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1829-04-23
On 23 April 1829 Thomas Howard — the Surrey fast underarm bowler who had been the leading pace exponent of the period 1809-1815 — died at Mitcham aged around forty-nine. Howard's death is the closing of one of the major late-underarm-era careers and a marker of the era's mortality.
Lord Frederick Beauclerk / Thomas Howard vs George Osbaldeston / William Lambert
1810-07-01
A two-a-side single-wicket challenge match for fifty guineas a side became one of the most discussed cricket incidents of the early 1810s when Squire Osbaldeston fell ill on the morning of play. His partner William Lambert, the Surrey professional, pleaded for a postponement; Lord Frederick Beauclerk replied with the gambler's formula 'Play or Pay'. Lambert went out alone to face Beauclerk and Thomas Howard, deliberately bowled a string of wide deliveries to fluster Beauclerk, broke the cleric's temper and his concentration, and won the match by fifteen runs. The incident produced the rivalry that would shape Lambert's downfall seven years later.
Surrey vs England
1809-07-04
On the newly opened Lord's Middle Ground in July 1809, Thomas Howard of Mitcham took 9 wickets in a Surrey v England fixture and announced himself as the leading fast underarm bowler in the country — the first since David Harris's death in 1803 to dominate a major match by pace alone. His performance gave Surrey a rare win over England and reset the bowling hierarchy of the late underarm era.