Full name Jasper Vinall c.1620 to 1624 West Hoathly | Name Jasper Vinall Role Cricket Player | |
Born 1590 England Died September 10, 1624, West Hoathly, United Kingdom | ||
Jasper Vinall (c.1590 – 10 September 1624, West Hoathly, West Sussex) was the first cricketer known to have died as a result of an incident during a game. He was accidentally struck on the forehead by a bat during a game at Horsted Keynes on 28 August 1624 and died thirteen days later.
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Incident
The fatality occurred after Vinall, a fielder, was struck on the head by the batsman who was trying to hit the ball a second time to avoid being caught. Vinall is thus the earliest recorded cricketing fatality. The matter was recorded in a coroner’s court, which returned a verdict of misadventure.
An interesting point arising from the court record is that both Jasper Vinall and the batsman Edward Tye came from West Hoathly, another village, which indicates that games involving teams from different parishes were already being played at this early time in the sport's history.
The tragedy was repeated in 1647 when Henry Brand died after being struck on the head during a match at Selsey, West Sussex.
Laws of cricket changed
When the first known Laws of cricket were coded in the 1744 season, it was illegal to hit the ball twice, but it is not known when the measure was introduced.