OTD 1878 | Surrey wicketkeeper Ted Pooley made his eighth stumping of the match, then a record in first-class cricket

On this day (August 21) in 1878, Surrey wicketkeeper Edward William Pooley, fondly known as Ted Pooley, scripted history with his wicket keeping prowess. He dismissed eight batters in a match by stumping, the then-first player and currently second with more stumpings. 

Born in Chepstow, Monmouthshire on 13 February 1842, Pooley played first-class cricket for Surrey and Middlesex between 1861 and 1883. He was supposed to be England’s first international wicket-keeper, but unfortunately for the first Test match against Australia, he was arrested in New Zealand and could not travel with the team.

Pooley’s long and successful career as a professional cricketer was marred by his reputation as a drunkard and gambler. Notably, in 1873, Surrey suspended him for betting on a match he was playing. 

Pooley first took up wicketkeeping duty during a match in 1863 when the regular keeper refused to play on a poor pitch. He quickly caught the eye and was assigned to stay behind the wickets of Middlesex and Surrey for the next 20 years. Wicketkeeping in the olden days was not like it is today. Interestingly, Pooley often used his bare hands to catch the ball. 

In 1878, in a match against Kent at the Oval, Pooley set a great record with his eighth stumping. The success of spinners like James Southerton is hugely attributed to his wicket-keeping prowess. It was in 1866, that the English cricketer established his position as one of the brilliant wicketkeepers. 

He remained a key member of the Surrey XI for 17 years before getting dropped in 1883. He had a tremendous partnership with right-arm spinner Southerton, helping Surrey enormously. Pooley was lightning-quick behind the stumps and rarely made any mistakes. He completed 854 dismissals in first-class matches including catches made when not keeping wicket. 

Also read: Inzamam-Ul-Haq leads his team off the field over ball-tampering allegations