W. G. Grace

W. G. Grace was an English cricketer who lived from 1848 to 1915, widely regarded as one of the sport's most important figures for transforming it from a gentleman's pastime into a mass spectator sport during the second half of the nineteenth century. A dominant all-rounder able to bat, bowl and field to a standard well beyond his contemporaries, he played first-class cricket for 44 seasons from 1865 to 1908, mostly for Gloucestershire, and represented England in 22 Test matches between 1880 and 1899, scoring England's first-ever Test century, 154 runs, on his debut at the Oval in 1880. Though nominally an amateur, he reportedly earned more from the game than any professional of his era while also qualifying and practicing as a doctor, and he typically opened the batting and captained his sides; his brothers E. M. and Fred Grace played alongside him, and in 1880 the three became the first three brothers to play a Test match together.