season
but Cropper continued playing for the side. Cropper played 113 innings in 60 first class matches to score 1638 runs with an average of 15.00 and a top score of 93 not out. He took 171 first class wickets, with an average of 17.13 and a best performance of 7 for 25.
From 1888 Cropper played football for the Derbyshire side of Staveley
FC. While playing for Staveley on 12 January 1889 against Grimsby Town
at Clee Park, Lincolnshire
Cropper collided with Dan Doyle
, the Grimsby rightback, after fifteen minutes. He was badly injured by Doyle's knee in his abdomen
and left the field in obvious distress. The collision resulted in a ruptured bowel and he died in the dressing room at Grimsby in the arms of his Staveley and Derbyshire CCC team-mate George Hay
.
Cropper was buried in Brimington churchyard and a fine memorial stone was erected from the proceeds of a subscription fund raised by his family and friends which can still be seen today.
His grave is listed on the Grave Matters page which is a project which aims to record unusual or 'celebrity' graves located in Derbyshire.
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 and football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player who played cricket for Derbyshire CCC
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
between 1882 and 1888 and football once for Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. He was one of nineteen sportsmen to achieve the Derbyshire double, but died aged 26 as a result of an unfortunate football accident.
Cropper was born at Brimington
Brimington
Brimington is a civil parish within the borough of Chesterfield in north-east Derbyshire, England. The town of Staveley is to the east, and Hollingwood is nearby...
, 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...
, the son of Thomas and Mary Cropper, and was a bricklayer. He made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1882 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1882
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1882 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for eleven years. The team played eight first class matches and won one of them-1882 season:...
. He also played for the North of England team. He shared most wickets for the club in the 1883
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1883
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1883 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for twelve years. They won two first class matches out of ten.-1883 season:...
, 1884
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1884
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1884 represents the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for thirteen years. They lost all ten county matches and their only victory was against MCC.-1884 season:...
, 1885
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1885
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1885 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for fourteen years. They won three first class matches out of eleven.-1885 season:...
and 1886 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1886
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1886 represents the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for fifteen years and was the penultimate season before they lost first class status for seven years.-1886 season:...
s. In 1886 he played one football match for Derby County. Derbyshire lost first-class status for the 1888 season
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1888
Derbyshire Country Cricket Club in 1888 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for seventeen years and it was the first season they lost first class status.-1888 season:...
but Cropper continued playing for the side. Cropper played 113 innings in 60 first class matches to score 1638 runs with an average of 15.00 and a top score of 93 not out. He took 171 first class wickets, with an average of 17.13 and a best performance of 7 for 25.
From 1888 Cropper played football for the Derbyshire side of Staveley
Staveley, Derbyshire
Staveley is a town within the borough of Chesterfield, in Derbyshire, England. The town is situated alongside the River Rother, adjacent to Eckington to the north, Barlborough to the east, Sutton-cum-Duckmanton civil parish to the south and Brimington to the west.-History:It has traditionally been...
FC. While playing for Staveley on 12 January 1889 against Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
at Clee Park, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
Cropper collided with Dan Doyle
Dan Doyle (footballer)
Dan Doyle was a Scottish footballer who played for among others, East Stirlingshire, Hibernian, Sunderland, Grimsby Town, Bolton Wanderers, Everton, Celtic and the Scotland national team....
, the Grimsby rightback, after fifteen minutes. He was badly injured by Doyle's knee in his abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
and left the field in obvious distress. The collision resulted in a ruptured bowel and he died in the dressing room at Grimsby in the arms of his Staveley and Derbyshire CCC team-mate George Hay
George Hay (cricketer)
George Hay was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1875 and 1886.Hay was born at Staveley and became a professional cricketer playing at Manningham, Bradford from 1873 to 1875...
.
Cropper was buried in Brimington churchyard and a fine memorial stone was erected from the proceeds of a subscription fund raised by his family and friends which can still be seen today.
His grave is listed on the Grave Matters page which is a project which aims to record unusual or 'celebrity' graves located in Derbyshire.