1822 English cricket season
1822 was the 36th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). John Willes brought the roundarm issue to a head and sacrificed his own career in the process. The outstanding batsman James Saunders made his known debut. Details of nine matches are known.[note 1]
Events
- The roundarm issue came to a head in 1822 when, in the MCC v. Kent match at Lord's, John Willes of Kent opened the bowling and was no-balled for using a roundarm action, a style he had attempted to introduce since 1807. Willes promptly withdrew from the match and refused to play again in any important fixture.
- Roundarm was a natural reaction to the growing predominance of batsmen over the age-old underarm style of bowling. Its adherents argued that the legalisation of roundarm was essential to restore the balance between batting and bowling. However, high-scoring matches were still comparatively rare owing to vagaries in pitch conditions.
- Nine matches were recorded in 1822:
- 20–21 May — Cambridge University v Cambridge Town Club @ University Ground, Cambridge[5]
- 10–11 June — MCC First XII v MCC Second XII @ Lord's Cricket Ground[6]
- 24 June — MCC First XI v MCC Second XI @ Lord's Cricket Ground[7]
- 27–28 June — Godalming v Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) @ The Burys, Godalming[8]
- 1–2 July — Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) v Godalming @ Lord's Cricket Ground[9]
- 8–10 July — Gentlemen v Players @ Lord's Cricket Ground[10]
- 15–16 July — Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) v Kent @ Lord's Cricket Ground[11]
- 25–27 July — Kent v Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) @ West Kent CC, Chislehurst[12]
- 12–14 August — England v The Bs @ Lord's Cricket Ground[13]
Notes
- ^ Some eleven-a-side matches played from 1772 to 1863 have been rated "first-class" by certain sources.[1] However, the term only came into common use around 1864, when overarm bowling was legalised. It was formally defined as a standard by a meeting at Lord's, in May 1894, of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the county clubs which were then competing in the County Championship. The ruling was effective from the beginning of the 1895 season, but pre-1895 matches of the same standard have no official definition of status because the ruling is not retrospective.[2] Matches of a similar standard since the beginning of the 1864 season are generally considered to have an unofficial first-class status.[3] Pre-1864 matches which are included in the ACS' "Important Match Guide" may generally be regarded as important or, at least, historically significant.[4] For further information, see First-class cricket.
References
- ^ "FC Matches in England in 1772". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ Wisden (1948). Preston, Hubert (ed.). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (85th ed.). London: Sporting Handbooks Ltd. p. 813. OCLC 851705816.
- ^ ACS 1982, pp. 4–5.
- ^ ACS 1981, pp. 1–40.
- ^ CricketArchive – match scorecard.
- ^ Haygarth, p.453.
- ^ Haygarth, p.454.
- ^ CricketArchive – match scorecard.
- ^ Haygarth, p.455.
- ^ Haygarth, p.456.
- ^ Haygarth, p.458.
- ^ Haygarth, p.460.
- ^ Haygarth, p.463.
Bibliography
- ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709–1863. Nottingham: ACS. OCLC 85045528.
- ACS (1982). A Guide to FC Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles. Nottingham: ACS. OCLC 10586869.
- Haygarth, Arthur (1996) [1862]. Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Kennington: Frederick Lillywhite. ISBN 978-19-00592-23-9.
- Warner, Pelham (1946). Lords: 1787–1945. London: Harrap. OCLC 877106024.
Further reading
- Altham, H. S.; Swanton, E. W. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914) (5th ed.). London: George Allen & Unwin. OCLC 894274808.
- Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978-18-54107-10-7 – via Internet Archive.
- Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode. ISBN 978-04-13278-60-9.
- Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-00-07183-64-7 – via Internet Archive.