Hadlow Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
Hadlow Cricket Club was one of the early English cricket
clubs, formed in the early to mid eighteenth century. Hadlow
is a village in the Medway
valley near Tonbridge
in Kent
.
, the Hadlow cricket club was stated in contemporary sources, later published by F S Ashley-Cooper, to be a famous parish for cricket.
The Penny London Post of 1 July that year announced a match to be played on Dartford Breach
(sic) for two guineas
a man by Hadlow against the famous Dartford Cricket Club
as "the deciding match". Unfortunately, there was no report of the outcome (perhaps it was rained off) and no reports have been found of the previous fixtures either.
But the importance of the Hadlow team was confirmed when a major match at the Artillery Ground
on 9 July 1747 between teams led by the star players Robert Colchin
and William Hodsoll
included on Hodsoll's side: John Larkin
and others from the parish of Hadlow in Kent.
Later in the month, "Five of Hadlow" twice opposed "Five of Slindon
", the legendary Sussex
club that was famous for Richard Newland
and its challenges to the rest of England
.
In August 1747, when Kent
played against All-England
at the Artillery Ground, its team included Larkin and a player called Jones, also of Hadlow. Larkin was certainly an outstanding player of the time.
The last mention of the Hadlow team in major cricket is a match against Addington Cricket Club
, another of the "great little clubs" of the pre-MCC
era, in 1751. Cricket went into decline in the 1750s, largely because of the Seven Years War and Hadlow was missing from the sources when the war ended in 1763 and the "Hambledon
Era" began.
to build. As of 2011, the club has teams in Division 2 and Division 4 of the Kent County Village League.
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...
clubs, formed in the early to mid eighteenth century. Hadlow
Hadlow
Hadlow is a village in the Medway valley, near Tonbridge, Kent; it is in the Tonbridge and Malling district. The Saxon name for the settlement was Haeselholte...
is a village in the Medway
River Medway
The River Medway, which is almost entirely in Kent, England, flows for from just inside the West Sussex border to the point where it enters the Thames Estuary....
valley near Tonbridge
Tonbridge
Tonbridge is a market town in the English county of Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is located on the River Medway, approximately 4 miles north of Tunbridge Wells, 12 miles south west of Maidstone and 29 miles south east of London...
in 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...
.
The historical club
In the 1747 English cricket season1747 English cricket season
In the 1747 English cricket season, the single wicket form of the game was very popular among the gamblers of London and matches were disrupted because of a General Election.- Matches :-Other events:...
, the Hadlow cricket club was stated in contemporary sources, later published by F S Ashley-Cooper, to be a famous parish for cricket.
The Penny London Post of 1 July that year announced a match to be played on Dartford Breach
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...
(sic) for two guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
a man by Hadlow against the famous Dartford Cricket Club
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...
as "the deciding match". Unfortunately, there was no report of the outcome (perhaps it was rained off) and no reports have been found of the previous fixtures either.
But the importance of the Hadlow team was confirmed when a major match at 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...
on 9 July 1747 between teams led by the star players Robert Colchin
Robert Colchin
Robert "Long Robin" Colchin was a highly influential professional English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period at a time when the single wicket version of the game was popular.-Cricket career:...
and William Hodsoll
William Hodsoll
William Hodsoll , was a noted English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period. Hodsoll lived at Dartford for some years and was a tanner ....
included on Hodsoll's side: John Larkin
John Larkin (cricketer)
John Larkin was a noted English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period at a time when the single wicket version of the game was popular....
and others from the parish of Hadlow in Kent.
Later in the month, "Five of Hadlow" twice opposed "Five of Slindon
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....
", the legendary Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
club that was famous for Richard Newland
Richard Newland
Richard Newland was an English cricketer in the mid-Georgian period who played for Slindon Cricket Club and Sussex under the patronage of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond. He also represented various All-England teams...
and its challenges to the rest of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In August 1747, when 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...
played against 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...
at the Artillery Ground, its team included Larkin and a player called Jones, also of Hadlow. Larkin was certainly an outstanding player of the time.
The last mention of the Hadlow team in major cricket is a match against Addington Cricket Club
Addington Cricket Club
Addington is about three miles south-east of Croydon. It is only a small place but Addington Cricket Club fielded one of the strongest cricket teams in England from about the 1743 season to the 1752 season....
, another of the "great little clubs" of the pre-MCC
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...
era, in 1751. Cricket went into decline in the 1750s, largely because of the Seven Years War and Hadlow was missing from the sources when the war ended in 1763 and the "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:...
Era" began.
The modern club
Cricket is still played at Hadlow. The present ground is located off Common Road, to the north of the village ( 51.235°N 0.343°W). The modern club was first mentioned in 1819. The pavilion dates from 1864, it cost £42.10s£sd
£sd was the popular name for the pre-decimal currencies used in the Kingdom of England, later the United Kingdom, and ultimately in much of the British Empire...
to build. As of 2011, the club has teams in Division 2 and Division 4 of the Kent County Village League.
Further reading
- Hadlow Cricket Club website
- From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787
- 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