Barrack Field
Encyclopedia
Barrack Field is located within the Royal Artillery Barracks
at Woolwich
in southeast London
(formerly part of Kent
). It was used as a venue for major cricket matches in the 18th century and as the home of Woolwich Cricket Club
at that time; latterly it has been the home of the Royal Artillery Cricket Club.
Woolwich CC came briefly to prominence in August 1754 when the team played home and away
games against Dartford
which at this time was probably the strongest team in England. In both matches, the away team won but no further details are known. Both games were mentioned in the same report by Read's Weekly Journal dated Sat 31 August: "Dartford won away & lost at home against Woolwich on Sat. & Mon., Aug. 24 & 26 respectively". The Woolwich club's ability to successfully challenge Dartford at this time clearly infers that it was a leading club in the 1750s but its new found prominence was short-lived, probably because of the outbreak of the Seven Years War which severely limited major cricket through its span.
The club revived in the last ten years of the 18th century when, following the establishment of Marylebone Cricket Club
in 1787, club cricket was very fashionable in London and matches between the town clubs were very popular. Barrack Field was frequently used for matches in this period.
The list is by no means exhaustive as ongoing research may find references to other matches at the ground.
It is possible that Woolwich CC was merged into the Royal Artillery Cricket Club (RACC) or alternatively that it disbanded after the RACC took full possession of Barrack Field. According to its own website, RACC first played cricket in 1765, having been started as a private club by Royal Artillery officers. It was formally constituted as a regimental club as late as 1906. On 15 June 1818, RACC played MCC at Barrack Field in a match that was tied.
Royal Artillery Barracks
The Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich in South East London is the "home" of the Royal Artillery. It is famous for having the longest continuous building facade in the UK as well as for having the largest parade square of any UK barracks.-History:...
at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
in southeast London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(formerly part of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
). It was used as a venue for major cricket matches in the 18th century and as the home of Woolwich Cricket Club
Woolwich Cricket Club
Woolwich Cricket Club was an English cricket club based in the town of Woolwich, Kent. It was formed sometime in the first half of the 18th century, or earlier, and its earliest known record is in 1754 when its team played two major cricket matches against the prominent Dartford Cricket Club...
at that time; latterly it has been the home of the Royal Artillery Cricket Club.
Woolwich CC came briefly to prominence in August 1754 when the team played home and away
Dartford Brent
Dartford Brent was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. In history, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of...
games against Dartford
Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent...
which at this time was probably the strongest team in England. In both matches, the away team won but no further details are known. Both games were mentioned in the same report by Read's Weekly Journal dated Sat 31 August: "Dartford won away & lost at home against Woolwich on Sat. & Mon., Aug. 24 & 26 respectively". The Woolwich club's ability to successfully challenge Dartford at this time clearly infers that it was a leading club in the 1750s but its new found prominence was short-lived, probably because of the outbreak of the Seven Years War which severely limited major cricket through its span.
The club revived in the last ten years of the 18th century when, following the establishment of Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
in 1787, club cricket was very fashionable in London and matches between the town clubs were very popular. Barrack Field was frequently used for matches in this period.
Cricket venue
The CricketArchive database records 96 matches, mostly services fixtures, as having taken place at Barrack Field but this record is incomplete because it excludes 8 matches played between 1797 and 1802, all of which are listed below:- 23–24 August 1797 – Woolwich v CroydonCroydon Cricket ClubThe original Croydon Cricket Club was one of the oldest in England with origins going back to the early 18th century and perhaps earlier. It played most of its matches at Duppas Hill. The earliest record of the club is in the 1707 season when it played two matches against London Cricket...
. Woolwich won by 23 runs. - 27 September 1797 – Woolwich v Croydon. Woolwich won by 179 runs.
- 16–17 August 1798 – Woolwich v Croydon. Woolwich won by 88 runs.
- 8–9 October 1798 – Woolwich v MontpelierMontpelier Cricket ClubThe Montpelier Cricket Club was prominent in English cricket from about 1796, when it began to compete against Marylebone Cricket Club and other leading "town clubs", until 1845 when its members were the prime movers in the formation of Surrey County Cricket Club.Montpelier was based at George...
. Match drawn. - 26 May 1800 – Woolwich v Four Parishes. Match drawn.
- 30 June 1800 – Lord Frederick BeauclerkLord Frederick BeauclerkLord Frederick Beauclerk was an outstanding but controversial English first-class cricketer for 35 years from 1791 to 1825. On his retirement, he served as president of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1826.Beauclerk was the fourth son of the 5th Duke of St Albans and became a clergyman. He was Vicar...
's XI v Sir H W MartenHenry Marten (MCC cricketer)Sir Henry William Martin, 2nd baronet...
's XI. Beauclerk's XI won by 60 runs. - 16 May 1802 – Woolwich v MCC. Result unknown.
- 19 July 1802 – Woolwich v Montpelier. Result unknown.
The list is by no means exhaustive as ongoing research may find references to other matches at the ground.
It is possible that Woolwich CC was merged into the Royal Artillery Cricket Club (RACC) or alternatively that it disbanded after the RACC took full possession of Barrack Field. According to its own website, RACC first played cricket in 1765, having been started as a private club by Royal Artillery officers. It was formally constituted as a regimental club as late as 1906. On 15 June 1818, RACC played MCC at Barrack Field in a match that was tied.
External links
Further reading
- G B Buckley, Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket, Cotterell, 1937
- Arthur HaygarthArthur HaygarthArthur Haygarth was a noted amateur cricketer who became one of cricket's most significant historians....
, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862