ABSTRACT
The first mention of Arthur Wharton in the English press was to record his performance as a reader at the Wesleyan Sunday School in Cannock in February 1884. He provided a recitation at an evening event for the Wesleyan Band of Hope. Three months later the Cannock Advertiser (11 May) reported his appearance for the town's cricket club. He scored a duck (0)! Despite this ignominious batting debut the 19-year-old allrounder went on to play 11 games, captaining the side at least once, scoring a total of 93 runs and taking at least 4 wickets. George Grant, his cousin, also played. In a game that June the pair scored 31 out of the team total of 54. While these public references were the first of many, neither pursuits were to act as the primary tributaries of his excellence, although Arthur did become a professional cricketer. In fact it was Cannock and Cannock White Cross Football Clubs, for whom he played during the 1883-84 football season, that provided the springboard for Arthur's career as a sportsman.
