Thomas Sueter (17 April 1750 – 17 February 1827) was an English

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who represented

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

as a member of the

Hambledon Club The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England. Foundation The origin of the club, based near Hambledon in rural Hampshire, ...

. Sueter was a left-handed batsman and, with his contemporary William Yalden, one of the two most famous wicket-keepers of the 18th century. Sueter and Yalden are the earliest players to be recognised as wicketkeeper/batsmen, since they were specialist keepers who nevertheless justified selection for their batting alone. Sueter played mainly for Hampshire but in his closing seasons he represented

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, probably because of temporary residence in the county, though he evidently returned to Hambledon after he finished playing. Sueter was a carpenter and builder by trade and

Arthur Haygarth Arthur Haygarth (4 August 1825 – 1 May 1903) was a noted English amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians. He played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Sussex between 1844 and 1861, as wel ...

recorded that above the Hambledon church door in the 1860s was affixed a plaque saying: "Thomas Sueter and Richard Flood, builders, 1788".

, ''Scores & Biographies'', Volume 1 (1744-1826, Lillywhite, 1862 Sueter began playing in the 1760s and made 67 known first-class appearances from the 1772 season to the 1790 season. He is said "to have been the first (or one of the first) who departed from the custom of the old players, who deemed it a heresy to leave the crease for the ball; but he would get in at it, hit it straight off and straight on, and egad it went as if it had been fired."

Ashley Mote Ashley Mote (25 January 1936 – 30 March 2020) was a British politician who was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 2004 to 2009. Elected representing the UK Independence Party, he became a non-inscrit one mo ...

, ''John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time"'', Robson, 1998 Sueter was also reckoned an excellent judge of a short run. Like

George Leer George Leer (1748 at Hambledon, Hampshire – 1 February 1812 at Petersfield, Hampshire) was a famous English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the time of the Hambledon Club. Leer began playing in the 1760s. His name has become almost syn ...

, Sueter was a fine singer and he belonged to the choir at his parish church. When he died, according to Haygarth, he left behind him a sovereign in order that an anthem should be sung in the church over his coffin; and this was done. Haygarth records that Sueter's tombstone was still standing in Hambledon churchyard in 1858 with the following inscription: :::::''Sacred to the memory of THOMAS SUETER, '' :::::''who departed this life the 17th day of February, 1827, aged 77 years''

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