Amateur status in first-class cricket had a special meaning, especially in England, in that the amateur in this context was not merely someone who played cricket in his spare time but a particular type of first-class cricketer who existed officially until 1962, when the distinction between amateurs (aka the Gentlemen) and professionals (aka the Players) was abolished and all first-class players became nominally professional. It may be more accurate to say that the former Gentlemen were in many cases only nominally amateurs.