James Chatterton, who played in six county matches between 1856 and 1865, was a tailor residing in his native town of Newark, where he was born on 1 April 1836. The majority of his First-Class games - nine out of 21 - were played for the MCC, for whom he made his highest score of 47no, against Cambridge University.
His best score for Nottinghamshire was 30 versus Surrey. On debut for Notts, against the All England Eleven in 1859, Chatterton top scored with 26, batting at 10 in the second innings - in a game where none of the four innings totals exceeded 100 - and took one wicket. His county career, such as it was, effectively ended in 1861 but in 1865 he made a final appearance, when George Wootton was unable to play, against Sussex at Hove; he made 24, batting at number three, in a comfortable innings victory.
A right-hand batsman, having a strong defence; his occasional round-arm bowling was slow and ‘twisting’. He had a number of professional engagements including Tenbury, Birkenhead, Radley College, Horsham, Burnley, and Sherborne School. In 1859-60 and again in 1867 he was at Lord’s and therefore played for the MCC in major matches in those seasons, his last match as a player being MCC v Lancashire at Lord's in July 1867. From 1868 to 1876 he was the coach at Rossall School, Lancashire
Chatterton umpired in First-Class and representative cricket from 1867 until 1890, this career being cut short by his death in his home town of Newark on 13 February 1891.
July 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 83