Arthur Mold

Arthur Mold (born May 29, 1863, Middleton Cheney, Northamptonshire; died April 27, 1921, Middleton Cheney) was one of the deadliest fast bowlers of his day, but also the most controversial. Despite his very short (four paces) run, Mold could generate great speed and often make the ball break back viciously even on hard, firm, ground. On drying or crumbling wickets, Mold was almost unplayable, and for both his native Northamptonshire (then not a first-class county) and Lancashire, Mold was a prolific wicket-taker.

Related Topics:
May 29 - 1863 - Middleton Cheney - Northamptonshire - April 27 - 1921 - Bowlers

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However, even before he first played for Lancashire, Mold was considered suspect of throwing rather than bowling the ball. It was said "if he is fair he is the best bowler in England, but in my opinion he is a worse thrower than ever Crossland was".

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Despite this warning, Lancashire took on Mold when he was qualified and his pace, accuracy and break-back made him deadly on the primitive pitches of the early 1890s. With left-arm slow bowler Johnny Briggs, Mold formed a perfectly-contrasted bowling combination that was so deadly that Lancashire's lack of support bowlers was very rarely a problem. On as many as five occasions between 1890 and 1895 the pair bowled unchanged throughout both completed innings of a match, doing so twice in one week in 1895, whilst they were unchanged through an innings a great many other times - and a number of times missed out on this distinction only so they could change ends. Mold reached 100 wickets in 1889 for less than 12 runs each, took 118 in 1890 with a top performance of 9 for 43 for Charles Thornton's Eleven against the Australians, and 138 in 1891. Mold was rewarded for his deadly work with a Cricketer of the Year nomination by Wisden in 1892. In 1893, Mold took 166 wickets and played his only Tests, but did only very modestly. However, when he was the leading first-class wicket-taker with 207 wickets in 1894, it seems surprising he was not considered for the tour of Australia: many believe suspicion of his delivery, which had already been uttered in private by many of the best batsmen of that era, was the cause.

Related Topics:
Left-arm slow bowler - Johnny Briggs - Cricketer of the Year - Wisden - Tests

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In 1895, Mold went from strength to strength despite truer pitches than before during the first half of the season, taking a personal best 213 wickets. During this time, Wisden described his bowling with the most lavish praise, even when, as against Nottinghamshire and Kent in June 1895, he was helped by distinctly worn pitches:

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• Sussex collapsed in deplorable fashion before the wonderful bowling of Mold... The fast bowler maintained a remarkable pitch and pace, and occasionally whipped back in a manner which the visiting batsmen were quite unable to withstand.
• "After the triumph of the Lancashire batsmen Mold bowled so grandly that in three hours fourteen Kent wickets went down for 115 runs"
• "The way he made the ball break back on the hard ground was quite marvellous"

From 1896, owing either to improved pitches, advancing age or several injuries, Mold declined, though he was still a dangerous bowler and only narrowly missed out on a Test recall after a superb performance against a powerful Yorkshire batting lineup in July 1896. During that year, he sent a bail over 57 metres in bowling George Lohmann at The Oval - the fourth-highest recorded distance for a bail to travel. He missed 100 wickets for the first time in 1897 due to injury, but recovered some of his form in 1899 and early 1900, when, despite being 37, his pace seemed undiminished and he earned his best figures since 1895.

Related Topics:
George Lohmann - The Oval

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However, it was in 1900 at Trent Bridge that Mold's suspect delivery was caught: he was no-balled by James Phillips and did not bowl again. Despite continuing to play in the next few matches, at a famous meeting of the county captains, Mold's delivery was condemned by 11 votes to 1. In 1901, Mold did only modestly on very favourable pitches at Old Trafford, and was no-balled 16 times in 10 overs (again by Phillips). The suspicion of his delivery, and his poor form after the pitches at Old Trafford became truer, ended Mold's first-class career by August 1901. Nonetheless, he continued to bowl with amazing success in minor cricket until 1910.

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Nowadays, most people are inclined to believe Mold was in a rather false position with respect to his numerous bowling achievements and that he was extremely lucky to bowl ten and a half seasons before being no-balled for throwing. Few who know about cricket in his day believe Mold to have been unjustly attacked as was said (perhaps out of despair) when he was no-balled.

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