Alfred Mynn

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Alfred Mynn (born 19 January 1807 at Twisden, near Goudhurst in Kent; died 1 November 1861 at Newington near Southwark) was a famous English cricketer during the game's "Roundarm Era". He was a genuine all-rounder, being both an attacking right-handed batsman and a formidable right arm fast bowler. The noted cricket writer John Woodcock ranked him as the fourth greatest cricketer of all time. [1]

Mynn was a very large man by cricket standards. He was well over six feet tall and weighed more than 300 pounds. He was known as "the Lion of Kent" and it was for Kent that most of his greatest feats occurred, though he also played a substantial number of matches for Sussex, MCC and the All-England Eleven (AEE).

In 1836 he scored a hundred for South v North at Leicester but badly injured a leg in the process. He had to return to London laid out on the top of a stagecoach, and it was feared that his leg might have to be amputated. Fortunately he fully recovered.

Alfred Mynn's "first-class" career, which excludes most of his AEE appearances, was from 1832 to 1859. He played in 213 first-class matches.

As a batsman he had 395 innings including 26 not out. He scored 4,955 runs at 13.42 with a highest score of 125*. He made the one century and 12 fifties. He took 125 catches. It should be remembered when studying the batting records of players in this era that prevailing conditions greatly favoured bowlers.

Even with that in mind, Mynn's known bowling figures are still impressive. He took at least 1,038 wickets for 3,261 known runs at the outstanding average of 10.22. The number of overs and maidens he bowled is unknown and neither is his best analysis except that it was 9/?. Mynn is known to have performed 5wI on 93 occasions and 10wM in 34 matches.

When Mynn died, William Jeffrey Prowse wrote what was to become one of the most famous pieces of cricket poetry in his memory. The first six stanzas compare Mynn with his contemporaries. The poem closes with these lines:

With his tall and stately presence, with his nobly moulded form,
His broad hand was ever open, his brave heart was ever warm;
All were proud of him, all loved him. As the changing seasons pass,
As our champion lies a-sleeping underneath the Kentish grass,
Proudly, sadly will we name him - to forget him were a sin.
Lightly lie the turf upon thee, kind and manly Alfred Mynn!

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Morrah, Patrick. Alfred Mynn and the Cricketers of his Time, Constable. 1986. ISBN 0-09-467020-X

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