Arthur Mold

Arthur Webb Mold was an English professional cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Lancashire as a fast bowler between 1889 and 1901. A Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1892, he was selected for England in three Test matches in 1893. Mold was overshadowed by controversy over his bowling action.

About Arthur Mold in brief

Summary Arthur MoldArthur Webb Mold was an English professional cricketer. He played first-class cricket for Lancashire as a fast bowler between 1889 and 1901. A Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1892, he was selected for England in three Test matches in 1893. Mold was one of the most effective bowlers in England during the 1890s. His career was overshadowed by controversy over his bowling action. Although he took 1,673 wickets in first- class matches, many commentators viewed his achievements as tainted. Controversy erupted in 1900 when Mold was no-balled for throwing by Jim Phillips, an umpire who had targeted several prominent bowlers with dubious bowling actions. Mold retired at the end of the season and throwing ceased to be a concern in English cricket for 50 years. He was born on 27 May 1863 in the village of Middleton Cheney in Northamptonshire. His family had links with the thatching trade, but Mold pursued a career in professional cricket. He began his professional cricket career playing for Banbury and Northampshire in the mid-1880s, but by 1889 had qualified to play for Lancoshire at county level. In 1890, he took 118 wickets at an average of 11.69. This placed him third in the national averages. According to Wisden’s Alackman, Mold brought a great increase in all-round performances through the summer of 1891. He came close to playing for England when he was included in the squad to play in the third Test match against Australia, but the match was abandoned due to rain and no play and no one was selected.

He died on 4 November 1901. He is buried in the town of Middlefield, Northampton. He had a son, David, who was also a professional cricker. He also had a daughter, Mary, who played for Manchester Cricket Club in the late 19th century. She was married to the former England cricket captain, Sir Denis Compton, and they had two sons, David and David. The couple had three children, David Mold, a left-handed batsman and David Mold the right-handed bowler, who died in a car accident in the early 1980s. He has also a son called David Mold who played cricket for Manchester and Northampton County Cricket Club. In the early 20th century, he also played for Northampton and Northants. He retired from the game after a series of incidents involving umpire Jim Phillips in 1901. In all first class matches he took 102 wickets, which was third place in the averages. His best figures, once for 41 wickets for 41 runs, came against Yorkshire, and he was once 11th in the official Championship Championship. He took 80 wickets against county opposition, but he was successful in other high-profile matches. In 1889, Mold was expected by critics to make an impact, making Mold potentially an important player. In his second year, a successful match against the Free Foresters, an amateur team, impressed two Lancashir cricketers who played against him. In 1887, Mold played a few non-competitive cricket matches for Lanc Kashire.