In those days, international cricket was not even a concept and it was an uncommon event if a team reached a total of a hundred runs; it was considered to be a good personal score if a batsman reached double figures. Pitches which are now the subject matter of so much effort and debate were earlier just a segment of a meadow that was divested of grass by sheep perhaps. Bats were rudimentary and outfields were hardly the smooth flat surfaces we see today.

The account of the first ever hundred by Minshull or Minchin as the scorecard reads, states that the century was made by the batsman playing for the Duke of Dorset’s team and included 34 singles, 15 twos, 9threes and 4 fours. The fours were not boundaries but run by the batsmen. According to accounts of the first centurion, he was not very agile in the field, and was prone to injury and illness. Considering that he had top scored in the first innings with a score of 18, getting up to a 100 runs was indeed a remarkable achievement.

While a chronicler of cricket of the era admired his batting, had said about Minshull, “He was not an elegant player, his position and general style were both awkward and uncouth." His temperament is also described in rather deprecating words: “He lacked modesty and was as conceited as a wagtail and from constantly aping what he had no pretensions to, was, on that account only, not estimated according to the price at which he had rated his own merits."  

It was perhaps his objectionable nature that caused him to be sacked from the Dorset team after which he went on to play for Middlesex and then Surrey. Minshull has been credited with another first; this one a rather dubious one: his was the first batsman to be given out hit wicket. Like a lot of the accounts of cricket matches at the time, details are unclear, and it appears that Minshull was not actually on strike when he was given out!

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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