Arthur Cursham

Arthur William Cursham (14 March 1853 – 24 December 1884) was an English cricketer and footballer. He played football for England and for Notts County between 1876 and 1883. He played cricket for Nottinghamshire from 1876 to 1879 and for Derbyshire from 1879 to 1880.

Cursham was born in Wilford, Nottingham the son of William Cursham, later vicar of Cropwell Butler. He attended Oakham School and became a mine manager.

He played football for Notts County, between 1876 and 1883 and made his England footballing debut in March 1876 in a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Scotland. A photograph of this team is believed to be the first ever photograph of an English team. However Cursham does not appear in the picture - it is believed he was behind the camera. He made six international footballing appearances in total, four coming against Scotland and two against Wales.

Cursham made his County Cricket debut during the 1876 season, playing his first game for Nottinghamshire in a low-scoring victory against Yorkshire. He, along with the rest of the Nottinghamshire team, failed to impress in a match in which only one player would reach double figures in each of the first three innings, himself scoring just three runs from the middle order. Cursham, a right-handed batsman and a round-arm bowler, appeared extensively for Nottinghamshire during the 1877 and 1878 seasons, scoring a maiden career half-century against Middlesex in 1877.