Crossland's delivery was the cause for much discussion throughout his most successful year of 1882, but despite a commonly held view that he threw the ball, umpires never called a no-ball against him for throwing in first-class matches. His bowling action during the match against Surrey at the Oval was the subject of significant complaints from the crowd, who accused him of throwing. During his bowling spell, he was heckled by the crowd, with shouts of "well-thrown" and "take him off", and he was later surrounded by Surrey supporters when he returned to the changing rooms. "The Times" addressed the issue in their match report, with a reminder that the umpires are the "judges of fair or unfair play", while the gossip columnist in "" suggested that it was "very obvious and frequent infringement of the laws defining bowling", and that it was clear that umpires lacked the expertise and the bravery to no-ball a bowler.