On the 17 July, 1893, Arthur Shrewsbury (1856-1903), the English cricketer and rugby football administrator, was the first cricketer to pass 1,000 runs in Test Cricket, when he reached 7 during his innings of 106 at Lord’s in 1893.

Arthur Shrewsbury

His career total of 1,277 runs was a record until January 1902.  Shrewsbury held the record for over 15 years, before it was overtaken by Joe Darling, only Clem Hill and Wally Hammnd have held the record for longer.

On 12 May 1873, having just turned 17, Shrewsbury made his first appearance at Lord’s for the Colts of England against the Marylebone Cricket Club [MCC]. His batting was modeled on that of the fomer Nottinghamshire captain Richard Daft.

Shrewsbury was the seventh child of William Shrewsbury and Mary Ann Wragg, was born in New Lenton, Nottinghamshire. He was educated at the People’s College, Nottingham and trained as a draughtsman.

Shrewsbury played his cricket for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and played 23 Test matches for England, serving as its captain in 7 Tests, with a record of won 5, lost 2. He was the last professional to be England captain until Len Hutton was chosen in 1952.

Shrewsbury topped the first-class batting averages seven times including in 1902, his final season.

The following spring of 1903, Shrewsbury complained of kidney pains during a match for Lenton United on 27 September, and during the winter he consulted various doctors and specialists, who could discover nothing seriously wrong with him. During the spring his health started to improve, but it was unlikely that he would play county cricket in 1903.

In May 1903 Shrewsbury bought a revolver from a local gunsmith. He returned a week later after having difficulty in loading the gun. The clerk found that Shrewsbury had the wrong bullets and supplied him with the correct ones. Shrewsbury went to his bedroom that evening and shot himself first in the chest and then, when that did not prove fatal, in the head. His girlfriend, Gertrude Scott, found him bleeding from a head wound and by the time a doctor arrived Shrewsbury was dead. At the inquest, held the following day, the coroner decided that Shrewsbury had committed suicide, his mind having been unhinged by the belief that he had an incurable disease. The coroner added that there was, however, no evidence to show Shrewsbury was suffering from any form of major illness.

Shrewsbury’s funeral took place two days after his death at the All Hallows Church, Gedling.

17 July, 2019

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