Edward "Lumpy" Stevens (born 1735 at Send, Surrey; died 7 September 1819 at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey) was an English cricketer, generally regarded as the first great bowler in the game's history. Events April 16 - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ... Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties. ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... 1819 common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ...

How he came by his legendary nickname is uncertain but it may have been because he was adept at choosing a pitch to suit his very subtle variations of pace, length and direction. In those days, it was the leading bowler on each side who chose the place where wickets would be pitched and according to the famous verse:

For honest Lumpy did allow
He ne'er would pitch but o'er a brow

Lumpy was a gardener by trade and his bowling prowess earned him a job on the Walton-on-Thames estate of the Earl of Tankerville, a noted patron of the game.

The beginning of Lumpy's career is lost in the mists of time before scorecards began to kept on a regular basis from 1772. He may have come from a line of cricketers as two Surrey players called Stevens are mentioned in connection with the London v Slindon match in 1744. Lumpy probably began playing in great matches around the mid-1750s at a time when bowlers still bowled (i.e., trundled) the ball all along the ground, as in crown green bowls. It is not known if Lumpy was the first to "give the ball air" but he was certainly around when that particular revolution occurred, probably before 1770. What is known is that Lumpy was the bowler who made the most careful study of flight and worked out all the implications of variations in pace, length and direction mentioned above. He became a master of his craft. It is known that in a single-wicket match on 22-23 May 1775, Lumpy beat the great Hambledon batsman John Small senior three times with the ball going through the two stump wicket of the day. As a result of his protests, the patrons agreed that a third stump should be added. Catherine IIs soldiers in the Russo-Turkish War, by Alexandre Benois. ... 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1775 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Hambledon (Cricket) Club was formed before 1750 and became prominent by 1756 when it played a series of three matches versus Dartford, which had itself been a major club for at least 30 years. ... John Small senior (born 1737 at Empshott, Hampshire; died 31 December 1826 at Petersfield, Hampshire) was an English cricketer, generally regarded as the greatest batsman of the 18th Century. ...

Unlike the Hambledon players who tended to represent their club only, Lumpy made appearances for just about every team under the sun, including Hambledon. He is normally associated with Surrey teams in general and with the famous Chertsey club in particular. He continued as a player until he was 50 and played his last match on 2-5 September 1789 for All-England v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine. 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...