1789 English cricket season
In the 1789 English cricket season, while Hampshire played Kent on Windmill Down, the Storming of the Bastille was taking place in Paris and the French Revolution ended the first cricket overseas tour before it even began.
Matches
Date | Match title | Venue | Source | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
22–23 May (F-S) | Sir H Mann v S Amherst | Coxheath | FLPV | Amherst's XI won by 5 wkts |
25 May (M) | Gents of All-England v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | WDC | Middlesex won by innings & 64 runs |
3–4 June (W-Th) | Earl of Earl of Winchilsea v Sir H Mann | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB91 | Earl of Winchilsea's XI won by 140 runs |
This match was postponed after 4 June and completed on Mon 15 & Tues 16 June 1789 | ||||
8 June (M) | Uxbridge v Moulsey Hurst | New Ground, Uxbridge Moor | SB91 | MH won by 53 runs |
Uxbridge was arguably a Middlesex XI and Moulsey Hurst arguably a Surrey XI. The majority of players are recognised so it is an important match. | ||||
10–12 June (W-F) | Surrey v Kent | Moulsey Hurst | SB92 | Kent won by 3 wkts |
26-27 Jun (F-S) | All-England XIII v Hampshire | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB93 | Hampshire won by 6 wkts |
This match was postponed after 27 June and completed on Thurs 2 July 1789 | ||||
29–30 June (M-Tu) | Sir H Mann v S Amherst | Coxheath | SB93 | Mann's XI won by 8 runs |
8–9 July (W-Th) | MCC v Essex # | Lord's (Dorset Square) | FL18 | Essex won by 102 runs |
13–14 July (M-Tu) | Hampshire v Kent | Windmill Down | SB94 | Kent won by 56 runs |
The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris on Tuesday 14 July at the outset of the French Revolution | ||||
23–25 July (Th-S) | All-England v Kent | New Ground, Uxbridge Moor | SB95 | All-England won by innings & 10 runs |
30 July - 1 Aug (Th-S) | Surrey v Hampshire | Moulsey Hurst | FLPV | Surrey won by 221 runs |
Neither side was fully representative of the counties, but the majority of players are recognised. | ||||
4-5 Aug (Tu-W) | Sir H Mann v S Amherst | Coxheath | SB96 | Mann's XI won by 57 runs |
6-7 Aug (Th-F) | Essex v MCC # | Langton Park, Hornchurch | FLPV | Essex won by 6 wkts |
Re the Essex v MCC games, some reports referred to the Essex side as Hornchurch. The Hornchurch Club at this time was representative of Essex as a county. | ||||
11-14 Aug (Tu-F) | Kent v Surrey | Bishopsbourne | SB96 | Surrey won by 9 wkts |
18-21 Aug (Tu-F) | Kent v Hampshire | Bishopsbourne | SB97 | Hampshire won by 29 runs |
2-5 Sept (W-S) | All-England v Hampshire | Sevenoaks Vine | SB98 | Hampshire won by 15 runs |
7-9 Sept (M-W) | Middlesex v London | Lord's (Dorset Square) | FLPV | London won by 2 wkts |
Excluded from earlier classifications due to "weak teams" and a view that Middlesex was really the Uxbridge club. The majority of players are recognised. | ||||
10-11 Sept (Th-F) | Chelsea v MCC | Chelsea | FLPV | drawn? |
This was definitely not an important fixture, due to lack of recognised players. It was "postponed till next week" but no report of a conclusion has been found. In Chelsea's second innings, the scorecard shows all eleven batsmen as out! | ||||
18-19 Sept (F-S) | Bridge & Bourne v Aldington | Bishopsbourne | FLPV | B&B won by 7 wkts |
This game included James Aylward as a given man to Aldington. There were a handful of recognised players taking part. | ||||
21 Sept (M) | Leicester v Nottingham ^ | Loughborough | SB99 | Nottingham won by innings & 16 runs |
23-24 Sept (W-Th) | East Kent v Isle of Thanet | Dandelion Paddock, Margate | FLPV | East Kent won by 10 wkts |
5-6 Oct (M-Tu) | Leicester v Nottingham ^ | Loughborough | SB100 | Leicester won by 1 run |
This match was postponed after 6 October and completed on Mon 2 November 1789
| ||||
7 Oct (W) | Gordon Castle Club v 55th Regiment | Aberdeen | FLPV | Gordon CC won by innings & 258 runs |
This match was evidently organised by the Hon. Charles Lennox who scored 136 for the Gordon Castle Club. | ||||
Other events
John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, famous for both his cricket connections and his ambassadorship to France, tried to organise a tour of France by a team of English cricketers. The team, which included William Yalden, assembled in London and travelled to Dover where, unexpectedly, they met the Duke himself coming the other way. He was fleeing for his life from the French Revolution. So the intended first-ever overseas tour became instead the first tour to be cancelled for political reasons.
