1769 English cricket season
Encyclopedia
The 1769 English cricket season was the last in which the original London Cricket Club
and the Artillery Ground
feature prominently in the records.
The increasing stature of the Hambledon Club
ensured a shift in focus from metropolitan London to rural Hampshire and Broadhalfpenny Down
became cricket
’s main venue through the 1770s. The process was accelerated by Hambledon’s innings victory over Surrey
.
From the Whitehall Evening Post (Thurs 20 July) — "Nothing can exceed the vogue that Cricket has in some parts of Surrey and Hampshire: the people are so fond of it that it is common for them to ride 40 miles to be mere spectators at a Cricket match. A few days ago 22 expert players played a match not far from Godalming when each side got the same number of notches at both innings, which was esteemed very extraordinary" .
From the Reading Mercury (Mon 24 July) — "A letter from "An old Cricket Player" re the match Reading v. Sonning on Bulmarsh Heath on Fri., 21 July, complaining of the latter’s unfair tactics. Sonning batted first and made 86: Reading then made 187, sacrificing their last five wickets: Sonning then made 125 which put them 24 ahead. There had been a bet between a player on each side on their total individual scores. The Sonning player made 9 the first innings, and between 60 & 70 the second : the Reading player having made 41 the first innings could not exceed the other’s total as only 25 runs were wanted to win the match. There was a dispute over that, but finally the Reading player agreed to go in for the game. Sonning at first refused to play or to pay the money, although there was nearly an hour to go ; they finally went into the held, and ‘by throwing the ball about, out of the way’ so delayed the game that it could not be played out" .
From the Whitehall Evening Post (Tues 1 August) — "We are informed that the great match at Cricket, which has been so long in agitation, will be decided one day next week on the downs at Calais. On this match near £5,000 is depending : the players are to be all English men" .
That visit to Calais
may have been successful, unlike the one which the Duke of Dorset
tried to organise in 1789: only to find that the French Revolution
had begun!
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:...
and the Artillery Ground
Artillery Ground
The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London...
feature prominently in the records.
The increasing stature of the Hambledon Club
Hambledon Club
The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...
ensured a shift in focus from metropolitan London to rural Hampshire and Broadhalfpenny Down
Broadhalfpenny Down
Broadhalfpenny Down, situated on a hilltop about a mile from the rural village of Hambledon in Hampshire, was the home venue for first-class cricket matches of the Hambledon Club from 1753 to 1781...
became cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
’s main venue through the 1770s. The process was accelerated by Hambledon’s innings victory over Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
.
Matches
| Date | Match Title | Venue | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 May (M) | Coulsdon & Caterham v All-England All-England Eleven In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team... |
Smitham Bottom, Croydon | result unknown | |
The fixture was announced in the Daily Advertiser on Fri 12 May but not reported. The exact venue was a field belonging to the Red Lion at Smitham Bottom and it was a Whitsuntide event. Coulsdon and Caterham challenged any 11 men in England, rather in the style of Slindon Cricket Club Slindon Cricket Club Slindon Cricket Club was famous in the middle part of the 18th century when it claimed to have the best team in England. It was located at Slindon, a village in the Arun district of Sussex.... 25 years earlier: "The winners to have 10/6 each man, and the losers 5/3 each man, to be paid by Edward Smith at the Red Lion. Wickets pitched at 12 noon, and dinner to be ready at 11: a very good Ordinary, and good eating at any time". |
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| 8 June (Th) | Surrey Surrey county cricket teams Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:... v Berkshire Berkshire county cricket teams Berkshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that... |
Datchet Common | Surrey won by 6 runs | |
Reported by the St James Chronicle on Tues 13 June. Apart from the references to Thomas Waymark Thomas Waymark Thomas Waymark was an English professional cricketer in the first half of the 18th century... and others who took part in single wicket Single Wicket Single wicket cricket is a form of cricket played between two individuals, who take turns to bat and bowl against each other. The one bowling is assisted by a team of fielders, who remain as fielders at the change of innings. The winner is the one who scores more runs... contests in the 1740s, this is the first time Berkshire is recorded as a county team. Although Berkshire has been classified as a minor county for the last two centuries, it was a strong centre of the game in the late 18th century and produced numerous players good enough to take part in major matches. As with other counties such as Essex Essex county cricket teams Essex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. It is almost certain that cricket reached Essex by the 16th century and that it developed during the 17th century with inter-parish matches being... , the strength of Berkshire was vested in one prominent club, in this case the Oldfield Club of Maidenhead which had a noted venue at Oldfield Bray. |
