Although he was born in Willington, Derbyshire – on 29 April 1842 – Thomas Wright qualified for Notts by residence and worked in the town, as Nottingham was at that time, as a lace manufacturer.
His first recorded cricket match was for Nottingham Commercial in 1862; he played for this important club for many seasons and captained the side around 1868. Wright made his First-Class debut for Notts v Yorkshire at Dewsbury in July 1868, making 8 and 15 and played against Surrey the following month. He did not reappear for the first team until 1874 when he played seven First-Class games, including against the MCC, the only one of his First XI outings that was not a County match.
In his nine First-Class games, Wright – a right-hand bat and slow round-arm bowler – scored 138 runs at 9.20, top score 25 against Yorkshire, and took four catches.
He also played versus Derbyshire at Trent Bridge, before that county was in First-Class cricket, and twice in the Nottinghamshire v the Next XV; bizarrely, he made nought in both games, once for each team, and both games petered out into draws.
Wright made just one appearance for Nottingham Forest FC, in 1867, though it is thought he played in local club football.
Thomas Wright died on 7 May 1912, in Rochester, Monroe County New York, USA
December 2024
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 120