Fuller Pilch

Fuller Pilch (17 March 1804 – 1 May 1870) was an English cricketer active from 1820 to 1854. He was a right-handed batsman who bowled at a slow pace with a roundarm action. Pilch played in a total of 229 important matches for a large number of teams, although he appeared most frequently for the Kent County cricket team. He is remembered as a pioneer of forward play in batting and for a shot named after him, called "Pilch's poke".

Pilch was born in Horningtoft, Norfolk, England as the third son of a cobblernamed Nathaniel Pilch and his wife Frances (née Fuller). They had been married at Brisley and returned to live there when Pilch was young.^{[citation needed]}

Pilch worked as a tailor before he followed in the footsteps of his two elder brothers, Nathaniel and William, and became a professional cricketer.

Pilch's first appearance at Lord's was a three-day match in July 1820, playing for Norfolk. He then went to Sheffield to play cricket and earn his living as a tailor.

By the late 1820s, he had become the finest batsman in England and acquired the nickname, "the non pareil [unrivalled] hitter".

He appeared 23 times in Gentlemen v Players matches.

In 1833, in highly publicised single wicket matches, Pilch twice defeated Tom Marsden, another prominent batsman of the time.

Demand for his services as a cricketer led him to move to Town Malling, Kent in 1835 and receive a salary of 100 pounds a year. There he kept a tavern attached to the cricket ground.