James Cobbett

James Cobbett considered by many as the finest allrounder of his day, was a right-hand batsman, well above the average, and an excellent slow round-arm spin bowler. He was born at Frimley in Surrey on January 12, 1804, and made his debut in first-class cricket for Middlesex at Lord's in 1826. It was unfortunate that there was no regular Surrey XI during his career, and he played in only one game for the county of his birth. He played the majority of his games for MCC, being engaged as a practise bowler at Lord's for sixteen seasons, and continued to be employed there till his death. In the latter part of his life he lived near Lord's ground where he kept a sports shop. He came to the fore in 1831 being selected for England against MCC in the latter part of the season. The following season he made his first of nine appearances in the Gentlemen v Players match. During his career he had many remarkable bowling performances in first-class matches, obtaining 8 wickets in an innings on two occasions and 10 wickets or more on seven occasions. In the season of 1838, in the seven first-class matches he played that season, he obtained 63 wickets. During the last year or two of his life he was persistently ill and was hardly fit to play but he did not abandon the game, playing up to the end of the 1841 season. He died in his London home on March 31, 1842, at the age of 38 when still in his cricketing prime.
RJ Brown, The Cricketer