James Baker (English cricketer)
# James Baker (English cricketer)

James Bray Baker (1792 – 30 January 1839) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1816 to 1828. He was born at Hailsham in Sussex and was mainly associated with Sussex cricket teams.

Baker played in 15 first-class matches, making his first-class debut for a Sussex side against Epsom at Lord's in 1816. He played seven matches for Sussex sides, making his final first-class appearance for the side in 1828 against an England XI. He played four matches for The Bs against England XIs, and four for Kent sides, all as a given man against Sussex in 1825 and 1826 in matches organised by the Hawkhurst club, the first matches played between two county sides since the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Baker was a member of the Hawkhurst side; the village is in Kent, and the cricket team was considered one of the best sides in England at the time. He scored a total of 219 runs in 27 innings with a batting average of 8.42 runs per innings.

Baker was a member of the Sussex team in two of the three roundarm trial matches against England teams in 1827 played to decide whether roundarm bowling should be legalised. He was described as a "capital but not very safe hitter and a safe field" and was originally a farmer before becoming a publican in Hailsham later in life. He died in the village in January 1839.

