Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Richard Newland |
Born | 1713[1][2] Slindon, Sussex |
Died | 1778 (aged 64–65)[1][2] |
Batting | Left-handed |
Role | All-rounder |
Domestic team information | |
Years | Team |
c.1743 – c.1751 | Slindon Cricket Club |
c.1743 – c.1751 | Sussex |
c.1744 – c.1746 | Richard Newland's XI |
c.1743 – c.1751 | England |
Richard Newland (bapt. 11 September 1713 – February 1778)[1][2] was an English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period who played for Slindon and Sussex under the patronage of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond. He also represented various England teams and, in some matches, led his own select team. The eldest of three cricketing brothers, he is generally recognised as one of cricket's greatest early players and has been called a pioneer of the sport.
Newland is cricket's earliest known left-handed batter. He is remembered as a great all-rounder who was proclaimed "The Champion" in a famous poem by James Love. Despite his fame, nothing is known of his bowling arm, style or pace except that he used an underarm action.[note 1] The actual length of Newland's career is unknown and has been the subject of speculation by some writers, but there were 21 senior matches between 1743 and 1751 in which he definitely appeared: 14 eleven-a-side and seven under single wicket rules. In 1745, he made a score of 88 which is the highest individual innings on record until the 1760s.
Newland was an uncle of Richard Nyren, who became captain of Hambledon in the 1760s and 1770s. Newland is said to have been his nephew's mentor. In 1900, the historian F. S. Ashley-Cooper included Newland among his choice of four outstanding 18th-century players, along with John Frame, David Harris and John Small.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note>
tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}}
template (see the help page).