Timothy Duke (29 October 1799 – 25 May 1858) was an English businessman and cricketer who was a member of the family which established Dukes, the manufacturer of cricket balls. He played five first-class matches for Kent sides between 1823 and 1828.[2]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 29 October 1799 Penshurst, Kent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 May 1858 (aged 58) East Grinstead, Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | John Duke | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1823–1828 | Kent XI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FC debut | 7 July 1823 Kent XI v MCC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last FC | 25 August 1828 Kent XI v Sussex XI | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 17 May 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Duke was born at Penshurst in Kent in 1799, the son of Timothy and Sarah Due (née Jeffery). His father ran the cricket ball manufacturing business, established in 1760 and at the time operating from a series of small-scale workshops as a cottage industry.[3][4][5] After taking over the business from his father, Duke significantly developed the business, extending it to develop the manufacturing of cricket equipment, including pads and gloves, as well as partnering with a bat maker Luke Eade.[3] In 1841 he moved the business from Penshurst to a factory at nearby Chiddingstone Causeway, the first time the business had used factory production methods.[3][6] By the time Duke retired, the company employed more than 80 workers.[7]
Duke's father had played cricket,[4] and his son made his first-class debut for a Kent XI against the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's in 1823. He was a bowler, described as "very fast",[8] and in his second match for Kent Duke took seven Sussex wickets at Brighton in 1825.[3][2] Other than his debut match, all of Duke's top-level cricket was played against Sussex sides. He is known to have taken 11 wickets, although at the time only wickets which were out bowled were credited to the bowler on scorecards. Although he scored only 24 runs in his five first-class matches, Duke opened the batting frequently in club cricket for Penshurst and Leigh teams.[3][2]
Duke married Ann Wells at Swallowfield in Berkshire in 1824. The couple had four children. His oldest son, John took over the running of the family business; he played one first-class match for Kent County Cricket Club in 1855. Duke died at East Grinstead in Sussex in 1858. He was aged 58.[9]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c In the period Duke played, the number of balls delivered by a bowler and the runs conceded from them were generally not recorded. As a result, it is impossible to know how many balls he delivered, his best bowling figures or his bowling average.
- ^ In the period Duke played, 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 the number of wickets he took is uncertain, with the total of 11 being a minimum. This also makes the calculation of an accurate bowling average impossible.
References
edit- ^ Carlaw op. cit, p. 31. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Timothy Duke, CricketArchive. Retrieved 4 August 2009. (subscription required)
- ^ a b c d e Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 154–155. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 16 August 2022.)
- ^ a b Howard R (2016) The Duke cricket ball, Penshurst Living Archive, 23 November 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ History, Dukes. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ Collections Highlights, Eden Valley Museum. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ Carlaw, op. cit., p. 154.
- ^ Quoted by Carlaw p. 155, source unknown.
- ^ Timothy Duke, CricInfo. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
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