1697 to 1725 English cricket seasons
This is a continuation of the history of cricket from the first "great match" in 1697 through the early decades of the 18th Century to the year 1730 when the mists of time began to part and we begin to learn something about match results and the people who took part.
See also: History of cricket to 1696; History of cricket 1731 - 1800 and History of cricket.
Chronology: 1697 - 1730
By the end of C17, cricket had progressed to the point where it was ready to break its bounds as a village pastime and enter the age of great matches.
"A Great Match in Sussex"
c.30 June - result unknown (TJM)
The earliest known newspaper report of a match proclaimed to be great or a similar adjective. The report was in the Foreign Post dated Wed 7 July 1697 and describes a great match at cricket that was played the middle of last week in Sussex with eleven of a side and they played for fifty guineas apiece. The stakes on offer indicate the importance of the fixture and the fact that it was eleven a side suggests that two strong and well-balanced teams were assembled. Unfortunately, no other details were given but we do have a current starting point for the origin of top class cricket.
TJM = Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century by Timothy J McCann
A series of matches, to be held on Clapham Common, was pre-announced on 30 March by a periodical called The Post Boy. The first was to take place on Easter Monday and prizes of £10 and £20 were at stake. No match reports could be found so the results and scores remain unknown. Interestingly, the advert says the teams would consist of ten Gentlemen per side but the invitation to attend was to Gentlemen and others. This clearly infers that cricket had achieved both the patronage that underwrote it through the 18th Century and the spectators who demonstrated its lasting popular appeal.
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Arundel (Sussex)
date unknown - Duke of Richmond’s XI won? (TJM)
The source for this game is a receipt sent by one Saul Bradley to the Duke on 14 December 1702. The receipt was in respect of 1s 6d paid by the Duke for brandy when your Grace plaid at Cricket with Arundel men. It is thought the brandy was bought to celebrate a victory. Note that this was the first Duke of Richmond, also called Charles Lennox. He died in 1723 and it was his son, the 2nd Duke, who became the famous patron of Sussex cricket.
West of Kent v Chatham (Malling, Kent)
? July - result unknown (FLPV)
This was an 11-a-side game advertised in The Post Man dated 24 July 1705.
FLPV = Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket by G B Buckley.
William Goldwyn published a Latin poem in celebration of a cricket match.
Croydon v London (Croydon (Duppas Hill?))
1 July - result unknown (WDC)
London v Croydon (Lamb’s Conduit Field, Holborn)
3 July - result unknown (WDC)
These two are the earliest known matches of real significance that Mr H T Waghorn could find in his research. They were advertised in a periodical called The Post Man (dates 21-24 June 1707) as two great matches at cricket (to be) plaid, between London and Croydon; the first at Croydon on Tuesday, July 1st, and the other to be plaid in Lamb’s-Conduit-Fields, near Holborn, on the Tuesday (sic) following, being the 3rd of July. No match reports could be found so the results and scores are unknown.
The dates are uncertain as the report states: the first game to be played on Tuesday 1 July 1707 (which is a correct date in the then in use Julian Calendar) and the other to be played on the Tuesday following, being the 3rd of July. It has been assumed that the second game was played on 3 July which was a Thursday.
There is record of a London Club from 1722 but it is not known when that organisation was founded or if it formed the London teams in the 1707 matches.
Later matches in Croydon were played at Duppas Hill, but it is not known for certain if that was the venue in 1707.
Lamb’s Conduit Field was near Holborn in Middlesex. It had no connection with White Conduit Fields in Islington which later became the home venue of the White Conduit Club, forerunner of MCC.
WDC = The Dawn of Cricket by H T Waghorn.
Kent v Surrey (Dartford Brent)
29 June - result unknown (FLPV)
The earliest known match involving county teams, though in reality the teams were probably Dartford and a nearby Surrey village.
Dartford Brent was a popular Kent venue in C18.
The earliest reference has been found to cricket being played at Cambridge University.
Thomas Marchant, a farmer from Hurstpierpoint in Sussex, first mentioned cricket in his diary. He made numerous references to the game, particularly concerning his local club, until 1727. His son Will played for our parish, as he often called the Hurstpierpoint team.
London v Rochester Punch Club (White Conduit Fields, Islington)
1 September 1718 - London won by 21 runs (FL18)
This game was unfinished on 1 September 1718 because the Rochester players walked off in an attempt to have the game declared incomplete so that they would retain their stake money. London was clearly winning at the time. The London players sued for their winnings and the game while incomplete was the subject of a famous lawsuit where the terms of the wager were at issue. The court ordered it to be played out and this happened in July 1719. Rochester with 4 wickets standing needed 30 (more?) but were out for 9 (more?). The lawsuit may inadvertently have increased the sport’s popularity: as the saying goes, all publicity is good publicity!
