Fred Spofforth

Fred Spofforth
Spofforth in about 1897
Personal information
Full name
Frederick Robert Spofforth
Born(1853-09-09)9 September 1853
Balmain, New South Wales, Australia
Died4 June 1926(1926-06-04) (aged 72)
Long Ditton, Surrey, England
NicknameThe Demon Bowler
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight arm fast-medium
RoleBowler
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 14)31 March 1877 v England
Last Test31 January 1887 v England
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1874–1885New South Wales
1885–1888Victoria
1889–1891Derbyshire
Career statistics
Competition Test First-class
Matches 18 155
Runs scored 217 1,928
Batting average 9.43 9.88
100s/50s 0/1 0/3
Top score 50 56
Balls bowled 4,185 30,593
Wickets 94 853
Bowling average 18.41 14.95
5 wickets in innings 7 84
10 wickets in match 4 32
Best bowling 7/44 9/18
Catches/stumpings 11/– 83/–
Source: Cricinfo, 25 March 2015

Frederick Robert Spofforth (9 September 1853 – 4 June 1926), also known as "The Demon Bowler", was an Australian cricket team pace bowler of the nineteenth century. He was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets,[1] and the first to take a Test hat-trick, in 1879. He played in Test matches for Australia between 1877 and 1887, and then settled in England where he played for Derbyshire. In 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.[2]

  1. ^ "Records | Test matches | Bowling records | Fastest to 50 wickets | ESPNcricinfo.com". Stats.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  2. ^ Davidson, Spofforth inducted into ICC Hall of Fame cricinfo 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September