Joseph Dennis (cricketer)

Joseph Dennis (born c. December 1778 and christened 6 January 1779 in Nottingham; died 16 November 1831 in Nottingham) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Nottingham Cricket Club from 1800 to 1829.

Career

A batsman and occasional wicket-keeper, Dennis took part in seven first-class matches for Nottingham, mostly against Sheffield Cricket Club. He also played against Hampshire and, in 1826, he captained Nottingham against a combined Sheffield and Leicester team. At forty-seven, he was the oldest man on his side.

Dennis retired from cricket after the 1828 season because of failing vision, but he was a popular man and, in 1829, he gave in to public pressure and agreed to stage a two-match come-back.

Private life

Dennis was landlord of the Eclipse Inn at Chapel Bar in Nottingham and had a reputation for gambling: in 1815, he laid £120 on a local match and won.

On 16 November 1831, Dennis suffered a stroke while in the Bell Inn and was carried by its landlord, Mr Clarke, back to the Eclipse, where he died shortly afterwards, only a month after the death of his wife. Nottinghamshire author John Frost Sutton observed that "his name lived on in the memories of thousands".

External links

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.