George Banner was a right-arm fast bowler from Sutton-in-Ashfield whose life and career were cut short by his untimely demise at just 26 years of age.
His name appears in local cricketing records for just one season, that of 1885, but those records indicate some promise. He appeared for the Colts of the North v Colts of the South at Lord’s, bowling unchanged through the South’s first innings, in partnership with one William Copeland, for the impressive figures of 12.1-6-12-4, these were four-ball overs. He was not out in each innings, scoring 8 and 13. Banner also played for the XXII of Nottinghamshire Colts v the county team – he was 22nd man in and scored just one before being run out; his bowling figures for this game are not recorded.
Banner’s one First-Class match was for Nottinghamshire against Gloucestershire at Trent Bridge in July 1885, when he scored five; in the one innings in which he was asked to bowl, he took 2-33. He was engaged as a professional at Dalkeith in 1888 and Werneth, Oldham in 1889.
George Banner was born on 21 January 1864 and died in his native place on 20 March 1890; he is buried in Sutton cemetery.
June 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 186