Brief profile of William Oscroft by Don Ambrose

---

Player:

W Oscroft

---

OSCROFT, William.
Professional.
Born at Arnold, Nottinghamshire, 16th December 1843.
Died at Nottingham, 10th October 1905.
The son of Thomas Oscroft he played his early cricket with the Arnold Club and he was only seventeen when he took his first professional engagement, with the Eastbourne club, with which he stayed until 1864, when Nottinghamshire called on him for so much time. He played in 244 first-class matches 1864-82, 167 of them for Nottinghamshire, which he captained in 1881 and 1882. He toured Australia in 1873/4 and North America 1879. He became a member of the All England Eleven in 1865 and played with this team until it ceased to exist, at which time he was captain and secretary of the team. From 1875 he was the landlord of the Royal Oak Inn in Nottingham and about 1885 he moved to the Peacock Inn, Mansfield Road, Nottingham. When he died from loco motor ataxia he was buried in Arnold cemetery.
At the time of the 1881 Census he was living at 67 Annesley Street, Nottingham, aged 37, a professional cricketer, with his wife Kate, aged 30.

 

(Article: Copyright © 2003 Don Ambrose)