74 Facts About Arthur Shrewsbury

Arthur Shrewsbury was an English cricketer and rugby football administrator.

Arthur Shrewsbury was widely rated as competing with W G Grace for the accolade of best batsman of the 1880s; Grace himself, when asked whom he would most like in his side, replied simply, "Give me Arthur".

An opening batsman, Shrewsbury played his cricket for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and played 23 Test matches for England, captaining them in 7 games, with a record of won 5, lost 2.

Arthur Shrewsbury was the last professional to be England captain until Len Hutton was chosen in 1952.

Arthur Shrewsbury was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1890.

Arthur Shrewsbury organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888.

An expert on sticky wickets, Arthur Shrewsbury topped the first-class batting averages seven times including in 1902, his final season.

Arthur Shrewsbury, the seventh child of William Arthur Shrewsbury and Mary Ann Wragg, was born in New Lenton, Nottinghamshire.

Arthur Shrewsbury was educated at the People's College, Nottingham and trained as a draughtsman.

On 12 May 1873, having just turned 17, Arthur Shrewsbury made his first appearance at Lord's for the Colts of England against the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Arthur Shrewsbury's batting was modelled on that of Richard Daft.

Arthur Shrewsbury missed most of the 1874 season with rheumatic fever, and did not make his first-class debut until May 1875 for Nottinghamshire against Derbyshire.

Arthur Shrewsbury ended the season with 313 runs at 17.38, with a top score of 41; in a season of wet weather he finished fourth in the county's batting averages.

Arthur Shrewsbury finished the season with an innings of 65 not out against Surrey in a low scoring match.

Arthur Shrewsbury scored four fifties and finished the season with 778 runs at 19.94.

Arthur Shrewsbury scored 724 runs at 21.29 during the season with a top score of 74 not out.

Arthur Shrewsbury toured North America in September 1879 with Richard Daft's XI, where the side won all six matches, all of them against odds.

In 1881 Arthur Shrewsbury led the strike of Nottinghamshire professional players alongside Alfred Shaw following disagreements with the county secretary, Captain Henry Holden, over an early season fixture with Yorkshire arranged by Shaw and Arthur Shrewsbury.

The strike meant Arthur Shrewsbury played just three first-class matches during the season.

The tour began with games in North America, although Arthur Shrewsbury missed the first leg of the tour with bronchitis and sailed directly to Australia via Suez.

Seven matches in New Zealand followed before the team returned to Australia for the remaining three Test matches, Arthur Shrewsbury scored 7 and 22 in the Second Test at Sydney.

In 1882 Arthur Shrewsbury scored his maiden first-class double century, the first double century by a Nottinghamshire cricketer, an innings of 207 at The Oval sharing in a stand of 289 with Billy Barnes, a first-class second wicket record.

Arthur Shrewsbury warmed up for the First Test with 209 against Sussex at Hove, sharing in a stand of 266 with Billy Gunn, a first-class record for the fifth wicket.

Arthur Shrewsbury managed 27 in the Second Test which England won by an innings.

Every England player got a bowl, Arthur Shrewsbury coming on last after wicket-keeper Alfred Lyttelton.

Arthur Shrewsbury finished the season just short of 1,000 runs as Nottinghamshire were declared Champion County, having won nine out of their ten matches.

England won by 10 wickets in the Second Test, with Arthur Shrewsbury scoring 72 and 0 not out.

The next two Tests were lost with Arthur Shrewsbury making scores of 18,24,40 and 16.

Arthur Shrewsbury's play throughout was a treat to look at, and that neat and effective stroke of his between square-leg and mid-on is worth copying.

Arthur Shrewsbury made a large number of his 105 in this spot.

Arthur Shrewsbury's defence was splendid, his cutting clean and telling, his timing could not well be excelled.

In 1885 Arthur Shrewsbury topped the batting averages for the first time scoring 1130 runs at 56.50 with four centuries, including carrying his bat for 224 not out at Lord's.

Arthur Shrewsbury warmed up for the Second Test with another hundred against Grace in a Gentlemen v Players fixture.

Arthur Shrewsbury finished the season with 1404 runs as Nottinghamshire retained the title.

Nevertheless, Arthur Shrewsbury was already planning another tour the following year.

Arthur Shrewsbury made consecutive scores of 119,152,81,130 and 111, and finished the season with his highest first-class score of 267 against Middlesex.

Arthur Shrewsbury scored 232, becoming the first Englishman to score a double century in Australia.

