Nicknamed "The Croucher" because of his unusual hunched stance at the crease and though a stocky build at 5'7" and 11 stone, he remained a fast bowler through his career.

Many of the fours had well cleared the boundary, but the laws of cricket in 1902 meant that to obtain six runs the ball had to be hit out of the ground.

A newspaper managed to keep a detailed record of his innings, which shows that Jessop reached his hundred off 76 balls – one of the fastest Test centuries of all time.

He could maintain great stamina; however, he suffered a back strain in his debut Test from being over-bowled which plagued his career.

Jessop went up to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1896, intending to study for the priesthood, although this was not to materialise as he left without taking a degree.

In 1903, Jessop played the highest innings of his career – 286 in 180 minutes against Sussex – and for the rest of the decade, as well as being captain of Gloucestershire, he was their batting mainstay, though after 1901 he could rarely bowl at a quick pace.