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Early English cricketers
Lumpy Stevens
Personal information
Full name	Edward Stevens
Nickname	Lumpy
Born	1735 Send, Surrey, England
Died	7 September 1819 Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, England
Role	bowler
Batting style	RHB
Bowling style	RM/RFM (underarm)
Domestic team information
Years	Team
c. 1756 to 1789	Chertsey
c. 1756 to 1789	Surrey
As of 31 July, 2009 Main source: CricketArchive

Edward "Lumpy" Stevens (born 1735 at Send, Surrey; died 7 September 1819 at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey) was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from c. 1756 to 1789.

He was an outstanding bowler who is generally regarded as the first great bowler in the game's history. He was universally known by his nickname and was always called "Lumpy" in contemporary scorecards and reports.

Cricket career

The beginning of Lumpy's career was before scorecards began to kept on a regular basis from the 1772 season. He may have come from a line of cricketers as two Surrey players called Stevens are mentioned in connection with the London v Slindon match in the 1744 season. Lumpy probably began playing in great matches around the mid-1750s at a time when bowlers still bowled (i.e., trundled) the ball all along the ground, as in crown green bowls. It is not known if Lumpy was the first to "give the ball air" but he was certainly around when that particular revolution occurred, probably before 1770. What is known is that Lumpy was the bowler who made the most careful study of flight and worked out all the implications of variations in pace, length and direction mentioned above. He became a master of his craft.^[1]

Unlike the Hambledon players who tended to represent their club only, Lumpy made appearances for just about every team, including Hambledon. He is normally associated with Surrey teams in general and with the famous Chertsey club in particular. He continued as a player until he was 50 and played his last match on 2-5 September 1789 for All-England v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine.^[2]

Style and technique

How he came by his legendary nickname is uncertain^[3] but it may have been because he was adept at choosing a pitch to suit his very subtle variations of pace, length and direction. In the 18th century, choice of pitch was granted to one team according to the rules in situ and it was generally the leading bowler on that team who chose the place where the wickets would be pitched. According to the famous verse:

For honest Lumpy did allow

He ne'er would pitch but o'er a brow^[4]

Family and personal life

Lumpy was a gardener by trade and his bowling prowess earned him a job on the Walton-on-Thames estate of the Earl of Tankerville, a noted patron of the game.^[4]

Legacy

It is known that in a single wicket match on 22-23 May 1775, Lumpy beat the great Hambledon batsman John Small three times with the ball going through the two stump wicket of the day. As a result of his protests, the patrons agreed that a third stump should be added.^[4]

References

External links

• Player Profile: Lumpy Stevens from CricketArchive
• From Lads to Lord's – biography of Lumpy Stevens

Bibliography

• Harry Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1926.
• Derek Birley, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999.
• Rowland Bowen, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970.
• G. B. Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935.
• David Frith, The Fast Men, Van Nostrand Rheinhold, 1975.
• Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862.
• Ashley Mote, The Glory Days of Cricket, Robson, 1997.
• John Nyren, The Cricketers of my Time (ed. Ashley Mote), Robson, 1998.
• David Underdown, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000.
• H. T. Waghorn, Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730-1773), Blackwood, 1899.
• H. T. Waghorn, The Dawn of Cricket, Electric Press, 1906.