James Southerton (16 November 1827 – 16 June 1880) was an English professional cricketer whose first-class career spanned 26 seasons from 1854 to 1879.

[4] For the first five years of his career, Southerton specialised as a batsman, but he had little success and could only once achieve a season average in double figures.

[3] He continued to be engaged at the Antelope Ground in 1867, operating in a period before regulations prevented anyone playing for more than one county in the same season.

[1] It was while playing exclusively for Hampshire in 1865 and 1866 that his right-arm slow bowling, which was to bring him much fame, came to the fore.

He achieved this by bowling with a twisting action, and had the ability to vary his pace and pitch to further deceive batsmen.

[3] When he bowled outside the off stump, the ball was able to turn viciously off the unprepared pitches of the time into right-handed batsmen.

[8] His variation of pace relied upon a faster and straighter delivery, contrasting his slow, turning stock ball.

[8] He possessed a strong sense of knowing which type of delivery would be most difficult for the opposing batsman to play.

[8] Southerton played a large part in Hampshire's inaugural first-class victory against Surrey in 1865, taking 7 wickets for 45 runs.

[7] On debut, he broke the 77 runs partnership of Charles Bannerman and Bransby Cooper, on his way to claiming figures of 3 for 61 in the Australians first innings.

[10] This was to be the case in the 1878 and 1879 seasons, where he was afforded fewer playing opportunities with Surrey, though his bowling average remained consistently good.

Haygarth noted that he was an attacking batsman,[3] while W. G. Grace wrote that Southerton seldom defended the ball, and was known to close his eyes when striking out.

Grace recalled an incident during their 1873–74 Australia tour when Southerton was umpiring in a match played at Castlemaine, when he was caught by the fielder, who subsequently fell over the boundary rope.

[33] He became the first Test cricketer to die when he succumbed after a short attack of pleurisy at his Mitcham residence on 16 June 1880, just ten months after he had retired from playing.

[29] He had become ill the night prior to the derby match between Surrey and Middlesex, catching a chill which had confined him to bed for several days.

Having sufficiently recovered, he returned to his superintendency duties at The Oval, but was beset by an attack of pleurisy shortly thereafter.

[29] He was buried in the graveyard of Mitcham Parish Church, with his funeral attended by 118 professional and amateur cricketers from a variety of counties, who walked two-by-two in front of his coffin and lined the churchyard on either side to form a guard of honour.

[34] Amongst the mourners were former contemporaries at Surrey and Mitcham, including C. W. Alcock, Edward Garland, Will Mortlock, William Shepherd, and John Swan.