William Bowra

William Bowra (1752 – 7 May 1820) was an English cricketer who played in 50 first-class matches between 1775 and 1792.[2][3]

William Bowra
Personal information
Born1752
Sevenoaks, Kent
Died7 May 1820 (aged 67–68)
Sevenoaks, Kent
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1775–1788Kent XI
1791–1792Brighton
FC debut29 June 1775 Kent v Hampshire
Last FC5 September 1792 Brighton v Middlsex
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 50
Runs scored 1,138
Batting average 12.78
100s/50s 0/2
Top score 60*
Balls bowled ?
Wickets 4[lower-alpha 1]
Bowling average ?
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 2/?
Catches/stumpings 40/–
Source: CricInfo, 28 June 2022

Bowra, whose name was pronounced "Borra",[4] was christened at Sevenoaks in Kent on 1 May 1752.[2] He was one of a number of cricketers employed by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset at his Knole House estate near Sevenoaks, in Bowra's case as a gamekeeper.[lower-alpha 2][4][5][6] John Nyren, in his The Cricketers of My Time, recounts that the Duke would sit on the railing round the Sevenoaks Vine ground, often exclaiming "Bravo, my little Bowra".[8]

Although he is known to have played for a team organised by Dorset as early as 1769, Bowra made his first-class debut in a 1775 match between a Kent XI and a Hampshire side at Broadhalfpenny Down, the ground used by the Hambledon Club.[2] In a Hampshire Chronicle report of the game, his name is spelt "Bower".[9] He went on to make 50 appearances in matches which have been given first-class status, 19 of which were for Kent sides and 15 for England teams.[lower-alpha 3] He played for West Kent twice, for a combined Hampshire and Kent side once and three times for teams put together by Dorset in first-class matches against teams organised by Sir Horatio Mann, another Kent cricket patron.[lower-alpha 4] He played twice for Surrey sides against Hampshire in 1776 as a given man and twice for Hampshire against England sides in 1779 in the same role. After making his final appearance for Kent in 1788, he played in five more first-class matches in 1791 and 1792 for Brighton Cricket Club.[2] His highest first-class score of 60 not out was made in one of these matches against MCC at Lord's Old Ground.[2] He scored 1,138 runs and took at least four wickets[lower-alpha 1] in first-class matches.[2]

He returned to Knole in 1807, again as gamekeeper, and it is believed he stayed there until his death in 1820.[3]

Notes
  1. During this period, wickets taken by bowlers were normally only recorded if they were bowled. Other means of dismissal were not credited to any bowler.[1] As a result it is impossible to know how many wickets Bowra took. It is also impossible to know how many balls he bowled, the number of runs he conceded or to calculate an accurate bowling average.
  2. The Duke of Dorset was a major patron of cricket matches, staging matches on his own ground at Sevenoaks Vine and contesting them with sides organised by other patrons. The Vine ground was given as a gift to Sevenoaks in 1773.[5][6][7]
  3. During the time Bowra played, England sides were not representative of the country. Instead, they were sides composed of players from a range of locations brought together to play against another side.[10]
  4. Mann had his estate at Bourne Park House near Bishopsbourne at the time. He and Dorset regularly organised teams which played first-class matches.[11]

References
  1. Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), p. 31. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
  2. William Bowra, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2018-12-21. (subscription required)
  3. William Bowra, CricInfo. Retrieved 2022-06-28.
  4. Nyren J The Cricketers of My Time in Lucas EV ed (1907) The Hambledon Men, pp. 188–190. London: Henry Frowde. (Available online at Wikisource. Retrieved 2022-03-20.), pp. 42–93.
  5. A Brief History of The Vine, Sevenoaks Vine Cricket Club, 2002-05-10. Retrieved 2022-03-20.
  6. Moore D (1988) The History of Kent County Cricket Club, p. 21. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7470-2209-7
  7. Birley D (1999) A Social History of English Cricket, p. 35. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978 1 78131 1769
  8. Quoted in Lucas, pp. 188–189.
  9. Arthur Haygarth (1862) Scores & Biographies, vol. 1 (1744–1826). Lillywhite.
  10. Birley, p. 364.
  11. Birley, p. 37.
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