Woolwich Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
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
. The club, or at least a successor of it, then played a number of matches from 1797 to 1806 against Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC), Montpelier Cricket Club
, Croydon Cricket Club
and other leading town clubs. After playing MCC in 1806, the club disappeared from the records.
Throughout the period from 1754 to 1806, Woolwich's home ground was Barrack Field which remains the home ground of the Royal Artillery Cricket Club (RACC).
Mainstays of the club in its "Napoleonic" period were William Ayling
, John Tanner
and John Ward
.
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.
In 1798, the club played home and away against both Croydon and Montpelier. Following two substantial victories against Croydon, Woolwich lost to Montpelier at Aram's New Ground
and then drew the return at Barrack Field.
In 1800, Woolwich played home and away matches against MCC and won both, including an innings victory at Lord's Old Ground
. In what was a very successful season, the team also defeated Montpelier by 8 wickets at Barrack Field.
The Napoleonic Wars were by now under way and, as in the Seven Years War, cricket suffered a loss of investment and manpower that severely reduced the number of matches played. Woolwich played three more games against MCC at Lord's Old Ground, winning in 1802 and 1803 but losing by 7 wickets in 1806.
The list is by no means exhaustive as ongoing research may find references to other matches at the ground.
. A week later, RACC played MCC at Barrack Field in a match that was tied.
On 21–23 August 1862, RACC hosted the All-England Eleven
(AEE) in an odds match. The venue is given as Woolwich Common, not Barrack Field. RACC had 22 players but still lost by 6 wickets to a team captained by George Parr
and including great players John Jackson
, H. H. Stephenson, Ned Willsher and Tom Hayward senior
.
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...
club based in the town of 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...
, 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 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
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...
. The club, or at least a successor of it, then played a number of matches from 1797 to 1806 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...
(MCC), Montpelier Cricket Club
Montpelier Cricket Club
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...
, Croydon Cricket Club
Croydon Cricket Club
The 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...
and other leading town clubs. After playing MCC in 1806, the club disappeared from the records.
Throughout the period from 1754 to 1806, Woolwich's home ground was Barrack Field which remains the home ground of the Royal Artillery Cricket Club (RACC).
Mainstays of the club in its "Napoleonic" period were William Ayling
William Ayling
William Ayling was an English professional cricketer who made 22 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1800 to 1810; followed by a further 3 in 1825 and 1826.-Career:Ayling was mainly associated with Kent but latterly played for his native Sussex...
, John Tanner
John Tanner (cricketer)
John Tanner was an English amateur cricketer who made 53 known appearances in major cricket matches between 1796 and 1826. He died in Sutton, Surrey. Along with Charles Warren, he was the last 18th century player to leave the game.-Career:...
and John Ward
John Ward (Kent cricketer)
John Ward was an English professional cricketer who made 14 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1800 to 1806.-External sources:*...
.
1754
Woolwich came briefly to prominence in August 1754 when the team played home and awayDartford 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 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.
1797 to 1806
In the years around the turn of the century, club cricket was very fashionable in London and matches between the town clubs were very popular, although there is some doubt about whether they were first-class or not. Woolwich CC reappeared in 1797 with two victories against Croydon, both at Barrack Field.In 1798, the club played home and away against both Croydon and Montpelier. Following two substantial victories against Croydon, Woolwich lost to Montpelier at 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...
and then drew the return at Barrack Field.
In 1800, Woolwich played home and away matches against MCC and won both, including an innings victory at Lord's Old Ground
Lord's Old Ground
Lord's Old Ground was a cricket venue in London that was established by Thomas Lord in 1787. It was used mainly by Marylebone Cricket Club for major cricket matches until 1810, after which a dispute about rent caused Lord to relocate.-Matches:...
. In what was a very successful season, the team also defeated Montpelier by 8 wickets at Barrack Field.
The Napoleonic Wars were by now under way and, as in the Seven Years War, cricket suffered a loss of investment and manpower that severely reduced the number of matches played. Woolwich played three more games against MCC at Lord's Old Ground, winning in 1802 and 1803 but losing by 7 wickets in 1806.
Barrack Field
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 Croydon. 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 Montpelier. 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.
Royal Artillery Cricket Club (RACC)
It is possible that Woolwich CC was merged into the 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 8 June 1818, RACC became the first services team to be granted a match against MCC at Lord's Cricket GroundLord'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...
. A week later, RACC played MCC at Barrack Field in a match that was tied.
On 21–23 August 1862, RACC hosted the All-England Eleven
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...
(AEE) in an odds match. The venue is given as Woolwich Common, not Barrack Field. RACC had 22 players but still lost by 6 wickets to a team captained by George Parr
George Parr (cricketer)
George Parr was an English cricketer, whose first-class career lasted from 1844 to 1870....
and including great players John Jackson
John Jackson (cricketer)
John "Foghorn" Jackson was a Nottinghamshire and All-England Eleven cricketer who was generally reckoned to be the outstanding fast bowler of the 1850s.Born in Bungay in Suffolk, Jackson was affectionately known as "Foghorn"...
, H. H. Stephenson, Ned Willsher and Tom Hayward senior
Thomas Hayward (cricketer)
Thomas Hayward was a Cambridgeshire and All-England Eleven cricketer who was generally reckoned to be one of the outstanding batsmen of the 1850s and 1860s. In the early 1860s, he and Robert Carpenter, his Cambridgeshire colleague, were rated as the two finest batsmen in England...
.