Lancashire player number 70 - Unsworth, James by Don Ambrose

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Player:

J Unsworth

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Lancashire 1871
Born 4.3.1844 Everton, Liverpool.
Died 1.1.1893 Warrington.

 

Height 5ft. 7 inches and weight just over 10 stone. He was a lower order right-hand batsman and a right-hand fast round-arm bowler, who fielded at cover, long-on or long-stop.

 

He played his early cricket with the Everton Cricket Club but in 1865 went out as a professional at the Anfield Club, where he stayed for 1866. He then went to New Brighton 1865-67, moving on to Huyton for 1866 and staying there until 1875.

 

In 1871 he was tried in two matches by Lancashire. The first was against Kent at Gravesend where he scored 2 and 23 and in Kent's first innings took three wickets for 52 runs and took two catches. He was obviously worth a second match but disappointed against Yorkshire at Sheffield in July.

 

It must be stressed that it was always difficult for club professionals, employed to give amateur batsmen practice in the nets, to switch effectively to taking wickets in a competitive match.

 

On the 10th August 1878 he appeared for Eighteen of the Stanley Cricket Club against the Australian touring side in Stanley Park, Liverpool.

 

From 1875 he was landlord of the "Rose and Crown" Inn, at Huyton.

 

(Article: Copyright © 2004 Don Ambrose)