John Sparks (cricketer, born 1778) explained

John Sparks (1778 – 5 March 1854) was an English professional cricketer. He bowled slow underarm.^[1]

Sparks was mainly associated with Surrey and he made 50 known appearances in first-class matches from 1803 to 1829.^[2]

Sparks played for the Players in the second Gentlemen v Players match in 1806.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part One: 1806–1914 (revised edition), pp. 498–500. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 2020-12-21.)
2. [Arthur Haygarth]
3. https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/0/318.html CricketArchive  - scorecard of second Gentlemen v Players match