First mentions
- Thomas Boxall
- Edward Bligh
- John Walker
- Charles Anguish
- Robert Turner
- Thomas Scott
- Richard Wyatt
- George Dehaney
- Jacob White
- Cantrell (Middlesex cricketer) – played 8 matches from 1789 to 1792
- Grange (Middlesex cricketer) – played 9 matches from 1789 to 1792
- W Palmer (Kent cricketer) (Kent; amateur) – played 9 matches from 1789 to 1795
- Thomas Twistleton (MCC; amateur) – played 7 matches from 1789 to 1796
- John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley (MCC; amateur) – played 27 matches from 1789 to 1796
- Edward Hale (cricketer) (Hampshire; amateur) – played 3 matches from 1789 to 1797
- John Stevens (cricketer, born 1769) (Essex) – played 17 matches from 1789 to 1799
- Mark Graham (cricketer) (Leics) – played 5 matches from 1789 to 1800
- T Watts (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played 5 matches from 1789 to 1800
- Butler (Middlesex cricketer) – played 21 matches from 1789 to 1801
- Richard Stringer (Leics) – played 6 matches from 1789 to 1803
- Robert Warsop (Notts) – played 6 matches from 1789 to 1803
- T Webb (Middlesex cricketer) – played 8 matches from 1789 to 1808
- Dale (Middlesex cricketer) – played 22 matches from 1789 to 1809
- T Shackle (Middlesex cricketer) (Berkshire/Middlesex) – played 30 matches from 1789 to 1809
- W Turner (MCC cricketer) (MCC; amateur) – played 10 matches from 1789 to 1809
- W Barker (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
- W Barsby (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1792
- R Black (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1800
- Brown (Kent cricketer) (Kent) – played four matches to 1791
- Carr (Essex cricketer) (Essex) – played four matches to 1791
- W Clarke (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1792
- J Gilbert (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
- Goodhew (Kent cricketer) (Kent) – played four matches to 1795
- Hicks (Essex cricketer) aka Higgs (Essex) – played four matches to 1799
- J Rowell (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1792
- E Stevenson (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
- S Willows (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
- Church (Kent cricketer) (MCC/Kent) – played three matches to 1795
- Granger (Middlesex cricketer) (Middlesex) – played three matches to 1792
- Groombridge (Essex cricketer) (Essex) – played three matches to 1793
- G Harrison (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1792
- S Hedderley (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
- Mugglestone (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
- J Stevenson (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
- Vincent (Surrey cricketer) (Surrey; amateur) – played three matches to 1789
- W Warsop (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
Leading batsmen
Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so it is impossible to provide a complete analysis of batting performances: e.g., the missing not outs prevent computation of batting averages. The "runs scored" are in fact the runs known.
William Beldham with 306 scored the most known runs in 1789.
Other leading batsmen were James Aylward with 297 runs; John Wells 240; Harry Walker 228; Tom Walker 225; Richard Purchase 224; John Small 222; Thomas Ingram 219; George Louch 215; William Brazier 210; Joey Ring 198
Leading bowlers
Note that the wickets credited to an 18th-century bowler were only those where he bowled the batsman out. The bowler was not credited with the wickets of batsmen who were caught out, even if it was "caught and bowled". In addition, the runs conceded by each bowler were not recorded so no analyses or averages can be computed.
Robert Clifford with 39 took the most known wickets in 1789.
Other leading wicket-takers were David Harris with 38; Richard Purchase 30; John Boorman 25; William Bullen 25; Butcher 19; Noah Mann 18
Leading fielders
Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so the totals are of the known catches and stumpings only. Stumpings were not always recorded as such and sometimes the name of the wicket-keeper was not given. Generally, a catch was given the same status as "bowled" with credit being awarded to the fielder only and not the bowler. There is never a record of "caught and bowled": the bowler would be credited with the catch, not with the wicket.
Robert Clifford was also the most successful fielder with 16 known victims (15 ct, 1 st)
William Beldham took 15 catches, John Wells had 14 victims (13 ct, 1 st), star fielder George Louch took 12 catches and there were 9 catches each taken by John Boorman, William Bullen and Henry Crozoer.
References
Bibliography
- Ashley-Cooper, F. S. (1924). Hambledon Cricket Chronicle 1772–1796. Jenkins.
- Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell.
- Haygarth, Arthur (1862). Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Lillywhite.
- Mote, Ashley (1997). The Glory Days of Cricket. Robson.
- Nyren, John (1998). Ashley Mote, ed. The Cricketers of my Time. Robson.
- Waghorn, H. T. (1906). The Dawn of Cricket. Electric Press.
- Wilson, Martin (2005). An Index to Waghorn. Bodyline.
Additional reading
- ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
- Altham, H. S. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914). George Allen & Unwin.
- Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. Aurum.
- Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. Eyre & Spottiswoode.
- Buckley, G. B. (1937). Fresh Light on pre-Victorian Cricket. Cotterell.
- McCann, Tim (2004). Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century. Sussex Record Society.
- Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.
- Underdown, David (2000). Start of Play. Allen Lane.
External links
- Classification of cricket matches from 1697 to 1825
- CricketArchive – 1789 first-class matches list
- CricketArchive – 1789 other matches list