The overriding impression of the 1728 English cricket season is that teams of county strength were formed as the patrons sought stronger combinations to help them in the serious business of winning wagers. Easily the most successful this year was Mr Edward Stead

Edward Stead

Edward Stead was a famous patron of English cricket, particularly of Kent county cricket teams, in the early 18th century.-Cricket career:...

 whose Kent

Kent county cricket teams

Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...

 teams were "too expert" for the Sussex teams led by the Duke of Richmond

Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond

The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom...

 and Sir William Gage.

Matches

Date	Match Title	Venue	Result
25 June (Tu)	Mr Edward Stead Edward Stead Edward Stead was a famous patron of English cricket, particularly of Kent county cricket teams, in the early 18th century.-Cricket career:... 's XI v Duke of Richmond Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom... 's XI	Coxheath	Mr Edward Stead's XI won?
? July	Duke of Richmond's XI v Mr Edward Stead's XI	Penshurst Park	Mr Edward Stead's XI won?
early August	Mr Edward Stead's XI v Sir William Gage's XI	Penshurst Park	Mr Edward Stead's XI won
The results of the first two games above are surmised from the report of this game at Penshurst, which states that the victory of Mr Stead's XI over Sir William Gage's XI was "the third time this summer that the Kent men have been too expert for those of Sussex". In the Stead v Gage game, it seems that Kent won the game although Sussex needed just 7 in their second innings. The report clearly infers that the teams selected by Richmond, Gage and Stead were representative of the respective counties.
date unknown	Duke of Richmond's XI v Sir William Gage's XI	Lewes	result unknown

Other events

Swiss traveller César de Saussure noted in his journal the frequency with which he saw cricket being played while he was making his journeys across southern England in June. He referred to county matches as "a commonplace" and wrote that "everyone plays it, the common people and also men of rank".

In several sources, a match Gentlemen of Middlesex

Middlesex county cricket teams

Middlesex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Given that the first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford, it is almost certain that the game had reached...

 v Gentlemen of London

London Cricket Club

The original London Cricket Club was formed by 1722 and was one of the foremost clubs in English cricket over the next four decades. It is closely associated with the Artillery Ground, where it played most of its home matches.-Early history of London cricket:...

 is listed as due to take place in Islington

Islington

Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...

on Tuesday (sic), 5 August. In fact, 5 August 1728 was a Monday and recent research has confirmed that the match in question was due to be held on Tuesday, 5 August 1729.

External links

• Classification of cricket matches from 1697 to 1825
• CricketArchive match lists
• From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787