In the 1776 English cricket season, according to Rowland Bowen

Rowland Bowen

Major Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....

, the earliest known scorecard templates were introduced. These were printed by T Pratt of Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks

Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...

 and soon came into general use.

Matches

Date	Match Title	Venue	Source	Result
5–7 June (W-F)	Kent v Hampshire	Moulsey Hurst	HCC	Hampshire won by 152 runs
Hampshire 225 (T Brett 43, Mr T Davis 40, John Small 38, T Sueter 36; R May 3w) & 186 (John Small 44, T Taylor 41, J Aylward 30; R May 2w); Kent 55 (W Barber 3w) & 204 (W Brazier 49, J Miller 39, T Pattenden 38; T Brett 4w) Mr Ashley-Cooper reported that it was "played for 500 guineas". The venue is interesting as it was effectively neutral.
19 June 1776	Alresford, Waltham & Warnford v Petersfield & Catherington	Tichborne Down	Arlott	result unknown
According to John Arlott John Arlott Leslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...  in his Arlott on Cricket (quoting an unnamed source): "On Wednesday June 19th, 1776, on Tichborne Down, Alresford with three of Waltham and two of Warnford v Petersfield and Catherington with the famous Messrs Small, Brett and Barber and H. Bonham Esq." Arlott comments: "Although no result is recorded, these matches, invariably played for wagers, were based on teams of more or less even strength; and to set three such eminent Hambledon players on the other side means that Alresford must have been immensely powerful."
25–26 June (Tu-W)	Kent v Hampshire	Sevenoaks Vine	SB27	Hampshire won by 75 runs
Hampshire 241 (R Nyren 70, R Francis 47, John Small 45, T Taylor 42; Duke of Dorset 2w) & 84 (R Nyren 19; T White 2w); Kent 173 (F Booker 41, W Brazier 34, W Bullen 29; T Brett 2w, R Nyren 2w) & 77 (W Bowra 20) Mr Haygarth commented that, in other accounts, the Kent team is referred to as All-England but it is in fact a Kent team with Stevens and White of Surrey as given men.
2–4 July (Tu-Th)	Hampshire v Kent	Broadhalfpenny Down	SB28	Kent won by 4 wkts
Hampshire 87 (G Leer 21; E Stevens 4w) & 221 (John Small 57, R Nyren 36; T White 4w, E Stevens 3w, John Wood of Seal 2w); Kent 163 (W Brazier 36, Duke of Dorset 34, W Bowra 31; T Brett 3w, T Taylor 2w) & 146-6 (J Boorman 38*, T White 38; R Francis 4w) Hampshire used a substitute batsman in the second innings with Mr T Davis replacing the injured Tom Brett, but he made only 0* so had little impact on the outcome. Thursday 4 July 1776 was the date of the Declaration of Independence in North America by the thirteen English colonies that formed the original United States of America: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Virginia. The Declaration of Independence was drawn up by representatives of the colonies in Philadelphia and adopted by the Continental Congress.
15–17 July (M-W)	Kent v Hampshire	Sevenoaks Vine	SB28	Hampshire won by 6 wkts
Kent 154 (W Bowra 37, W Brazier 33, J Miller 27; R Nyren 2w) & 69 (J Miller 21; T Brett 2w, R Francis 2w); Hampshire 130 (John Small 59*; John Wood of Seal 3w, E Stevens 2w) & 94-4 (G Leer 47*)
22–24 July (M-W)	Hampshire v All-England	Holt Common	SB29	All-England won by 5 wkts
Hampshire 88 (John Small 20; E Stevens 3w) & 113 (E Aburrow 25*; E Stevens 2w); All-England 135 (W Bowra 36, W Yalden 31; T Brett 4w) & 67-5 (W Brazier 19*) The venue is intriguing and Arthur Haygarth says he "cannot now say" if Holt Common was the usual Hambledon venue at Broadhalfpenny or another place.
6–8 August (Tu-Th)	Surrey v Hampshire	Laleham Burway	FL18	Surrey won by 1 wkt
Hampshire 94 (J Aylward 29; E Stevens 4w, J Wood of Chertsey 2w) & 176 (J Aylward 82*; J Wood of Chertsey 2w); Surrey 141 (T White 58; T Brett 3w) & 130-9 (T White 20, W Yalden 20; T Brett 2w, R Francis 2w) James Aylward normally opened the innings so it is possible he carried his bat when making 82*. Despite his efforts, the more significant innings were by Daddy White with 58 and 20, his first innings score giving Surrey an important advantage when scoring was difficult. The match must have had an exciting finish as the two not out batsmen both scored 19. Given the number of extras conceded too, Surrey must still have needed 30-plus when Stevens and Wood began their last wicket partnership.
19 August (M)	London v Brentford	Artillery Ground	FL18	result unknown
No details known.
26–28 August (M-W)	Hampshire v Surrey	Broadhalfpenny Down	SB30	Hampshire won by 198 runs
Hampshire 273 (John Small 85, E Aburrow 49, R A Veck 46, J Aylward 45; E Stevens 3w) & 155 (J Aylward 59, John Small 35; E Stevens 3w, John Wood of Chertsey 2w); Surrey 82 (W Bowra 34; R Nyren 5w, R Francis 2w, S Colchin 2w) & 148 (J Edmeads 47, H Attfield 28; R Francis 2w) Details were obtained from the Hampshire Chronicle, which reported Attred as a member of the Surrey team. Although Arthur Haygarth decided not to alter the spelling in S&B, there can be no doubt it was a typo and that the player was Henry Attfield Henry Attfield Henry Attfield was an English cricketer who made his first known appearance in the 1773 season. Aged 17 at the time, he must have been a genuine 1773 debutant... . Surrey had Bowra, Minshull and Palmer as given men; Hampshire had Colchin as a given man. Quiddington and Yalden apparently batted as substitutes in the Surrey second innings for Bowra and Minshull, who were both taken ill, but the scorecard did not state which for which. Yalden batted twice in the second innings. This was the last known match played by the fine Coulsdon batsman William Palmer, about whom very little is known. Unfortunately, he ended his career with a pair.
5 September (Th)	Coulsdon v Chertsey	Laleham Burway	WDC	result unknown
To be played for 50 guineas a side.
9 September (M)	London v Coulsdon	Artillery Ground	FL18	result unknown
To be played for £50 a side.

