John Frame

Who was John Frame?

John Frame was an English cricketer and arguably the first great fast bowler in the game's history. His first-class career spanned the 1749 to 1774 English cricket seasons.

He was described by John Nyren as one of the Hambledon Club’s greatest opponents and as "the other principal with Lumpy". Nyren says he remembers little of Frame, except that he was an unusually stout man for a cricketer.

Frame was only 16 when he first played in a major match on Friday 2 & Saturday 3 June 1749 for Surrey v All-England at Dartford Brent. Surrey won by 2 wickets. In 1750, he played for Surrey in three matches against Kent and his brother was in the same team each time.

Frame moved to Dartford while still a young man and was chiefly associated with Dartford Cricket Club and the Kent county team.

His last known major appearance was for All-England v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine on Friday 8 & Saturday 9 July 1774. Hampshire, who had Lumpy as a given man, won by 169 runs.