Chasing Jessop

The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record

Simon Wilde

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Paperback

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English

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
02 December 2025

Sports & outdoor recreation; Cricket

'A forensic tour de force' VIC MARKS

'Engrossing ... Illuminating detective work into the astonishing statistics of English cricket's most enduring record' ANDY ZALTZMAN

'A fascinating and definitive account of one of cricket's most fabled innings' JOHN ETHERIDGE

A compelling new look at the untold story behind one of English sport's oldest records.

In 1902, playing for England against Australia at The Oval, Gilbert Jessop played arguably the greatest innings in the history of cricket, turning what looked like certain defeat into what became an incredible victory, and doing so at such speed that he set a record for the fastest Test century for England that still stands more than 1,000 Test matches later.

Even Ben Stokes’s team of Bazballers have been unable to put in the shade a cricketer for whom all-out attack was the only way to play long before T20 cricket was invented. But the precise circumstances of Jessop’s astonishing performance have long been shrouded in mystery. The original scorebooks are missing and the accepted truth that he took 76 balls to reach his century has rarely been scrutinised.

Drawing on an array of long-forgotten contemporary sources, Simon Wilde forensically reconstructs one of England’s most famous matches in an attempt to establish what really happened. How many balls did Jessop face? Might he have actually got to his hundred even faster? Jessop’s relentless big hitting and fast scoring were revolutionary for cricket, but chimed with a speed-obsessed era which saw the start of the modern Olympics, the first mile-a-minute trains and the first 100mph cars, and the public adored him. As C.B. Fry said of him: ‘No man has ever made cricket so dramatic an entertainment.’

By: Simon Wilde
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 541g
ISBN: 9781526692535
ISBN 10: 1526692538
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 02 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Simon Wilde has been cricket correspondent of the Sunday Times since 1998 and has reported on around 330 England Test matches and numerous World Cups. He has written twelve books, three of which were shortlisted for the William Hill sports book of the year. His most recent works have been the acclaimed England: The Biography, a history of the men’s national team, and The Tour, which won the MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year award.

Reviews for Chasing Jessop: The Mystery of England Cricket's Oldest Record

A forensic tour de force. As ever, Simon Wilde’s book is meticulously researched and his subject is peculiarly relevant since Jessop’s record seems to be under threat almost every time Ben Stokes’s England team embarks upon a Test match -- Vic Marks, TEST MATCH SPECIAL commentator, writer and former England international A fascinating and definitive account of one of cricket's most fabled innings - with a twist in the tale -- John Etheridge, cricket correspondent