FL18 = Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley.
London v Kent (White Conduit Fields, Islington)
19 August - Kent won (WDC)
The report says the teams played for a considerable sum of money.
London v Kent (White Conduit Fields, Islington)
9 July - London won (WDC)
Two London fielders were badly injured by a clash of heads. Mr Waghorn noted that advertising and reporting of cricket ceased for some years and wondered if that was due to a perception that the sport is dangerous!
In fact, cricket reporting became more frequent and more detailed as the years went by and we soon began to learn the names of some of the shadowy figures who organised it and played it.
English sailors were reported to be playing cricket at Cambay, near Baroda, and this is the earliest known reference to cricket being played in India.
Although teams styled London were already in existence, the first actual reference to a London Club was dated in 1722.
London v Dartford (Islington)
18 July - result unknown (The Cricketer magazine)
Presumably the venue was White Conduit Fields in Islington.
There was a letter about this game in The Weekly Journal dated 21 July 1722.
London v Dartford (Kennington Common)
18 June - result unknown (FL18)
This is the earliest known match at Kennington Common, where (it is believed) The Oval is now sited.
Penshurst, Tunbridge & Wadhurst v Dartford (Islington (White Conduit Fields?)
10 August - result unknown (TJM)
This match was the parishes of Penshurst, Tunbridge and Wadhurst versus Dartford. It is reported in a diary entry by one John Dawson, who may have watched it. No details are known but as Dartford was already recognised as a leading club, it may have been a great cricket match as Mr Dawson says.
Chingford v Mr Edward Stead’s XI (unknown venue)
date unknown - result unknown (WDC)
This seems to be the earliest reference to cricket being played in Essex (if at Chingford) or by an Essex team. The game echoed the one in 1718 as the Chingford team refused to play to a finish when Mr Stead’s team had the advantage. A court case followed and, as in 1718, it was ordered to be played out presumably so that all wagers could be fulfilled. We know that Lord Chief Justice Pratt presided over the case and that he ordered them to play it out on Dartford Brent, though it is not known if this was the original venue. The game was completed in 1726 (see below).
Mr Edward Stead was a noted patron of early C18 cricket, especially in his native Kent. He was a Maidstone resident.
Sir William Gage’s XI v unknown XI (unknown venue)
15 July - Gage's XI shamefully beaten! (TJM)
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI (unknown venue)
20 July - result unknown (TJM)
Our knowledge of these two games is based on a humorous letter sent by Sir William Gage to the 2nd Duke of Richmond on 16 July. Gage bemoans that he was shamefully beaten the previous day in his first match of the year but says nothing of his opponents. He then looks forward to playing the Duke’s team next Tuesday and wishes his Grace success in everything except his cricket match!
The London Evening Post dated 27 August carried an advertisement for a single wicket match between players called Perry (of London) and Piper (of Hampton, Middlesex). The venue was Moulsey Hurst, near Molesey in Surrey. This is the earliest reference we have of cricket being played there. It was famous for various sporting activities, especially prizefighting, and was often used for cricket throughout the 18th century.
London & Surrey XI v Mr Edward Stead’s XI (Kennington Common)
29 August - result unknown (WDC)
This match was for 25 guineas between the men belonging to Edward Stead, Esq. of Maidstone and the men of London and Surrey.
Chingford v Mr Edward Stead’s XI (Dartford Brent)
? September - result unknown (WDC)
This is the conclusion of the 1724 match which was unfinished at that time and became the subject of a lawsuit. Lord Chief Justice Pratt ordered it to be played out. It is not known if Dartford Brent was the original venue but it seems certain the match was concluded there.
On the subject of legal matters, Mr Buckley recounts a letter written by an Essex resident. The writer complained that a local Justice of the Peace had seen fit to literally read the Riot Act, as it were, to some people who were playing cricket on Saturday 10 September. He had a constable with him who dispersed the players. It seems the JP considered any game or sport as a pretence covering the gathering of disaffected people in order to raise a rebellion! Given the ruling by Lord Chief Justice Pratt, who in effect ordered the game to be played in Dartford, the issue raised was that it was apparently lawful to play cricket in Kent but not in Essex.
