1. Alfred Shaw was a 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.
11 Facts About Alfred Shaw
1. 2.
Alfred Shaw was, along with James Lillywhite and Arthur Shrewsbury, co-promoter of the tour.
3.
Alfred Shaw organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888.
4.
Alfred Shaw had the unusual distinction for a professional of frequently captaining that county, and this was vindicated when he took Notts to four successive Championships from 1883 to 1886.
5.
Alfred Shaw was a natural leader with a powerful persona, but his connection with Notts all but ended after that last triumph.
6.
Alfred Shaw was a remarkably accurate bowler, sending down more overs than he conceded runs in his entire career.
7.
Still, this did not stop WG Grace from asserting that, between 1870 and 1880, Alfred Shaw was "perhaps the best bowler in England".
8.
Alfred Shaw is famous for having bowled the first-ever delivery in Test Match cricket to Charles Bannerman, who went on to score 165.
9.
Alfred Shaw played in seven of the first eight Test Matches, missing out in 1882 because, according to a 1902 interview with Allan Steel, "he was not bowling quite at his best".
10.
Alfred Shaw finally retired again two matches later, when Sussex drew against Middlesex, and only ever returned to the first-class scene in 1897 to play the Gentlemen of Philadelphia.
11.
Alfred Shaw subsequently became a publican and died aged 64.