Montpelier Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
The 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 Aram's New Ground
in Montpelier Gardens, Walworth
, Surrey
. This was a first-class
venue from 1796 to 1806.
The first major cricket match involving the Montpelier team was versus MCC at Montpelier Gardens on 24 & 25 June 1796. MCC won by 63 runs.
Montpelier was a victim of the Napoleonic War and the strength of its team waned after 1800 as the war progressed. It became a minor club in playing terms but remained influential in membership terms and was still the leading club in Surrey when the formation of a county club was first proposed in the 1840s.
The Montpelier club acted through one of its members, a Mr Houghton, to obtain a suitable venue for the proposed county club. In 1845, Houghton obtained a lease from the Duchy of Cornwall of land in Kennington
. The initial lease was for 31 years at £120 per annum. Whereas Lord's
had formerly been a duckpond, The Oval
had previously been a cabbage patch and market garden! The original turf cost £300 and some 10,000 turfs from Tooting Common were laid in March 1845.
Surrey CCC was founded on the evening of 22 August 1845 at the Horns Tavern in south London, where around 100 representatives of various cricket clubs in Surrey agreed a motion put by William Denison
(the club's first Secretary) "that a Surrey club be now formed". A further meeting at the Tavern on 18 October 1845 formally constituted the club, appointed officers and began enrolling members. 70 Montpelier members formed the nucleus of the new county club. The Honourable Fred Ponsonby, later the Earl of Bessborough, was the first vice-president.
The history of this famous old cricket club is the subject of a book by Philip Paine and due to be published in November 2009.
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...
from about 1796, when it began to compete against 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...
and other leading "town clubs", until 1845 when its members were the prime movers in the formation of Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
.
Montpelier was based at George Aram's New Ground
Aram's New Ground
Aram's New Ground was a first-class cricket ground in Montpelier Gardens, Walworth, Surrey, England. It was the home of Montpelier Cricket Club and was a major venue from 1796 to 1806...
in Montpelier Gardens, Walworth
Walworth
-Places:United Kingdom* Walworth, County DurhamUnited States* Walworth County, South Dakota* Walworth County, Wisconsin* Walworth, New York* Walworth, Wisconsin, a village* Walworth , Wisconsin, a town...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. This was a 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...
venue from 1796 to 1806.
The first major cricket match involving the Montpelier team was versus MCC at Montpelier Gardens on 24 & 25 June 1796. MCC won by 63 runs.
Montpelier was a victim of the Napoleonic War and the strength of its team waned after 1800 as the war progressed. It became a minor club in playing terms but remained influential in membership terms and was still the leading club in Surrey when the formation of a county club was first proposed in the 1840s.
The Montpelier club acted through one of its members, a Mr Houghton, to obtain a suitable venue for the proposed county club. In 1845, Houghton obtained a lease from the Duchy of Cornwall of land in Kennington
Kennington
Kennington is a district of South London, England, mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, although part of the area is within the London Borough of Southwark....
. The initial lease was for 31 years at £120 per annum. Whereas Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
had formerly been a duckpond, The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
had previously been a cabbage patch and market garden! The original turf cost £300 and some 10,000 turfs from Tooting Common were laid in March 1845.
Surrey CCC was founded on the evening of 22 August 1845 at the Horns Tavern in south London, where around 100 representatives of various cricket clubs in Surrey agreed a motion put by William Denison
William Denison (cricketer)
William Denison was involved in English cricket in the mid-19th century as a player, administrator and writer....
(the club's first Secretary) "that a Surrey club be now formed". A further meeting at the Tavern on 18 October 1845 formally constituted the club, appointed officers and began enrolling members. 70 Montpelier members formed the nucleus of the new county club. The Honourable Fred Ponsonby, later the Earl of Bessborough, was the first vice-president.
The history of this famous old cricket club is the subject of a book by Philip Paine and due to be published in November 2009.
External sources
Further reading
- H S AlthamHarry AlthamHarry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962 - Derek BirleyDerek BirleySir Derek Birley was an English educator and writer who had a strong interest in sport, especially cricket.He was educated at grammar school in Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, and at Queens' College, Cambridge University....
, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999