Benjamin Aislabie

Who was Benjamin Aislabie?

Benjamin Aislabie was a cricketer who played first-class cricket between 1808 and 1841. A wine merchant by trade who had supplied Lord Nelson with wine, he was also the president of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1823 and secretary from 1822 until his death in 1842. Aislabie was notable for having a very poor first-class record wherein he scored only 224 runs at a meagre batting average of 3.15 from 56 first-class matches played over a period of 34 years. His lack of skill was further hampered by his girth, and towards the end of his career he was so obese that he had a permanent runner who also used to field for him.