Thomas "Daddy" White (c. 1740, probably in Surrey – 28 July 1831, Reigate) was a noted English cricketer.
The incident brought about a change in the 1774 version of the Laws of Cricket wherein the maximum width of the bat was set at four and one quarter inches.
[2] White may have done this with the intention of seeking an unfair advantage or merely as a prank, or possibly even to force the issue in order to get the Laws changed.
Straight bats had replaced the old hockey stick shape a few years earlier (in response to bowlers pitching instead of rolling the ball as formerly) and the width issue may have been rankling.
His motive remains a mystery but the Hambledon objection has been preserved by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).