1775 English cricket season

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1775 English cricket season
Cricket formats major, including single wicket

In the 1775 English cricket season, an incident in a single wicket contest led to demands for the third stump in the wickets.

Matches

Date Match Title Venue Source Result
29 May (M) Alphabetical Match Artillery Ground FL18 result unknown
31 May (W) Alphabetical Match Moulsey Hurst FL18 result unknown

These were organised by the Duke of Dorset and the Earl of Tankerville. The first was for 100 guineas but unfortunately we know no more than that.

14–15 June (W-Th) Kent v Hampshire Sevenoaks Vine SB22 Kent won by 110 runs

Kent 104 (T White 25, F Booker 23; T Brett 3w, W Hogsflesh 2w) & 194 (T Pattenden 72, W Brazier 31, T White 26; T Brett 2w); Hampshire 157 (J Aylward 38, E Aburrow 36, G Leer 27; E Stevens 3w) & 31 (John Small 14; E Stevens 5w, R May 3w)

Kent won by 110 runs despite having been 53 behind after the first innings. Stevens, playing as a given man for Kent, took eight all bowled wickets (including five in the second innings); Thomas Pattenden's score of 72 was very high in 18th century playing conditions. William Hogsflesh made his last known appearance for Hampshire and Thomas Taylor (1753–1806) made his debut. Taylor became one of the best players of the late 18th century and played until 1798.

29–30 June (Th-F) Hampshire v Kent Broadhalfpenny Down SB23 Hampshire won by 9 wkts

Kent 84 & 147 (J Miller 71); Hampshire 219 (G Leer 79, T Sueter 37, T Taylor 28) & 18-1. Arthur Haygarth says he obtained the details from the Hampshire Chronicle. No bowling or fielding details are known. The margin between the teams' final totals is 6, so Hampshire added six after the scores were level but it was not necessarily done in one hit as they would normally play out the over even after victory was achieved; Richard Francis scored 10 out of the 18-1, but it is not known if he made the winning hit.

6–8 July (W-F) Surrey v Hampshire Laleham Burway SB24 Surrey won by 69 runs

Surrey 76 (Brett 7w) & 163 (J Minshull 445, J Miller 42, Earl of Tankerville 26; Brett 4w); Hampshire 51 & 119 (J Aylward 38, G Leer 25). Mr Haygarth says he got the details from the old printed scorebook but acknowledges that another account differs re some of the details.

Thomas Brett achieved the earliest known 10 wickets in a match, taking 11 which were bowled victims only. He had 7 in the first innings and 4 in the second, also taking a catch. His first innings haul is also the first recorded instance of a bowler taking seven in an innings. Despite his efforts, Hampshire lost by 69 runs.

10–11 July (M-Tu) London & Kent v Coulsdon Artillery Ground FL18 result unknown

No details were reported. The combined side had 7 of London and 4 of Kent.

13–15 July (W-F) Hampshire v Surrey Broadhalfpenny Down SB25 Hampshire won by 296 runs

Hampshire 168 (R Francis 45, John Small 38) & 357 (John Small 136, R Nyren 98, T Brett 68, W Barber 30); Surrey 151 (H Attfield 49, John Wood of Chertsey 29, W Yalden 26) & 78-3 innings forfeited (W Yalden 27, W Palmer 22*)

John Small scored 136 for Hampshire, a new record for the highest individual innings and the first definitely known century to be scored in major or top-class cricket, though Small himself may well have achieved the feat much earlier (see 1768 English cricket season).

Richard Nyren scored 98, agonisingly missing the second known top-class century by just two runs. Thomas Brett, not normally a batsman, weighed in with 68 as Hampshire totalled 357, a whopping score for the time that enabled them to win by 296 runs. Surrey forfeited the match after reaching 78-3 in their second innings.

So many centuries are scored nowadays that it is difficult to put this into context but given the view expressed earlier that the scoring potential of Georgian batsmen was about a third that of today’s batsmen, given the difference in pitch conditions, a score of 136 then must have been the equivalent of scoring 300-plus now. Certainly the frequency with which centuries were scored then is comparable with that of triple centuries now.

It was not the first century ever scored. We know that John Minshull definitely made 107 in 1769. It is probable that Small himself scored a century in 1768, but we cannot be certain as the report indicates that he made 140-plus as a match total.

When two unknown Hambledon batsmen shared a stand of 192 against Caterham in 1767, surely at least one of them (Sueter and Aburrow, according to GDC) made a personal century? There may have been earlier, unrecorded instances of the feat, even if few and far between.

One thing that is certain is that Small was a truly great batsman, capable of making large scores over a wide span of years in conditions that heavily favoured the bowlers.

The progressive value of the highest known individual innings in major matches to this point:

score player match venue year
78 John Small Hampshire v All-England Broadhalfpenny Down 1772
88 William Yalden Surrey v Hampshire Broadhalfpenny Down 1773
95 Joseph Miller Kent v Hampshire Sevenoaks Vine 1774
136 John Small Hampshire v Surrey Broadhalfpenny Down 1774

Looking at the list of progressive records above, it is noticeable that three of the four scores were made at Broadhalfpenny Down. This suggests it had a more level and durable surface in its pitch area than other venues of the time; or maybe the Hambledon Club took more care of it than other clubs did of their surfaces.[citation needed]

Although the scorecard for this game does not record any bowling details, the Surrey bowlers included Lumpy Stevens and other noted bowlers John Wood of Chertsey, Daddy White, John Edmeads and Thomas Quiddington.

