George Fowler (cricketer)

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George Fowler
Personal information
Born(1860-10-26)26 October 1860
Nelson, New Zealand
Died14 May 1934(1934-05-14) (aged 73)
Blenheim, New Zealand
RelationsSamuel Fowler (brother)
Louis Fowler (brother)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1879-80 to 1887-88Nelson
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 7
Runs scored 97
Batting average 8.08
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 28
Balls bowled
Wickets 49
Bowling average 6.38 to 6.87
5 wickets in innings 6
10 wickets in match 2
Best bowling 6/9
Catches/stumpings 3/0
Source: CricketArchive, 3 May 2019

George Fowler (26 October 1860 – 14 May 1934) was a New Zealand cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nelson from 1879 to 1887. His brothers Samuel and Louis also played for Nelson.

Cricket career[edit]

George Fowler achieved some remarkable bowling figures, especially in Nelson. Against Wellington at the Botanical Gardens ground in 1883-84 he bowled unchanged through both innings and took 5 for 10 and 5 for 13 (match figures of 28.4–16–23–10; five-ball overs) in a match in which 40 wickets fell for just 183 runs. Nine of his victims were bowled. Nelson won by 39 runs.[1] At a temporary ground on the outskirts of Nelson in 1887–88, also against Wellington, he took 6 for 9 and 5 for 16 (match figures of 23.3–11–25–11; five-ball overs again) to give Nelson a nine-wicket victory in a match which was completed in one day.[2] This time 159 runs were scored for 31 wickets.[3]

In the match Nelson played against the touring Australians in 1880-81 at Victory Square in Nelson, Fowler had figures of 32–19–32–4 (four-ball overs) then top-scored with 16 in Nelson's second innings. In the whole match only his brother Samuel, with 30 in Nelson's first innings, made a higher score.[4] He hit his highest score in the match against Auckland at Victory Square in 1882–83, when he made 28 in Nelson's second innings – the second-highest individual score of the match. He also took 2 for 38 and 6 for 42, for match figures of 52–23–80–8. Despite his efforts, Nelson lost by 4 runs.[5]

Fowler's career bowling figures are not known exactly, as the bowling figures for the second innings of his first first-class match, when he was 19 years old, are unknown. He took four wickets, and the batsmen scored 24, so his figures in the innings were at best 4 for 0 and at worst 4 for 24. Therefore, his career figures were 49 wickets for between 313 and 337, at an average of between 6.38 and 6.87.[6]

Later life[edit]

Fowler lived at Spring Grove, near Brightwater. Later he and his wife Kate moved to Blenheim, where she died in May 1923[7] and he died in May 1934.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nelson v Wellington 1883-84". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  2. ^ George Thomas, "One Day in Mr Warren's Paddock", The Cricket Statistician, Winter 2017, pp. 37–40.
  3. ^ "Nelson v Wellington 1887-88". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Nelson v Australians 1880-81". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Nelson v Auckland 1882-83". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Nelson v Wellington 1879-80". CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Deaths". Nelson Evening Mail: 4. 17 May 1923.
  8. ^ "Deaths". Nelson Evening Mail: 4. 17 May 1934.

External links[edit]