Warehorne v Hawkshurst (12 a side) (Warehorne Greene)
5 June - result: unknown (FL18)
This game was arranged by Thomas Hodges, Esq. and George Baker, Esq. who is described as the General Receiver.
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI (unknown venue)
date unknown - result unknown (PVSC)
Sir William Gage’s XI v Duke of Richmond’s XI (unknown)
date unknown - result unknown (PVSC)
Mr Alan Brodrick’s XI v Duke of Richmond’s XI (* Peper Harow ?)
? July - result unknown (PVSC)
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Mr Alan Brodrick’s XI (possibly Godalming?)
? August - result unknown (PVSC)
Charles Lennox (1701 - 1750), the 2nd Duke of Richmond, was perhaps the sport’s greatest patron. He is forever associated with Sussex; he was born at Goodwood, lived and died at Godalming and is buried in Chichester Cathedral. A number of matches were promoted by wealthy landowners like Richmond, Sir William Gage, Alan Brodrick, Mr Chambers and Edward Stead. Huge wagers were made on them and, with so much at stake, it was probably at this time that the best players began to turn professional. Among the best were the all-rounder Thomas Waymark, who was apparently a groom employed by Richmond; and Stephen Dingate, who may have been a barber.
- Peper Harow is about four miles from Godalming and was the home of the Brodrick family.
See the excellent conjecture in http://www.shackleford.org/peperharow/1727cricketmatch.htm that Peper Harow was the venue of the match in July 1727.
References to the games between the Duke of Richmond and Mr Brodrick mention that they drew up Articles of Agreement between them to determine the rules that must apply in their contests. This may be the first time that rules were formally agreed, although rules as such definitely existed. In early times, the rules would be agreed orally and subject to local variations. This syndrome was also evident in football until the FA was founded, especially re the question of handling the ball.
PVSC = Pre-Victorian Sussex Cricket by HF & AP Squire.
Mr Edward Stead’s XI v Duke of Richmond’s XI (Coxheath, Kent)
25 June - Mr Stead’s XI won? (PVSC)
Result is surmised from the report of a game in August (see below).
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Mr Edward Stead’s XI (Penshurst Park)
? July - Mr Stead’s XI won? (PVSC)
Result is surmised from the report of a game in August (see below).
London v Middlesex (Islington (White Conduit Fields?)
5 August - result unknown (WDC)
The venue of this game was very precisely reported as in the fields behind the Woolpack, in Islington, near Sadlers Wells, for £50 a side.
This match is also the earliest known to involve a team called Middlesex.
Mr Edward Stead’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI (Penshurst Park)
? August - Mr Stead’s XI won (WDC)
This game could be called Sussex v Kent as the players were reported as 11 of each county. Sir William Gage was a Sussex landowner and Mr Stead was a resident of Maidstone in Kent. It seems that Kent won the game although Sussex needed just 7 in their second innings. Evidently Mr Stead’s team also won its games against the Duke of Richmond’s XI as their victory over Sir William Gage’s XI was the third time this summer that the Kent men have been too expert for those of Sussex.
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI (Lewes)
date unknown - result unknown (PVSC)
The earliest reference to cricket at Oxford University seems to have made by Dr Samuel Johnson, no less. He was there for one year and says he played cricket there.
London v Dartford (Kennington Common)
3 August - Dartford won very much (FL18 & The Cricketer magazine)
Mr Buckley recorded the date as Tuesday 8 August but it is believed 3 August is correct.
Mr Edward Stead’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI (Penshurst Park)
28 August - Gage’s XI won (by an innings?) (WDC)
Also titled Kent (Stead) v Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire (Gage). It was 11 a side and played for 100 guineas with some thousands watching. It seems to have been the first known innings victory as Gage got (within three) in one hand, as the former did in two hands, so the Kentish men (i.e., Stead’s team) threw it up. It is said that a groom of the Duke of Richmond signalised himself by extraordinary agility and dexterity (presumably this was Thomas Waymark).
This is the first time that Sussex and Hampshire are used in a team name, though not individually.
Sussex, Surrey & Hampshire v Kent (Lewes)
? September - result unknown (WDC)
A report dated 13 September says that the great match played at Penshurst will be played again in Sussex.
A local game in Gloucester on Monday 22 September is the earliest known reference to cricket in Gloucestershire.
There is a bat in The Oval pavilion which belonged to John Chitty of Knaphill, Surrey. Dated 1729, it is the oldest known bat. It looks more like a hockey stick than a modern cricket bat but its curvature was to enable the batsman to play a ball that was always rolled, as in bowls, never pitched. Pitching began about 35-40 years later and the straight bats we use nowadays were created in response to the pitched delivery.
