This is a wonderful period image of Ted Wainwright (or Edward Wainwright; born April 8, 1865, Tinsley, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; died October 28, 1919, Sheffield) was a Yorkshire all-rounder who helped establish the county at the top of the tree under Lord Hawke during the early years of official County Championship cricket. Wainwright will be forever remembered for gaining the lowest bowling average in the history of the County Championship - 10.17 for 97 wickets in 1894, a summer of very many sticky wickets. On these wickets, he would bowl a perfect length and his spin was such that the ball, "popping" from the crust of the turf, would gain so much pace that not even the most technically correct batsman could hope to stay long. (Wikipedia)
"Though only a Member of the Yorkshire Eleven since 1888, Edward Wainwright is quite in the front rank of Cricket. The best slow bowler in England or anywhere, perhaps, on a sticky wicket, he gets at times an extraordinary amount of work on to the ball. his best record in batting as well as bowling was in 1892, when he scored 890 runs and took 104 wickets for Yorkshire in first-class matches. is a fine field withal, one of the very best in the kingdom, in fact. has yet perhaps to reach his best as an all-round Cricketer. Played for England against Australia at Lord's in 1893. In height he is 5 ft 10 1/2 inches, and in weight somewhere about 11 stone." (c1895).
Beautiful & rare period image with facsimile signature.
Photograph by E. Hawkins & Co. 32,33 & 38, Preston Street, Brighton. (John Shuter - Kent on the reverse)