Tom Marsden was a renowned hitter who made his reputation in the north and even had poems written about him. In 1828 he challenged any man in England to take him on for £50 in a single-wicket contest, but nobody accepted until Fuller Pilch in 1833 - Marsden lost both games easily, the second in front of 20,000 in his home town. His first-class debut in 1826 was memorable as he made 227 in eight hours for Sheffield and Leicester against Nottingham, and he made another hundred for Sheffield two years later. But his form in big matches failed to match his reputation - in 14 matches for England he did not pass fifty - and his best was behind him by the time he was 25.
Martin Williamson