George Pinder

Who was George Pinder?

George Pinder was an English first-class cricketer.

His birth name was George Pinder Hattersley and he was born in Ecclesfield, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England. A wicket-keeper, he played for Yorkshire from 1867 to 1880, and for the All-England Eleven from 1867 to 1871. He also umpired in some matches between 1873 and 1880.

He was recognised as a fine wicket-keeper, his work to the fast bowlers - at a time when keepers "stood up" to fast bowling - being particularly impressive. He had plenty of practice, since Tom Emmett was in the same Yorkshire side. He had to deal with Emmett's famous "sostenuter", a ball pitching on the leg stump and then breaking sharply towards the off bail. He was renowned for the slickness of his stumpings of batsmen. When Tom Hearne was stumped off a leg-shooter he exclaimed: "I don't call that stumping; I call it shovelling of 'em in!"

He is believed to have been the first keeper to dispense with a long-stop, during a North v. South match in the mid or late 1870s. The idea came from his captain A. N. Hornby. Pinder was at first reluctant, but the experiment was a success.