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| 29 June (Th) | Hambledon Hambledon Club The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:... v Caterham |
Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down, situated on a hilltop about a mile from the rural village of Hambledon in Hampshire, was the home venue for first-class cricket matches of the Hambledon Club from 1753 to 1781... |
result unknown | |
Announced by the Reading Mercury on Mon 26 June as the first match between the two clubs, with wickets to be pitched at nine (which is very early). |
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| 31 July & 1 August (M-Tu) | Caterham v Hambledon | Guildford Bason Guildford Bason Guildford Bason is an English former cricket ground on Merrow Down, on the outskirts of Guildford, Surrey. Guildford is the location for the earliest definite reference to cricket in English history... |
Hambledon won by 4 wkts | |
The report of the game in the Reading Mercury on Sat 5 August reads: "On Monday last began to be played at Guildford, in Surrey, the decisive grand match at cricket between the Hambledon and Caterham Clubs, which, after a long and vigorous contest, was determined on Tuesday evening in favour of the former. The utmost activity and skill in the game was displayed by each individual through the whole course of this match, but particularly the batting of Messrs Small and Bayton on the Hambledon side. There were near 20,000 spectators, and it is generally allowed by the best judges to have been the finest match that ever was played". The team totals were: Caterham – 104 + 137 = 241; Hambledon – 99 + 143-6 = 242-6 The Hambledon team: Mr Thomas Ridge Thomas Ridge (cricketer) Thomas Ridge was a prominent member of the Hambledon Club and played in a number of its cricket matches, including 6 known first-class appearances for Hampshire between 1768 and 1775.... , William Hogsflesh William Hogsflesh William Hogsflesh was an English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club in its great days during the 1760s and 1770s.His career ended in 1775 and he was a well known bowler, probably of quick medium pace, but his best years were before the sport's statistical record begins in 1772 and so most... , Thomas Brett Thomas Brett Thomas Brett was one of first-class cricket's earliest well-known fast bowlers and a leading player for Hampshire when its team was organised by the Hambledon Club in the 1770s.-Career:Noted for his pace and his accuracy, Brett was a leading wicket taker in the 1770s and was lauded by John... , Peter Stewart, Richard Nyren Richard Nyren Richard "Dick" Nyren was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket during the 1760s and 1770s in the heyday of the Hambledon Club... , John Small, John Bayton, Glazier, Thomas Sueter Tom Sueter Thomas Sueter was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.... , Purdy, William Barber William Barber (cricketer) William Barber was an English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club in its great days during the 1760s and 1770s. Originally from Walberton, near Chichester, he came to Hambledon to play after being "spotted" .Barber finished playing in 1777... The Caterham team: Mr Henry Rowett, Bellchambers, Edward "Lumpy" Stevens, Page Page (Surrey cricketer) Page refers to a noted professional cricketer in the 18th century who was chiefly associated with Surrey in the 1760s and early 1770s.... , Joseph Miller, Smailes, John Wood John Wood (cricketer) John Wood was an English cricketer who played for Kent. His career began in the 1760s before first-class statistics began to be recorded and his known first-class career spans the 1772 to 1783 seasons.... , William Palmer William Palmer (cricketer) William Palmer was a famous English cricketer who played in the 1760s and 1770s.... , Shepherd, Thomas Quiddington Thomas Quiddington Thomas Quiddington was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Surrey.-Career:... , Wessing A report in the Whitehall Evening Post Whitehall Evening Post The Whitehall Evening Post was a London newspaper, founded in 1718.It was started in September 1718 by Daniel Defoe; and was then published on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Defoe left it in June 1720, but it continued to exist until the end of the century. It closed in 1801, with issue... on Tuesday 8 August states: "Guildford. The benefit arising to this town by the last great match at Cricket has set many projections on foot for more sport of that sort. They talk of a match soon for £1,000 a side between a certain Duke against All England" . The "certain Duke" was surely the Duke of Dorset John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset... , the former John Frederick Sackville, who had succeeded to his title on 6 January 1769. The Middlesex Journal dated Thurs 3 August states: "The afternoon of the first day was wet; the close of play scores were: Caterham, 104 ; Hambledon, 51 for 4". As this was the "decisive grand match", it leaves open the question of another one played between the "first match" on 29 June (see above) and this one . |
