Fuller Pilch

Who was Fuller Pilch?

Fuller Pilch was an English cricketer. Described as "the greatest batsman ever known until the appearance of W. G. Grace", the right-hand batting Pilch played 229 first class cricket matches between 1820 and 1854 for an assortment of counties, including Kent, Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex, as well as Norfolk and Cambridge Town. An early pioneer of batting, Pilch's advert of the "Pilch poke", or art of playing the ball forward, was an early manifestation of modern batting practices.

Though his statistics reflect by modern standards as fairly ordinary, the 10 centuries he amassed throughout his entire club and first class playing career were considered "remarkable" in the context of round-arm bowling and poorly maintained cricket pitches encountered during the period. He was also known for his success at single-wicket matches, defeating Tom Marsden in 1833. He came from a cricketing family: nephew William and brothers Nathaniel and William all played first class cricket. After dying in 1870, Pilch was buried in an unknown location, as the obelisk supposedly marking his grave has been moved repeatedly.