Burnup made his
first-class cricket debut in 1895 for the
Gentlemen of England at
Lord's against
I Zingari. He made his
Kent County Cricket Club debut in 1896 whilst at university and played regularly for the county until 1907. In 1896 he became the first Kent batsman to score a century before lunch in Kent, making his century against
Gloucestershire at
Gravesend. As an opening batsman Burnup was considered cautious but was able to score on all types of pitch and could, when required, score quickly. He made 102 consecutive
County Championship appearances for Kent between 1899 and 1903, becoming the first man to play in over 100 consecutive Championship matches for the county. He captained Kent for one season in 1903, taking over from
Jack Mason who had resigned as captain at the end of the previous season. He was described by
The Guardian as "essentially a sound, steady batsman" who contrasted with the flamboyant
Kenneth Hutchings, Kent's leading run scorer of the season. He took part in tours to Holland, America and
Australia and New Zealand during his career. ==Later life==