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| 9 & 10 August (W-Th) | 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... v 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:... |
Blackheath | Kent won by 47 runs | |
The Middlesex Journal on Sat 19 August described the teams as: Greenwich, Woolwich and Deptford beat the Artillery Club of London by 47 notches. |
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| 17 & 18 August (Th-F) | London v Kent | Artillery Ground Artillery Ground The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London... |
London won by 56 runs | |
Described as: "A great match at cricket was played in the Artillery Ground, for a very large sum of money (i.e., £20,000), and great bets depending, between eleven gentlemen of London and eleven of Kent : the match not being played out, they began again yesterday at two in the afternoon; when the Londoners beat by 56 notches". The team scores were: London – 81 + 99 = 180; Kent – 65 + 59 = 124 |
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| 24 August (Th) | London v Kent | Artillery Ground Artillery Ground The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London... |
Kent won by 6 wkts | |
The Middlesex Journal on Sat 26 August reported: "in the third match between Kent and London, Kent won by 6 wickets". |
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| 26 August (S) | 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 London |
Stanmore | London won | |
The Bath Chronicle reported this on Thurs 31 August and said that "London beat Middlesex for 50 guineas". |
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| 31 August (Th) | Duke of Dorset’s XI v Wrotham | Sevenoaks Vine | result unknown | |
A minor match for which a partial score has survived. John Minshull John Minshull John Minshull aka Minchin was a famous English cricketer during the 1770s... , whose name was given as Minchin on the scoresheet, scored 107 for Dorset’s XI and this is the earliest century in any class of cricket that has definitely been recorded (Minshull scored 34 singles, 15 twos, 9 threes and 4 fours). There are no details at all of Wrotham’s team or its scores. All the scores and means of dismissal were recorded for Dorset’s team who made 68 and 236. Apart from Minshull and Dorset, the only recognised players are Thomas Pattenden Thomas Pattenden Thomas Pattenden was a noted English cricketer who played for Kent in the 1760s and 1770s... , John Wood John Wood (cricketer) John Wood was an English cricketer who played for Kent. His career began in the 1760s before first-class statistics began to be recorded and his known first-class career spans the 1772 to 1783 seasons.... and William Bowra William Bowra William Bowra was an English cricketer who played regularly for Kent teams from 1768 until 1788 and then for Sussex until 1792. He had 47 known first-class appearances between 1775 and 1792. His name was pronounced "Borra".In a Hampshire Chronicle report of a 1775 game, his name is spelt "Bower"... , though the player called Fish appears in a few scorecards. Obviously, none of the Wrotham players can be recognised. As such, the status of the game must be considered minor in terms of its quality . |
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| 22 September (F) | West Kent v Surrey | Sevenoaks Vine | result unknown | |
Announced in the St James Chronicle on Thurs 21 September. West Kent was the Duke of Dorset’s team. |
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| 28 September (Th) | Hambledon v Surrey | Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down, situated on a hilltop about a mile from the rural village of Hambledon in Hampshire, was the home venue for first-class cricket matches of the Hambledon Club from 1753 to 1781... |
Hambledon won by an innings & 41 runs | |
The second known century partnership was achieved in this game when Tom Sueter Tom Sueter Thomas Sueter was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.... and George Leer George Leer George Leer was a famous English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the time of the Hambledon Club.Leer began playing in the 1760s... of Hambledon scored 128 for the first wicket. The report says: "On Thursday, Sept. 28 1769, the second great match of cricket was played on Broad-halfpenny, Hampshire, between the Hambledon Club, and the County of Surrey, which was decided in favour of the former, by 41 notches, in one innings ; what is very remarkable, the two first mates on the Hambledon side (Sueter and Leer) fetched 128 before they were parted" . |
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Other events
From the Middlesex Journal (Thurs 6 July) — "Yesterday a Mr. Carter, a very eminent butcher of Grub Street, but of a corpulent body, was playing at Cricket in the Artillery Ground, making a stroke at the ball which he missed, he threw himself round with so great force that he broke his knee pan (knee cap). He was carried home, with little hope of ever recovering the use of his leg again" .From the Whitehall Evening Post (Thurs 20 July) — "Nothing can exceed the vogue that Cricket has in some parts of Surrey and Hampshire: the people are so fond of it that it is common for them to ride 40 miles to be mere spectators at a Cricket match. A few days ago 22 expert players played a match not far from Godalming when each side got the same number of notches at both innings, which was esteemed very extraordinary" .
