Lillywhite's Ground
Encyclopedia
Lillywhite's Ground was a cricket
ground in Brighton
, Sussex
. The ground is named after Frederick William Lillywhite, one of the greatest bowlers of all time, who was the proprietor of the ground at a time when he lived in Brighton and ran the Royal Sovereign Inn in Preston Street.
The first recorded match on the ground came in 1838, when the Gentlemen of Sussex played the Players of Sussex in a non first-class match. The first first-class
match held at the ground came in 1839 when the Gentlemen of Sussex played the Marylebone Cricket Club
. The second and final first-class match held on the ground came in 1842 when Sussex
played England, with Sussex winning by 6 runs.
While in Brighton and trying to cash in on his fame, Lillywhite lost a large amount of money, a fact he blamed on his landlord. His landlord was a patron to Sussex, with Lillywhite vowing never to play for Sussex again while his landlord had an interest in the ground. In 1844 he left Brighton for London
, after which cricket at the ground declined and ceased to be played. The ground was located roughly where Montpelier Crescent is today.
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...
ground in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, 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...
. The ground is named after Frederick William Lillywhite, one of the greatest bowlers of all time, who was the proprietor of the ground at a time when he lived in Brighton and ran the Royal Sovereign Inn in Preston Street.
The first recorded match on the ground came in 1838, when the Gentlemen of Sussex played the Players of Sussex in a non first-class match. The first first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match held at the ground came in 1839 when the Gentlemen of Sussex played the 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...
. The second and final first-class match held on the ground came in 1842 when Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
played England, with Sussex winning by 6 runs.
While in Brighton and trying to cash in on his fame, Lillywhite lost a large amount of money, a fact he blamed on his landlord. His landlord was a patron to Sussex, with Lillywhite vowing never to play for Sussex again while his landlord had an interest in the ground. In 1844 he left Brighton for 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...
, after which cricket at the ground declined and ceased to be played. The ground was located roughly where Montpelier Crescent is today.
External links
- Lillywhite's Ground on CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Lillywhite's Ground on CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...