George Smith of Cropwell Bishop, born on 19 November 1785, was a lime-burner by trade and a regular player for his home village.
He appeared for the Nottingham Old Club in 12 matches between 1817 and 1827, three of those now deemed to be First-Class, and was a steady and safe batsman.
His obituary in the Nottingham Review, he died on 3 April 1838, noted ‘In him the poor have lost a friend and his death will be deplored by a large circle of friends and acquaintances', and mentioned that he had 'shone particularly in the great match of 1817'. This game, his first significant match, was between XI of England and XXII of Nottingham in which Smith scored 29 - the best of that match and his highest in any important fixture.
In the dozen matches for Nottingham he made 217 runs at 10.85 and took seven catches; he is not recorded as bowling for the Old Club. His last appearance was in 1827 v Sheffield on the Forest.
September 2025
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 9