From the Reading Mercury (Mon 24 July) — "A letter from "An old Cricket Player" re the match Reading v. Sonning on Bulmarsh Heath on Fri., 21 July, complaining of the latter’s unfair tactics. Sonning batted first and made 86: Reading then made 187, sacrificing their last five wickets: Sonning then made 125 which put them 24 ahead. There had been a bet between a player on each side on their total individual scores. The Sonning player made 9 the first innings, and between 60 & 70 the second : the Reading player having made 41 the first innings could not exceed the other’s total as only 25 runs were wanted to win the match. There was a dispute over that, but finally the Reading player agreed to go in for the game. Sonning at first refused to play or to pay the money, although there was nearly an hour to go ; they finally went into the held, and ‘by throwing the ball about, out of the way’ so delayed the game that it could not be played out" .
From the Whitehall Evening Post (Tues 1 August) — "We are informed that the great match at Cricket, which has been so long in agitation, will be decided one day next week on the downs at Calais. On this match near £5,000 is depending : the players are to be all English men" .
That visit to Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
may have been successful, unlike the one which the Duke of Dorset
John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset...
tried to organise in 1789: only to find that the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
had begun!
First mentions
- Thomas BrettThomas BrettThomas Brett was one of first-class cricket's earliest well-known fast bowlers and a leading player for Hampshire when its team was organised by the Hambledon Club in the 1770s.-Career:Noted for his pace and his accuracy, Brett was a leading wicket taker in the 1770s and was lauded by John...
- Edward "Lumpy" Stevens
- George LeerGeorge LeerGeorge Leer was a famous English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the time of the Hambledon Club.Leer began playing in the 1760s...
- John MinshullJohn MinshullJohn Minshull aka Minchin was a famous English cricketer during the 1770s...
- Thomas PattendenThomas PattendenThomas Pattenden was a noted English cricketer who played for Kent in the 1760s and 1770s...
- William BowraWilliam BowraWilliam Bowra was an English cricketer who played regularly for Kent teams from 1768 until 1788 and then for Sussex until 1792. He had 47 known first-class appearances between 1775 and 1792. His name was pronounced "Borra".In a Hampshire Chronicle report of a 1775 game, his name is spelt "Bower"...
- PagePage (Surrey cricketer)Page refers to a noted professional cricketer in the 18th century who was chiefly associated with Surrey in the 1760s and early 1770s....
- Thomas QuiddingtonThomas QuiddingtonThomas Quiddington was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Surrey.-Career:...
- FishFish (Kent cricketer)Fish refers to a noted professional cricketer in the 18th century who was chiefly associated with Kent in the 1760s and 1770s....
(Kent)
External sources
Further reading
- H S AlthamHarry AlthamHarry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962 - Derek BirleyDerek BirleySir Derek Birley was an English educator and writer who had a strong interest in sport, especially cricket.He was educated at grammar school in Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, and at Queens' College, Cambridge University....
, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999 - Rowland BowenRowland BowenMajor Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 - Ashley MoteAshley MoteAshley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
, The Glory Days of Cricket, Robson, 1997 - David UnderdownDavid UnderdownDavid E. Underdown was a historian of 17th-century English politics and culture and Professor Emeritus at Yale University. Born at Wells, Somerset, Underdown was educated at the Blue School and Exeter College, Oxford...
, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000