Jem Broadbridge

James "Jem" Broadbridge (born 25 June 1795 in Duncton, near Petworth in Sussex; died 12 February 1843 in Duncton) was a significant English cricketer of the 1820s and 1830s who played mainly for Sussex.

Jem Broadbridge was arguably the outstanding all-rounder of his time. He bowled right arm fast medium and also batted right-handed. He was described by Arthur Haygarth in "Scores and Biographies" as "an extremely hard hitter". He played for Sussex at the same time as William Lillywhite and their bowling enabled Sussex to become hailed as the Champion County in the 1820s.

Broadbridge and Lillywhite were innovators who did much to have roundarm bowling legalised. In the 1827 season, three roundarm trial matches were staged between Sussex and All-England to evaluate roundarm "vis-à-vis" underarm. Broadbridge and Lillywhite were allowed to bowl roundarm for Sussex but the All-England players had to bowl underarm. The result of the "trial" was inconclusive but in practice, with umpires turning a blind eye, Broadbridge and Lillywhite continued to bowl roundarm without penalty.

Jem Broadbridge had a known career in major cricket spanning the 1814 to 1840 English seasons. In 102 matches, he scored 2671 runs @ 16.59 with a highest score of 135. He took 51 catches and 324 wickets.

His elder brother William (1790-1860) was an occasional Sussex player in 25 matches between 1817 and 1830. His younger brother Robin (born 1797) played four matches between 1822 and 1824. The Broadbridge brothers were cousins of their Sussex colleague George Millyard.

External links

* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/28/28144/28144.html CricketArchive]

References

* "Scores & Biographies" by Arthur Haygarth