John Frame (cricketer)


John Frame was an English cricketer who played during the second half of the 18th century. He was described as one of the "most famous bowler of his day" and as a bowler of "great renown".
Frame was born at Warlingham in Surrey. He is first known to have played significant cricket in 1749, playing for a Surrey side against an England XI at Dartford Brent at the age of 16 and played until 1774. Frame was a bowler and F S Ashley-Cooper, writing in 1900, described his as a "fine fast bowler", grouping him alongside Richard Newland, David Harris and John Small as a cricketer who, if statistics from the 18th century existed, would be judged alongside Cooper's contemporary cricketers. John Nyren, writing in the 1830s, considered him as one of the Hambledon Club’s usual opponents, describing him as "an unusually stout man for a cricketer", although he also wrote that "I recollect very little of him, and nothing worthy of a formal record".
In 1750 Frame played for Surrey in three matches against Kent sides alongside his brother. By this time he was living at Dartford in Kent and played in a single wicket match in 1754 in London. Frame continued playing until the 1770s and appeared in seven matches which are considered to have first-class cricket status between 1772 and 1774. He died at Dartford in 1796 aged 64.