Tom Adams (cricketer)

For other people with the same name, see Tom Adams.

Tom Adams

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Miles Adams
Born	(1808-05-02)2 May 1808 Gravesend, Kent
Died	20 January 1894(1894-01-20) (aged 83) Gravesend, Kent
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium (roundarm)
Role	All-rounder
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1836–1858	Kent
1837-1855	South
1837-1855	England
1838-1854	Players
1838–1856	MCC
1848	Hampshire
1849-1857	AEE
1851	Lancashire
1853-1854	UEE
Source: CricketArchive, 30 December 2022

Thomas Miles Adams (2 May 1808 – 20 January 1894) was an English professional cricketer who played for numerous teams between 1836 and 1858. He was born and died at Gravesend. He was a right-handed batter and, using a roundarm action, he was a medium pace bowler. He made his known senior debut in the 1836 season and played in top-class matches until 1858. He stood as umpire in 20 top-class matches from 1852 to 1865.

Cricket career

Adams was a Kent player before the original county club was formed in 1842. Match records during Adams' career were not always fully completed and so any analysis of his statistics can only be based on the known data. He played in at least 157 senior matches and is known to have taken over 150 wickets although the majority of dismissals credited to him were bowled only as catches were often recorded with the fielder's name only. Adams' best known performance as a bowler was in 1838 when he played as a given man for a Gentlemen of Kent team against Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on the West Kent Cricket Club Ground in Chislehurst. MCC had the first innings and were all out for 42, Adams taking seven wickets for an unknown concession. His team were all out for 46 and he top-scored with 10. In MCC's second innings, he took four more wickets. MCC were all out for 49 and the Gentlemen of Kent won by 7 wickets after scoring 46/3. Of Adams' eleven dismissals in the match, five were bowled, three caught by fielders, two stumped and one caught and bowled by Adams himself.

Adams played a number of useful innings and is known to have made nine half-centuries in senior matches. He also held more than 140 catches. His highest known score was 78 for the original Kent club against Sussex on 12 July 1849. He opened the Kent innings with William Pilch who was out before any runs were scored. Adams was joined by Alfred Mynn and they made a stand of 136 for the second wicket before Adams was run out for 78. Mynn went on to score 92 but the rest of the batters failed and Kent were all out for 222. Thanks to William Hillyer, who took thirteen wickets in the match, Kent won by 116 runs.

In the later years of his career, Adams was an occasional umpire. He stood in several senior matches from 1852 to about 1865 and then continued to stand in local matches. He lived in Gravesend all his life.

Groundkeeping

Adams was involved in groundkeeping and is thought to have laid the pitch at the Bat and Ball Ground in Gravesend in 1845. Details are unclear but it seems he then managed the ground for a time, possibly assisted by William Smith, another local cricketer. The ground was used by Kent for county matches from 1849 to 1971.

Sources

• ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709–1863. Nottingham: ACS.
• ACS (1982). A Guide to First-class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles. Nottingham: ACS.
• Carlaw, Derek; Winnifrith, John (2020). Kent County Cricketers, A to Z: Part One (1806-1914) (PDF). Cardiff: ACS.

External links

• Tom Adams at ESPNcricinfo