Brief profile of John Selby by Don Ambrose

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Player:

J Selby

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SELBY, John.
Professional.
Born at Nottingham, 1st July 1849.
Died at Standard Hill, Nottingham, 11th March 1894.
He was playing cricket for the Nottingham Exchange club in 1866 and with Trinity United in 1867. He went out as professional with Dewsbury in 1868, and was at Oxford University and Sale in 1869. In 1870 he was at Perth with Lord Kinnaird, in 1871 at Oxford University and in 1872-73 at Cambridge University. In 1874 he was engaged at Cardiff Castle with Lord Bute, 1875 at Leek, in Staffordshire and 1879-87 at Oxford University. He was an all-round athlete and was a professional sprinter under the pseudonym of “Bendigo’s Novice.” His debut for Nottinghamshire in 1870 was the first of 222 first-class matches in which he played, 164 of them for Nottinghamshire and six of them being Test Matches. He toured Australia in 1876/7 and 1881/2 and North America in 1879. His last first-class match was in 1887 and at one time he was landlord of the Earl of Lincoln Arms, Woodborough Road, Nottingham. His financial dealings were however unsuccessful and led to a disagreement with the law. He suffered a paralytic stroke and died at Nottingham General Hospital.
At the time of the 1881 Census he was living at 39 Mayfield Grove, Nottingham, aged 31, a professional cricketer, with his wife Annie M., aged 26, born Burton Joyce, and John F. Thorman, a 3 year old nephew. There was one domestic servant.

(Article: Copyright © 2004 Don Ambrose)