Bobby Peel was born at Churwell, near Leeds, on 12 February 1857 — making him already 25 by the time he made his first-class debut for Yorkshire on 10 July 1882, against Surrey at Sheffield. He took five for 83 in the second innings of that game and seemed an obvious successor to Edmund Peate, but Peate was Yorkshire's first-choice slow left-armer and Peel could not displace him.
For four seasons (1883-86) the two left-armers played alongside each other in the Yorkshire side, alternating workloads. Peel filled in when Peate was injured or out of form, and developed his game in county cricket while waiting for the senior position.
The break came in 1887. Peate, whose drinking had been a long-standing problem, was sacked by Lord Hawke after a major incident; Peel was promoted to the first-choice slow left-armer's role for both Yorkshire and (almost immediately) England. The wet summer of 1888 played to his strengths: in three Tests against Australia he took 24 wickets at less than eight runs apiece, including 11 for 68 in the match at the Oval. He passed 100 first-class wickets for the first time and was named one of the first six Wisden Cricketers of the Year for 1889 — all six being bowlers.
Peel's England career ran from 1884 to 1896, taking him on four tours of Australia and producing 101 Test wickets at 16.98 — at the time the lowest average of any Test bowler with 100 wickets. Like Peate before him, his career ended over drink: in 1897 he was sacked by Lord Hawke after appearing on the Yorkshire field at Bramall Lane while obviously drunk, an incident that became one of Yorkshire cricket's most retold stories.
Peel's bowling style was orthodox left-arm spin with a slightly higher action than Peate's, plus a fast yorker that he used as a surprise weapon. On rain-affected pitches his accuracy was extraordinary; on hard wickets his subtle changes of pace were enough.