Bart King
John Barton "Bart" King (October 19 1873—October 17 1965) was an American cricketer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. King was one of the Philadelphian cricketers that played from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I. This period of cricket in the United States was dominated by gentleman players—men of independent wealth who did not need to work. King was an amateur from a middle class family, who was able to devote time to cricket thanks to a job set up by his teammates.
King was a skilled batsman, but proved his worth as a bowler. During his career, he set numerous records in North America and led the first-class bowling averages in England in 1908.[1] He successfully competed against the best cricketers from England and Australia. King was the dominant bowler on his team when it toured England in 1897, 1903, and 1908. He dismissed batsmen with his unique delivery, which he called the "angler," and helped develop the art of swing bowling in the sport. Many of the great bowlers of today still use the strategies and techniques that he developed.[2] Sir Pelham Warner described Bart King as one of the finest bowlers of all time,[3] and Donald Bradman called him "America's greatest cricketing son."[4]
References
- ↑ Rolfe, John (1994). Everything You Want to Know About Sports (Sports Illustrated for Kids). New York: Bantam Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-553-48166-5.
- ↑ Synge, Allen (2007). SABR UK Examiner no.10: Baseball and Cricket: Cross-Currents. Society for American Baseball Research (UK Chapter). Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
- ↑ Wisden - 1966 - Obituaries in 1965. John Wisden & Co (1966). Retrieved on 2007-01-31.
- ↑ Bradman, Donald (1998). The Art of Cricket. Robson Books.