19 July (W) Coulsdon v Sussex Smitham Bottom TJM Coulsdon won

Reported in the Sussex Weekly Advertiser on Mon 24 July and “won hollow” by Coulsdon.

26 July (W) Sussex v Coulsdon Henfield Common TJM result unknown

Advertised in the Sussex Weekly Advertiser on Mon 24 July. No report was found.

31 July (M) Hampshire v Kent Guildford Bason WDC Kent won

Kent had Lumpy Stevens and Thomas White as given men. There was a brief report in the Reading Mercury on Sat 5 August.

28–30 August (M-W) London, Kent & Surrey v Chertsey Artillery Ground FL18 Chertsey won by 157 runs

Chertsey scored 107 & 153; the combined team replied with 55 & 48.

7–9 September (Th-S) Chertsey v Coulsdon Laleham Burway FL18 Chertsey won by 172 runs

Chertsey 152 (W Yalden 77, Earl of Tankerville 25; J Wood 3w) & 148 (W Yalden 71, W Bartholomew 25; J Wood 3w); Coulsdon 43 (E Stevens 3w, W Bartholomew 2w) & 85 (C Phillips 31; W Bartholomew 4w, E Stevens 3w)

Details of this game and the two that follow can also be found on the Chertsey Cricket Club website at [1]

Chertsey and Coulsdon were both Surrey clubs but several players in both teams represented counties so this is a major match. Chertsey was, in effect, the Earl of Tankerville’s XI and their opponents in these three matches were someone else’s XI. The team names must not be taken too literally.

21–22 September (Th-F) Chertsey v Dartford Laleham Burway FL18 Chertsey won by 1 wkt

Dartford 57 (W Bartholomew 6w, E Stevens 3w) & 97 (Goulson 24*; W Bartholomew 3w) Chertsey 74 (W Bullen 4w, J Frame 2w) & 81-9 (W Yalden 18)

As only two Dartford players, William Bullen and the veteran John Frame, are recognised, it is very doubtful if this match would be given major match status.

The two Bartholomews of Chertsey are in other scorecards referred to as Rev Bartholomew senior and Mr Bartholomew junior. It is believed and has been assumed that the junior was William Bartholomew, who also played for Surrey teams at the time, and that it is he who shared the bowling with Lumpy Stevens. The senior is believed to be Rev. Charles Bartholomew, a Chertsey Club stalwart who played occasionally in the 1770s but may have been a regular in times past.

25–27 September (M-W) Chertsey v London Laleham Burway FL18 Chertsey won by 44 runs

Chertsey 106 ( W Yalden 27; J Wood of Seal 3w, S Colchin 2w) & 122 (J Minshull 54, T Swayne 22; J Wood of Seal 5w, W Brazier 2w); London 101 (W Brazier 31; W Bartholomew 4w, E Stevens 3w) & 83 (C Phillips 32*, W Brazier 27; E Stevens 7w)

Stevens achieved the second known instance of both 7 wickets in an innings and ten wickets in a match. Again, the figures are bowled dismissals only.

The London team contained several known players, as did Chertsey, and this is a major match.

Other events

The earliest known reference to cricket in Huntingdonshire, always a minor county, was in 1775 (see Bowen).

Mon 22 – Tues 23 May. Demands for a third stump were voiced after a single wicket match at the Artillery Ground in which Edward "Lumpy" Stevens beat John Small at least three times only for the ball to pass through the wicket, which at that time still consisted of two uprights and a crosspiece, without disturbing it. Although the petition was granted soon afterwards, research has discovered that the introduction of the third stump in practice was gradual and the two stump wicket did continue for a number of years yet.

Mon 29 May. WDC records a game at Old Field in Bray between the Maidenhead and Risborough clubs with Lumpy Stevens assisting the former. This is the first reference found that is specific to the Maidenhead (aka Old Field) Club at Old Field, Bray. This club shortly became synonymous with Berkshire as a county team. As explained earlier (see 1769 English cricket season), Berkshire was a major county in the late 18th century and its strength lay in the Old Field Club (much as Essex in the Hornchurch Club).

A game on Thurs 20 July called “London v Surrey” was played for £10 a side.

There was another Hambledon Parish v Hampshire game on Mon 4 September, this time at Kilmiston Down (see HCC).

First-class debutants

The following players made their first known appearance[1] in first-class cricket during the 1775 season.

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.

runs player
246 William Yalden
212 John Small
160 George Leer
150 Richard Nyren
148 Joseph Miller
130 John Minshull
120 Henry Attfield
112 William Brazier
99 Thomas Brett
97 Thomas Pattenden
94 James Aylward
85 Tom Sueter
84 Richard Francis
76 Duke of Dorset
76 Earl of Tankerville

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.

wkts player
26 Edward "Lumpy" Stevens
16 Thomas Brett
14 John Wood of Seal
7 Mr Bartholomew (Chertsey)
4 John (Thomas) Wood

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.

ct/st player
8 William Yalden
5 John Edmeads
3 several players

References

  1. i.e., in matches adjudged first-class by CricketArchive

Bibliography

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Additional reading

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External links