Other events

A notice in the Leicester Journal of 17 August is the earliest known mention of cricket in Leicestershire

Leicestershire

Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...

.

FL18 records a notice re 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...

 taken from the Morning Chronicle of Wednesday 28 August 1776. It reads: The old wall of the Artillery Ground extending from the end of Chiswell Street to the Bunhill Burial Ground is about to be pulled down and a new one built farther back, and in front of the new road a row of houses is to be erected. See also 18 July in the 1761 season

1761 English cricket season

The famous Chertsey Cricket Club was active in the 1761 English cricket season but overall there was again a scarcity of games possibly because of the war situation.- Matches :-Other events:...

.

Leading batsmen

Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so it is impossible to provide a complete analysis of batting performances: e.g., the missing not outs prevent computation of batting averages. The "runs scored" are in fact the runs known.

runs	player
423	John Small
326	James Aylward James Aylward James Aylward was a noted English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club. He was a left-handed batsman....
250	William Brazier William Brazier William Brazier was a noted English cricketer of the late 18th century who played mostly for Kent....
249	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...
223	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"...
192	Thomas Taylor Thomas Taylor (cricketer) Thomas Taylor was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club. He is generally regarded as one of the most outstanding players of the 18th century....
186	Thomas White Thomas White (cricketer) Thomas "Daddy" White was a noted English cricketer.White played in the 1760s and 1770s; details of his early career are largely unknown but he retired in 1779. He is known to have appeared frequently for Surrey and All-England since recorded scorecards first became commonplace in 1772...
177	Richard Aubrey Veck Richard Aubrey Veck Richard Aubrey Veck was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club....
158	Richard Francis Richard Francis Richard Francis was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.Francis is known to have been a Surrey man by birth and he had played for Surrey teams before moving to Hampshire...
140	Joseph Miller
134	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...
131	Edward "Curry" Aburrow
122	Tom Sueter Tom Sueter Thomas Sueter was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club....
99	William Yalden William Yalden William "The Yold" Yalden was a noted English cricketer. He was a very good batsman but was primarily known as a wicket-keeper....

Leading bowlers

Note that the wickets credited to an 18th century bowler were only those where he bowled the batsman out. The bowler was not credited with the wickets of batsmen who were caught out, even if it was "caught and bowled". In addition, the runs conceded by each bowler were not recorded so no analyses or averages can be computed.

wkts	player
27	Lumpy Stevens
25	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...
14	Richard Francis Richard Francis Richard Francis was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.Francis is known to have been a Surrey man by birth and he had played for Surrey teams before moving to Hampshire...
14	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...
10	Thomas White Thomas White (cricketer) Thomas "Daddy" White was a noted English cricketer.White played in the 1760s and 1770s; details of his early career are largely unknown but he retired in 1779. He is known to have appeared frequently for Surrey and All-England since recorded scorecards first became commonplace in 1772...
10	John Wood of Seal 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....
6	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...

Leading fielders

Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so the totals are of the known catches and stumpings only. Stumpings were not always recorded as such and sometimes the name of the wicket-keeper was not given. Generally, a catch was given the same status as "bowled" with credit being awarded to the fielder only and not the bowler. There is never a record of "caught and bowled"the bowler would be credited with the catch, not with the wicket.

ct/st	player
10	John Small
10	William Bullen William Bullen William Bullen was an outstanding English cricketer throughout the last quarter of the 18th century. Hailing from Kent, Bullen was a great all-rounder, noted in the key sources as a fast bowler and a "powerful hitter"....
8	Francis Booker Francis Booker Francis Booker was an English cricketer. He was a left-handed batsman who was noted as a fine hitter of the ball and a very good outfielder....
8	Tom Sueter Tom Sueter Thomas Sueter was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club....
8	William Yalden William Yalden William "The Yold" Yalden was a noted English cricketer. He was a very good batsman but was primarily known as a wicket-keeper....
7	Richard Francis Richard Francis Richard Francis was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.Francis is known to have been a Surrey man by birth and he had played for Surrey teams before moving to Hampshire...
6	Thomas Taylor Thomas Taylor (cricketer) Thomas Taylor was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club. He is generally regarded as one of the most outstanding players of the 18th century....
6	John Wood of Seal 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....

External links

• From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787