John Crossland
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | John Crossland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
2 April 1852 Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England |
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| Died | 26 September 1903 (aged 51) Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
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| Batting style | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | Right-arm fast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1878–1887 | Lancashire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First-class debut | 8 August 1878 Lancashire v Yorkshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last First-class | 12 May 1887 CI Thornton's XI v Cambridge University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: CricketArchive, 1 January 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John "Jack" Crossland (2 April 1852 – 26 September 1903) was an English professional cricketer who played for Lancashire between 1878 and 1887. A right-arm fast bowler, Crossland was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in county cricket. However, he was also widely criticised for throwing, rather than bowling the ball. Were it not for this, he would have probably played for England against Australia in 1882 or 1884.
Crossland was born in Nottinghamshire, but qualified to play for Lancashire due to residency. He made his first-class debut for his adopted county in 1878, but his bowling was most effective from 1881 until 1884. His best year was 1882, when he topped the national bowling averages, claiming 112 wickets at an average of just over ten. The presence of Crossland, and a number of other bowlers with suspect actions, in the Lancashire team resulted in some counties refusing to play fixtures against during the mid-1880s. During 1885, a ruling from the Marylebone Cricket Club barred Crossland from playing for Lancashire as his qualification for the county had been breached by him living in Nottinghamshire during the winter. The ruling forced his retirement from county cricket, though he continued to appear in other matches for a few years following that.
In all, Crossland claimed 322 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 12.48. He claimed ten wickets in a match on six occasions. Primarily a tail-end batsman, he scored 1,172 runs with a top score of 51.
Crossland was born in Sutton-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire on 2 April 1852. Employed as a coal miner, he was one of a number of Nottinghamshire-born cricketers who sought professional contracts in Lancashire. The Lancashire cricket leagues began paying the best players to appear for them, creating an exodus of cricketing talent to the county. Crossland first gained employment as a professional cricketer in 1876, with Enfield Cricket Club. In a single innings match against Burnley that season, he took eight wickets and conceded 88 runs (eight for 88). The following season he once again took eight wickets against the same opposition, finishing with figures of eight for 50. Towards the end of 1877, he was chosen to play for a "Gentlemen and Players XI" against Burnley in a benefit match for Burnley's professional John Melling. He took five for 10 in the match from his five overs to help his side win on first innings. In early 1878, Crossland improved upon his previous efforts, taking eight for 28 against Burnley.
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