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←1750 1752 → |
Details have survived of nine eleven-a-side matches in the1751 Englishcricket season, and two notablesingle wicket matches.[note 1] The earliest known references to cricket in each ofDurham,Somerset,Warwickshire andYorkshire occur in 1751.
The population of Great Britain in 1751 reached 7,250,000 and, although the figure was rising, the country remained a small rural society with London the only real urban centre. Cricket reflected this scenario as it was still essentially a rural game at this time withLondon Cricket Club at theArtillery Ground its one "big club" and "feature venue".
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| date | match title | venue | result | source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 May (M) | Surrey vLondon | Artillery Ground | result unknown | [3] |
| notes | The actual title of the match as advertised beforehand was "Addington, Warlingham, Croydon & Cheam versus Ripley, Thursley & London". Wickets to be pitched at one o'clock and the game was arranged "by the noblemen and gentlemen of the London Club". No match details were reported afterwards. | |||
| 20–21 May (M–Tu) | England XI vKent | Artillery Ground | Rest of England won by 9 runs | [4][3] |
| notes | Kent hadTom Faulkner (Addington and Surrey) as a given man. England scored 26 and 122; Kent replied with 76 and 63. So 287 runs were scored in the match and this was a lot for the time, given the uncertain state of all wickets. England XI: Stephens,Richard Newland,Edward Aburrow senior,John Harris,Joseph Harris,John Frame,Mathews,Perry,Stephen Harding,Stephen Dingate, A. N. Other. Kent:William Hodsoll,Tom Faulkner,Stone,Wilden,Garrett,Rawlings,John Bell,Thomas Bell,Howard,James Bryant,Val Romney. A. N. Other played forThursley, as didStephen Harding (later ofChertsey) who was a noted bowler. In England's second innings, these two went in first and scored 51 for the first wicket, which would be like a double century partnership nowadays. Harding apparently made 50 of these himself and had one hit out of the ground and against a house on Bunhill Row opposite. He was given four for this mighty effort. You could only score six if you were actually able to run that many and to do that you would need the help of overthrows. Play on the first day started at one o'clock and on the second day at ten o'clock. At the end of the first day, Kent in their second innings were 23–2, still needing 73 to win. Kent were reduced to 43–9 when the last pair came together so the final wicket added 20. For the first time ever, thefall of wickets in an innings is known. This is England's second innings: 1 – 51, 2 – 72, 3 – 77, 4 – 77, 5 – 78, 6 – 84, 7 – 87, 8 – 119, 9 – 119, 10 – 122. | |||
| 22 May (W) | England XI vKent | Artillery Ground | England XI won by an innings and 9 runs | [4][3] |
| notes | Kent scored 88 and 67; England scored 164. The teams were the same as on the two previous days and again the name of the second Thursley player is unrecorded. It would seem that Kent was no longer good enough to challenge the rest of England. England:Stephens,Richard Newland,Edward Aburrow senior,John Harris,Joe Harris,John Frame,Mathews,Perry,Stephen Harding,Stephen Dingate, A. N. Other (of Thursley). Kent:William Hodsoll,Tom Faulkner,Stone,Wilden,Garrett,Rawlings,John Bell,Thomas Bell,Howard,James Bryant,Val Romney. | |||
| 1 June (S) | Addington vHadlow | Hayes Common,Bromley | result unknown | [5] |
| notes | Pre-announced in theDaily Advertiser on Thursday, 30 May. | |||
| 24 June (M) | Surrey vMiddlesex | Kennington Common | result unknown | [5][4] |
| notes | Announced in theDaily Advertiser same day with a one o'clock start. | |||
| 23 July (Tu) | Dartford vBromley | Dartford Brent | result unknown | [4][6] |
| notes | This was played for one hundred guineas. Apparently, there was a challenge from the Newmarket players to take on 22 of the players in this game for any sum, but nothing further is known about it. | |||
| 1 August (Th) | Bromley vDartford | Bromley Common | result unknown | [5][4] |
| notes | This was a return to the match on 23 July. | |||
| 19 August (M) | London vCountry XI | Artillery Ground | London won by 5 runs | [4][7] |
| notes | London scored 30 and 5; the Country XI replied with 24 and 6. | |||
| 4 September (W) | Richmond vHampton & Kingston | Moulsey Hurst | result unknown | [8] |
| notes | Announced in theDaily Advertiser on Monday, 2 September: "for two guineas a man; 11 a side, and to play home & home" (sic). | |||
Monday, 3 June. A "fives" match was played in theArtillery Ground betweenKent andSurrey. The Kent team wasTom Faulkner (given man),John Bell,Thomas Bell,Stone andVal Romney. The Surrey team wasStephen Dingate,John Harris,Joe Harris,Stephen Harding andPerry. Kent won although the betting was in favour of Surrey.[6]
Wednesday, 5 June. The same two teams met in a return match at theArtillery Ground with Kent winning by 14 runs. Kent scored 4 and 57; Surrey replied with 26 and 21. Kent achieved a huge batting improvement in their second innings.[6]
Monday, 26 August. There were two matches on the same day at theArtillery Ground betweenFive of London andFive Country Players. Neither result is known.[7]
Having lostRobert Colchin and the2nd Duke of Richmond in 1750, cricket was hit by the death of another significant patronFrederick, Prince of Wales, on Sunday, 31 March. The loss of these patrons had an adverse impact on the game's finances and the number of top-class matches reduced for some years to come, although economic difficulties arising from the wars of the period certainly inhibited many potential investors. It was said that the Prince of Wales died as a result of being struck on the head by a cricket ball. He may well have been hit on the head but that did not kill him; the cause of death was a burst abscess in a lung. The early death of Prince Frederick meant that his son Prince George became heir to the throne and he succeeded in 1760 as George III.
The earliest reference to cricket inDurham is a game atRaby Castle on or soon after Monday, 5 August between the2nd Earl of Northumberland's XI and the3rd Duke of Cleveland's XI.[7] The game was commemorated by a ballad which starts:
The earliest reference to cricket inSomerset is a match atSaltford Meadow, nearBath, on Saturday, 13 July that was played in memory of the late Prince of Wales.[5]
A match announcement inAris' Gazette on Monday, 15 July is the earliest known reference to cricket inWarwickshire.[9]
The earliest known references to cricket inYorkshire were re local matches inSheffield and a game on or soon after Monday, 5 August atStanwick St John, nearRichmond, North Yorkshire, between the 3rd Duke of Cleveland's XI and the 2nd Earl of Northumberland's XI (the same teams that played in Durham, as noted above).[7]
Four matches were played atNewmarket Heath andWoburn Abbey betweenGentlemen of England andEton College Past & Present. The four games were played during June and July. The second game has a surviving scorecard but the teams in all four matches are decidedly minor.[6][4]
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