History of English cricket (1776–1800)
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The period from 1776 to 1800 saw significant growth and development in English cricket to the point that it became a popular sport nationwide, having outgrown its origin in the south-eastern counties. Prominent northern clubs were established at Nottingham and Sheffield.
History
Cricket has its first documented mentions in Canada (1785) and the West Indies (1780; in Barbados). British clubs were established in India in Calcutta (1792) and, following the siege there, Seringapatam (1799). In America, the game was popular among soldiers in the revolution and George Washington is known to have played in at least one game.[1]
At the highest level of English cricket, two clubs pre-dominated – Hambledon from the early 1770s until the late 1780s and then Marylebone Cricket Club, known as MCC, from its foundation in 1787.[2][3] County cricket thrived during the Hambledon period. The Hambledon Club organised matches played by the Hampshire team, who often challenged teams representing the rest of England.[note 1] Soon after its foundation, MCC assumed ownership of the Laws and re-drafted them in 1788.[8][3]
Leading players of the period included batsmen John Small and Billy Beldham; bowlers Lumpy Stevens and David Harris; and the controversial all-rounder Lord Frederick Beauclerk. Throughout the period, underarm bowling prevailed by means of a pitched delivery, this method having been recently introduced in the 1760s. In response to pitching of the ball, the modern straight bat had been created, replacing the old curved bat which had itself replaced the "hockey stick" design that had been in use when balls were bowled all along the ground.[9]
See also
Notes
- ^ Some eleven-a-side matches played from 1772 to 1863 have been rated "first-class" by certain sources.[4] 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.[5] Matches of a similar standard since the beginning of the 1864 season are generally considered to have an unofficial first-class status.[6] Pre-1864 matches which are included in the ACS' "Important Match Guide" may generally be regarded as important or, at least, historically significant.[7] For further information, see First-class cricket.
References
- ^ Ewing, George. The Military Journal of George Ewing. (New York: Privately Printed, 1928), p. 47.
- ^ Buckley 1935, p. 115.
- ^ a b Major 2007, p. 108.
- ^ "First-Class 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.
- ^ Altham & Swanton 1962, p. 51.
- ^ Bowen, Rowland (1965). "Cricket in the 17th and 18th centuries". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
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 First-class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles. Nottingham: ACS. OCLC 10586869.
- Altham, H. S.; Swanton, E. W. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914) (5th ed.). London: George Allen & Unwin. OCLC 894274808.
- Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Birmingham: Cotterell & Co. OCLC 23450280.
- Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-00-07183-64-7 – via Internet Archive.
Further reading
- Barclays (1986). Swanton, E. W.; Plumptre, George; Woodcock, John (eds.). Barclays World of Cricket. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-00-02181-93-8.
- 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.
- Buckley, G. B. (1937). Fresh Light on pre-Victorian Cricket. Birmingham: Cotterell & Co. OCLC 23469107.
- Haygarth, Arthur (1996) [1862]. Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Kennington: Frederick Lillywhite. ISBN 978-19-00592-23-9.
- McCann, Tim (2004). Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century (PDF). Vol. 88. Lewes: West Sussex Record Office. ISBN 978-08-54450-55-8.
- Nyren, John (1998) [1832]. Mote, Ashley (ed.). The Cricketers of my Time. London: Robson Publishing. ISBN 978-18-61051-68-4.
- Underdown, David (2000). Start of Play. Westminster: Allen Lane. ISBN 978-07-13993-30-1 – via Internet Archive.
- Waghorn, H. T. (2005) [1906]. The Dawn of Cricket. London: J. W. McKenzie. ISBN 978-09-47821-17-3.
- Webber, Roy (1960). The Phoenix History of Cricket. Charing Cross, London: Phoenix House Ltd. OCLC 5391059.