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 1828, 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-Class debut, was between XI of England and XXII of Nottingham in which Smith scored 29 - the best of that match and his highest in an 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.
August 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 9