get at the balls and hit them away in gallant style. But when he could cut them at the point of his bat, he was in all his glory; and, upon my life, their speed was as the speed of thought; ...one of the most beautiful sights that can be imagined, and which would have delighted an artist, was to see him make himself up to hit a ball. It was the beau ideal (sic) of grace, animation, and concentrated energy. Beldham is remembered primarily as a fine attacking batsman who was "an excellent judge of a short run, had a good knowledge of the game and was a very fine field". He was also highly effective as a change bowler, good enough to be termed a batting all-rounder. Using the standard underarm action and pitching the ball, his delivery was "high and well, pace moderate, yet bordering on the fast and getting up quick". Considered a "safe pair of hands" in the field, available evidence indicates that his preferred position was in the slips. Beldham has also been credited with many stumpings, although whether he was ever a regular wicket-keeper remains unclear. His best performance as a fielder was holding seven catches in a single match. He did this twice: for Kent v England in June 1792 and for MCC v Kent in June 1793. He held six catches in a match six times and, as a wicket-keeper, he completed three stumpings in an innings three times. Along with other greats such as John Small and Tom Walker, Beldham did much to lay the foundations of what can now be recognised as modern batting technique. He had a sound defence, like Small and Walker, but was also a fluent stroke maker like Small and the later Fuller Pilch. It is said that his brother-in-law John Wells impressed upon Beldham the importance of the high left elbow, although a Farnham gingerbread maker and coach, Harry Hall, has also been credited with this. This was a novelty at the time but has since become a standard part of technique for a right-handed batsman. When he was interviewed by Pycroft, Beldham claimed that he, Fennex and Harry Walker had revolutionised batting by introducing the cut (Walker) and forward play (Beldham and Fennex). However, this is contradicted by Nyren who says that the earlier Hambledon batsman Tom Sueter was noted for his cut