Edward "Lumpy" Stevens

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Edward "Lumpy" Stevens (born 1735 at Send, Surrey; died 7 September 1819 at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey) was an English cricketer, 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, rarely Stevens.

How he came by his legendary nickname is uncertain ^[1] 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 those days, it was the leading bowler on each side who chose the place where wickets would be pitched and according to the famous verse:

For honest Lumpy did allow

He ne'er would pitch but o'er a brow ^[2]

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 ^[2].

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 ^[3].

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 ^[2].

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 ^[4].