Rise & Fall of Percy Perrin
Derbyshire v. Essex 1904
By John Shawcroft
May 2000
J.W. McKenzie
ISBN: 9780947821098
Distributed by Trans-Atlantic Publications
88 pages, Illustrated
$37.50 Hardcover
This is a day-by-day account of the remarkable County Championship match played between Derbyshire and Essex at Chesterfield, 18-20 July 1904. In the first Essex innings of 597, Percy Perrin scored a record 343 not out. This innings was the fifth highest in first-class cricket, and included 68 boundaries, a record only broken by Brian Lara in 1994 during his innings of 501 not out. Derbyshire made 548 in reply, but in their second innings Essex collapsed to 97 all out on the last day, leaving Derbyshire 147 to win, which was accomplished for the loss of only one wicket.
The book includes a chapter by Jim Hutchinson entitled 'Memories of a Derbyshire Cricketer'. Hutchinson (1896-2000) was the oldest-ever first-class cricketer, who played for Derbyshire between 1920 and 1931. During his career he played cricket with many of the players involved in this match and in his chapter he vividly recalls memories of many of these cricketers. The book also includes individual biographies of each of the players involved in this match.