Hambledon Club
Overview
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
.
The origin of the club, based near Hambledon
in rural Hampshire
, is unclear but it had certainly been founded by 1768.
Its basis was a local parish cricket
team that was in existence before 1750 and achieved prominence in 1756 when it played a series of three matches versus Dartford
, which had itself been a major club for at least 30 years.
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...
matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in 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...
.
The origin of the club, based near Hambledon
Hambledon, Hampshire
Hambledon is a small village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire in England, situated about north of Portsmouth.Hambledon is best known as the 'Cradle of Cricket'. It is thought that Hambledon Club, one of the oldest cricket clubs known, was formed about 1750...
in rural Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, is unclear but it had certainly been founded by 1768.
Its basis was a local parish 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...
team that was in existence before 1750 and achieved prominence in 1756 when it played a series of three matches versus 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 had itself been a major club for at least 30 years.
Unanswered Questions
