Why Fender’s 35-minute ton from 1920 remains unbeaten after 106 years
Percy Fender's 1920 first-class cricket century remains the fastest in history by time spent at the crease. While faster centuries have been recorded, they are excluded from official records due to manipulated match conditions.
Why it matters
This piece explores the importance of historical integrity and the distinction between authentic athletic achievement and staged sporting events.
The fastest century in first-class cricket by time spent at the crease was scored more than a century ago, yet the record remains intact. Percy Fender smashed his hundred in just 35 minutes for Surrey against Northamptonshire at Northampton on August 26, 1920 — and despite several later centuries being completed in less time, none have been accepted as a genuine challenge to his mark.Fender’s record has survived because cricket’s record books make an important distinction between a breathtaking batting assault and a century produced in deliberately staged circumstances.Steve O’Shaughnessy equalled Fender’s 35-minute mark for Lancashire against Leicestershire in 1983, while centuries have since been timed at even quicker rates.
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