28 May. Four men of Kent played four of Brentford for £50 at Westerham in Kent, articles being drawn to play or pay.
4 June. The return match of the above was scheduled at Kew Green.
Surrey v Middlesex (Richmond Green)
? June - Surrey won (WCS)
WCS = Cricket Scores 1730 - 1773 by H T Waghorn.
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI (Bury Hill)
12 June - result unknown (TJM)
29 June. There was a two threes contest for £50 at Mickleham Downs in Surrey between three men of Surrey and three men of Sussex. The report in the London Evening Post says they were esteemed the best players in the respective Counties but unfortunately does not name them. The Sussex three won.
London v Kent (Grays Inn)
2 July - Kent won (KCM)
KCM = Kent Cricket Matches by F S Ashley-Cooper.
This match is also mentioned in Waghorn’s Cricket Scores.
Mr Andrews’ XI v Duke of Richmond’s XI (Merrow Down, Guildford)
9 July - Mr Andrews’ XI won (WCS)
This match is also mentioned in FL18 with the additional information that Mr Andrews was a resident of Sunbury, Middlesex.
Mr Andrews may therefore have been involved on Thursday, 23 July, when Sunbury played Epsom on Epsom Downs.
Greenwich v London (Blackheath)
31 July - result unknown (FL18)
This match was played for 20 guineas.
Duke of Richmond’s XI v Sir William Gage’s XI (Dripping Pan, Lewes)
5 August - result unknown (WCS/TJM)
It is not clear if this match was eventually played as the announcement states it was put off on account of Waymark, the Duke’s man, being ill.
Kent v London (Blackheath)
5 August - match drawn? (FL18)
Apparently drawn. The report says the Kentish champions would have lost their honours by being beat at one innings if time had permitted. A repeat was scheduled for 12 August at Islington (see below).
Sometime in August, Mr Edward Stead and three colleagues played a four-a-side game against four Brentford men for a considerable wager. The Brentford men won. This may have been a repeat of the games on 28 May and 4 June.
Putney v Fulham (Putney Heath)
? August - Putney won (WCS)
The stakes in this great cricket-match, won by Putney, were 50 guineas per side.
London v Kent (Frog Lane, Islington & Kennington Common)
12 & 18 August - result unknown (WCS)
This match was played at Frog Lane in Islington on 12 August but being obliged by their articles to leave off at seven o’clock, they could not finish it. London had a lead of 30 when play ended on 12 August but no details were reported of the resumption at Kennington Common on 18 August.
On Monday 17 August, a twelve a side game was played at Tonbridge and was backed by a great many of the noblemen and gentry of that place. It seems to have been a tight contest which was unfinished on the day, so another date was chosen for the conclusion, but nothing further is known (see FL18).
London v Surrey (Kennington Common)
c.26 August - London by 1 run (WCS)
This match was thought to be one of the completest matches that ever was played.
London v Surrey (Artillery Ground)
31 August - London won by 6 runs (WCS/FL18)
The stake was 20 guineas.
This is the earliest definite match at the Artillery Ground which was between Chiswell Street, Finsbury, and Bunhill Fields. It was referred to in contemporary reports as the old Artillery Ground, but this may be because it was used frequently for other forms of sport or entertainment. It was generally used for matches involving the original London Club and also became the featured venue of all London cricket until about 1765, after which the focus shifted to Hambledon and the London Club disbanded.
London v Surrey (Artillery Ground)
4 September - result unknown (WCS)
This match was the third in a tri-series but it was reported beforehand only.
October. A match on Datchet Heath, near Windsor, is the first reference to cricket in Buckinghamshire (WCS).
Sources
The above information is essentially driven out of various historical notes that have been accumulated over many years and so sources used originally may have been overlooked for the moment. But the sources certainly include:
- A Social History of English Cricket by Derek Birley;
- Association of Cricket Statisticians & Historians;
- Cricket Scores 1730 - 1773 by H T Waghorn;
- Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley;
- Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket by G B Buckley;
- From Weald to World by Peter Wynne-Thomas;
- Kent Cricket Matches by F S Ashley-Cooper;
- Pre-Victorian Sussex Cricket by HF & AP Squire;
- Start of Play by David Underdown;
- Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century by Timothy J McCann;
- The Dawn of Cricket by H T Waghorn.
If any members can name additional sources that provide similarly useful information, that will be a great help.
--Jack 20:30, 20 August 2005 (UTC)