Events

In Derbyshire's opening season

Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1871

Derbyshire county cricket opening season was in 1871 when Derbyshire County Cricket Club first competed in the county competition, having been founded the previous November.-Foundation:...

 the club played its initial first-class match v. Lancashire at Old Trafford on 26 & 27 May.

Cambridgeshire CCC played only one match in the 1871 season and ceased to be a first-class county thereafter.

Leading batsmen

WG Grace was the leading runscorer with 2739 @ 78.25, a staggering feat on the pitches of the time. Richard Daft

Richard Daft

Richard Daft was an English cricketer. He was one of the best batsmen of his day, the peak of his first-class career being the 1860s and early 1870s...

 had the next highest average among batsmen playing 10 innings or more, with 37.66, less than half Grace's figure. Harry Jupp

Harry Jupp

Henry Jupp was an English professional cricketer, who was the opening batsman for Surrey County Cricket Club from 1862 to 1881. Renowned for his defensive technique, Jupp was known as "Young Stonewaller"....

 had the next highest runs aggregate, with 1068. Grace made ten hundreds that season, when no other player could manage more than one.

External sources

• CricketArchive – season summaries

Annual reviews

• John Lillywhite's Cricketer's Companion (Green Lilly), Lillywhite, 1872
• James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual (Red Lilly), Lillywhite, 1872
• Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1872