Arthur Shrewsbury top scored with 44 in a low-scoring match which England won.

Arthur Shrewsbury organised and played on a little known and unique tour in which a British team played a series of matches in Australian rules football, in Victoria and South Australia and Rugby matches in Australia's northern states and New Zealand.

Arthur Shrewsbury participated in organising a return tour by an Australian team to Britain, in which the Australian rules side of the tour was cancelled at the last moment.

Arthur Shrewsbury scored a century against Sussex in his first match back in England, but this was his highest score of the 1889 season.

Arthur Shrewsbury was chosen as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1890, an award that had only been introduced the previous year.

Australia toured during the season, but Arthur Shrewsbury struggled in the Tests with scores of 4,13,4 and 9 as England defended The Ashes in a low scoring series.

Arthur Shrewsbury started the 1891 season with a run of low scores, failing to reach double figures in eight consecutive innings in the County Championship.

Arthur Shrewsbury was offered a place on the tour party to Australia, but decided to stay at home to look after the business as his business partner Alfred Shaw was travelling as manager of the team.

In 1892 Arthur Shrewsbury scored his tenth and final double century during a match against Middlesex.

Arthur Shrewsbury scored four more centuries, including carrying his bat for 151 for the Players against the Gentlemen, and had the highest batting average for the third successive season.

Arthur Shrewsbury's batting was marked by extreme patience, unfailing judgment, and a mastery over the difficulties of the ground, of which probably no other batsman would have been capable.

Arthur Shrewsbury added 81 in the second innings, but rain meant the result was a draw.

Arthur Shrewsbury had scores of 66,12 and 19 not out in the rest of the series as England retained the Ashes.

Arthur Shrewsbury was the leading run scorer in the series with 284 at 71.00.

Arthur Shrewsbury missed the 1894 season because of indifferent health but he reappeared in 1895 leading the county averages in a disappointing season for Nottinghamshire.

Arthur Shrewsbury passed 1,000 runs in 1896 with 2 centuries including carrying his bat for 125 against Gloucestershire.

Arthur Shrewsbury's scores improved in 1898 and 1899 with season tallies of 1,219 and 1,257 runs, leading the county averages in both seasons.

In 1899 Shrewsbury and Arthur Jones shared in an opening partnership of 391, which remained a county record until 2000.

In 1902, aged 46, Arthur Shrewsbury again topped the first-class batting averages.

Arthur Shrewsbury notched up four centuries, including two in a match for the first time.

Arthur Shrewsbury's batting was marked by all its old qualities, and except that he is, perhaps, less at home on a really sticky wicket than he used to be, there is little or no change to be noticed in his play.

Arthur Shrewsbury was as patient and watchful as ever, and once or twice when runs had to be made in a hurry he surprised everybody by the freedom and vigour of his hitting.

On 12 April 1903 Arthur Shrewsbury bought a revolver from a local gunsmith.

Arthur Shrewsbury returned a week later after having difficulty in loading the gun.

The clerk found that Arthur Shrewsbury had the wrong bullets and supplied the correct ones.

Arthur Shrewsbury went to his bedroom that evening and shot himself first in the chest and then, when that did not prove fatal, in the head.

At the inquest, held the following day, the coroner decided that Arthur Shrewsbury had committed suicide, his mind having been unhinged by the belief that he had an incurable disease.

The coroner added that there was no evidence to show Arthur Shrewsbury was suffering from a major illness.

Arthur Shrewsbury's funeral took place two days after his death at All Hallows Church, Gedling.

Arthur Shrewsbury was the first cricketer to pass 1,000 Test runs when he reached 7 during his innings of 106 at Lord's in 1893.

Arthur Shrewsbury's career total of 1,277 runs was a record until January 1902 when it was overtaken by Joe Darling.

Arthur Shrewsbury had held the record for over 15 years; only Clem Hill and Wally Hammond have held the record for longer.

In six innings at the ground Arthur Shrewsbury scored 395 runs at an average of 65.83.

Arthur Shrewsbury scored the county's first double-century in 1882 and scored seven of the county's first eight double-centuries.

Arthur Shrewsbury was the first Nottinghamshire cricketer to score a hundred in both innings of a match.

Arthur Shrewsbury was not a strong or muscular man and stated that he did not hit the ball, but steered it in the desired direction.

Arthur Shrewsbury's technique was criticised by Rait Kerr in his book 'The laws of cricket'.