William Stearman Explained

William Stearman (1813 – 11 April 1846) was an English cricketer who played during the 1830s and 1840s. He made 15 first-class appearances, mainly for Kent sides immediately before the formation of Kent County Cricket Club.

Stearman was born at Aldborough in Norfolk in 1813,^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} the son of John and Sarah Stearman (née Muniment).^[2] Professionally he worked as a cooper and is believed to have been recruited to play for Kent by Fuller Pilch, a Norfolk player who had been persuaded to move to Town Malling in 1836.^{[6] [7]}

On his first-class debut for Kent against Sussex in 1836, Stearman scored 26 not out in his second innings, the highest score of the match.^{[1] [2]} A right-handed batsman, he played in a total of 15 first-class matches, 11 for Kent sides and four for England XIs, scoring a total of 244 runs and frequently opening the batting for Kent. The 26 he scored on debut remained his highest first-class score.^[2] in 1839 he was the first man dismissed by Sam Redgate during a four-ball over in which he took three wickets. Stearman had scored 15; both Alfred Mynn and Pilch were dismissed for ducks.^{[2] [8]}

By 1843 Stearman had returned to Norfolk. He played for Norfolk sides between 1842 and 1845 in matches which do not have first-class status. He died of tuberculosis in 1846 and is buried at Thurgarton, the neighbouring village to Aldborough.^[2]

Notes and References

1. https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/37/37737/37737.html William Stearman
2. Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), p. 503. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
3. https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/william-stearman-21359 William Stearman
4. Moore D (1988) The History of Kent County Cricket Club, p. 255. London: Christopher Helm.
5. Milton H (1983) Kent Cricketers 1834–1983, p. 23. Nottingham: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. (Available online. Retrieved 2022-06-07.)
6. Carlaw, op. cit., attributes both Stearman's profession and his recruitment for Kent to Arthur Haygarth in Scores and Biographies.
7. Moore, op. cit., p. 24.
8. Heaton T (2014) Top-hatted star who put Norfolk on the sporting map, Eastern Daily Press, 28 June 2014. Retrieved 2024-04-14.