Chasing Jessop

<p><b>A compelling new look at the untold story behind one of English sport''s oldest records.</b><br><br>In 1902, playing for England against Australia at The Oval, Gilbert Jessop played <b>arguably the greatest innings in the history of cricket</b>, turning what looked like certain defeat into what became an incredible victory, and doing so at such speed that he set a record for the fastest Test century for England that still stands more than 1,000 Test matches later. <br><br>Even Ben Stokes¿s team of Bazballers have been unable to put in the shade a cricketer for whom all-out attack was the only way to play long before T20 cricket was invented. But the precise circumstances of Jessop¿s astonishing performance have long been <b>shrouded in mystery</b>. The original scorebooks are missing and the accepted truth that he took 76 balls to reach his century has rarely been scrutinised. <br><br>Drawing on an array of long-forgotten contemporary sources, Simon Wilde forensically reconstruct