Albert Edwin Trott (6 February 1873 - July 30 1914) was an Australian cricketer.
Trott's story of represents one of the great enigmas of Australian cricket history. He burst onto the Test scene against England in Adelaide, Australia in 1894-95 with an amazing debut which included taking 8/43 with his slinging, round-arm deliveries and scoring 38 and 72 (both not out) with the bat. He followed this up in the next match in Sydney, Australia by scoring 85 (again not out), though he was strangely not thrown the ball by captain George Giffen. Albert’s brother, G.H.S. Trott, was named captain of the Australian team which toured England in 1896, though Albert’s form (which saw him average 102.5 with the bat in the Test series against England) was remarkably insufficient to merit tour selection.
Despite his omission from the team, Trott sailed to England independently as a novus homo and played for Middlesex, England. Trott’s penchant for the spectacular did not fail him: he became the first (and to this day the only) batsman to hit a ball over the Lord’s pavilion, bludgeoning M.A. (Monty) Noble out of the ground in 1899. He was widely acknowledged as the finest all-round cricketer on the planet. His efforts saw him named Wisden cricketer of the year in 1899. A true student of the game, Trott’s bowling relied less on pace than it did on guile and spin; he rarely bowled two balls alike. Trott was a dynamo in the field, with the ball seldom escaping his commodious clutch. He regularly turned matches for Middlesex with his powerful hitting.
However, from 1901 or 1902, Trott declined abruptly because, owing to a rapid increase in weight and loss of mobility, he could not bowl the very fast ball that was so deadly in his early years. His haul of wickets fell rapidly: from 176 in 1901 to 133 in 1902 and 105 in 1903. By 1905, he was extremely expensive and ineffective (takng only 62 wickets), and only in the very dry summer of 1906 did his batting reach the same levels of his early years with Middlesex.
Trott’s ability to entertain never left him. In his benefit match in 1907, he took an amazing double hat trick (four wickets in four balls), and then followed up with a second hat trick later in the innings (a feat which has never been repeated in first class cricket). Trott’s popularity rose as he enjoyed regular ales with spectators on the boundary while fielding. In 1914, Trott wrote his will on the back of a laundry ticket, leaving his wardrobe and ₤4 to his landlady. He shortly after shot himself. In today’s cricket of high money, high performance and high scandal, few players have been able to provide the high thrills and high entertainment which A.E. Trott did, some 100 years ago.
See also
Last updated: 09-02-2005 11:50:14
