1731 English cricket season
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By the 1731 English cricket season, match reports were much more common and tended to contain more detail, sometimes including the names of patrons and players. Therefore we have a considerably larger record of the 1730s than of previous decades. There are 26 matches in 1731.
The most dramatic match of the season was the one at Richmond Green on 23 August. It ended in a riot and it is believed the Duke of Richmond conceded defeat after the match was originally declared a draw. But most significant of all is that it is the earliest match for which the team totals were recorded and have been preserved, rather than simply who won the wager.
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[edit] Honours
[edit] Matches
| Date | Match Title | Venue | Result | |
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| 31 May (M) | London v Sevenoaks [3] | Kennington Common | result unknown | |
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Advance notice was given of this game and the one below, both at the same venue. |
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| 1 June (Tu) | London v Chelsfield (Kent) [3] | Kennington Common | London won | |
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Played in the evening for 30 guineas and won by the London team by great odds. |
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| 5 June (S) | London v Dartford [3] | Artillery Ground | London won by 15 runs | |
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Played for 50 guineas a side in the old Artillery Ground. Play went on for several hours and bets of between £400 and £500 were laid. Those amounts were a fortune at the time. |
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| 8 June (Tu) | London v Kent [3] | Kennington Common | London won | |
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Played for 30 guineas. An evening match. |
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| 16 June (W) | Dartford v London [4] | Dartford Brent | drawn | |
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A return match was immediately arranged, to be played on Thu 24 June at the Artillery Ground. |
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| 18 June (F) | London v Enfield [3] | Lamb’s Conduit Fields | London won by 14 runs | |
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Played for 200 guineas. The report mentions a great deal of good play on both sides. |
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| 24 June (Th) | London v Dartford [4] | Artillery Ground | result unknown | |
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This was arranged immediately after the game at Dartford Brent on Wed 16 June (St James Evening Post). |
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| 26 June (S) | Sunbury v Kent [3] | Sunbury Common | Sunbury won | |
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Played for 30 guineas a side. The Kent side was organised by Edward Stead of Maidstone. His opponent (for the stakes) may well have been Mr Andrews of Sunbury who organised the match against the Duke of Richmond in 1730. |
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| 30 June (W) | Dartford v London [3] | Dartford Brent | drawn | |
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The match ran out of time but it was thought (London) would have won. They arranged to play again on Monday 5 July (see below). |
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| 5 July (M) | London v Dartford [3] | Artillery Ground | result unknown | |
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H T Waghorn reports that play did not finish at Dartford Brent on Wed 30 June and the match was replayed at the Artillery Ground on the following Monday 5 July (result unknown). There was an advert dated Sat 3 July for the re-match on Monday 5 July [4]. Stumps were to be pitched at exactly two o’clock. Time in those days was determined by the local church clock. |
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| 12 July (M) | Surrey v East Grinstead [3] | Smitham Bottom | East Grinstead won by 5 wkts | |
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This was played for forty guineas a side and won very considerably by (East Grinstead), they having four men to go in when the umpire gave up the game. |
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| 12 July (M) | London v Sevenoaks [3] | Kennington Common | result unknown | |
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This game is the first known to have been played in an enclosed ground. The report says the ground will be roped round and all persons are desired to keep without side of the same. |
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| 13 July (Tu) | Chelsea v Fulham [3] | Chelsea Common | Fulham won | |
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This was played for 50 guineas and, no, it wasn’t a football game! Mr Waghorn recorded: a person that stood by had the misfortune to receive a blow from the ball which beat out three of his teeth. |
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| 14 July (W) | Hampton v Brentford [4] | Moulsey Hurst | result unknown | |
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Reported in advance only: we hear that above £500 is already laid on their heads, neither party having yet been beat. |
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| 19 July (M) | Kent v Middlesex [4] | Kennington Common | result unknown | |
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Reported in advance only: for £50 a side. The report stresses that the contestants are the County of Kent and the County of Middlesex. |
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| 20 July (Tu) | Croydon v London [4] | Duppas Hill, Croydon | Croydon won | |
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The original report in Fog’s Weekly Journal calls the winning team Surrey but a report of the return match on Mon 26 July refers to Croydon. It was played at Duppas Hill, home venue of the Croydon club, so it does seem likely that Croydon was playing. |
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| 26 July (M) | London v Croydon [4] | Artillery Ground | Croydon won | |
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Mr Buckley’s source was the Daily Advertiser on Tues 27 July. Another source (Read’s Weekly Journal, quoted in Dawn of Cricket) reports that London were playing Dartford, but this match was almost certainly a return of the one at Duppas Hill on Tues 20 July. Wickets to be pitched at 1 pm under forfeiture of £10 on either side. |
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| 10 August (Tu) | Chelsea v Fulham [3] | Parson’s Green | Fulham won by 3 runs | |
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.....for 30 guineas; the game being play’d with great judgment on both sides. Chelsea was beat by only 3 notches. |
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| 16 August (M) | Duke of Richmond’s XI v Mr Chambers’ XI [4] | Chichester | Mr Chambers’ XI won | |
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The stake in this game was 100 guineas. No details are reported other than that Mr Chambers’ XI won. It seems Mr Chambers and his team all came from Middlesex. |
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| 23 August (M) | Mr Chambers’ XI v Duke of Richmond’s XI [4] | Richmond Green | Duke of Richmond conceded? | |
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This return match was played for 200 guineas but it is notable as it seems to be the earliest match where team scores are known: Duke of Richmond 79, Mr Chambers 119; Duke of Richmond 72, Mr Chambers 23-5 (approx.). The game ended promptly at a pre-agreed time although Mr Chambers with four or five more to have come in and needing about 8 to 10 notches clearly had the upper hand. The end result caused a fracas among the crowd at Richmond Green who were incensed by the prompt finish because the Duke of Richmond had arrived late and delayed the start of the game. The riot resulted in some of the Sussex players having the shirts torn off their backs; and it was said a law suit would commence about the play. The source (Buckley) includes a further note which suggests the Duke of Richmond may have later conceded the result to Mr Chambers (see match on Mon 6 September below). |
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| ? September | Surrey v Kingston [5] | Moulsey Hurst | Surrey won | |
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Played for 25 guineas a side and some thousands of persons of both sexes were present on this occasion. |
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| 2 September (Th) | Croydon v London [4] | Duppas Hill, Croydon | Surrey won | |
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Played for 11 guineas. It is reported that a dispute arose and it was agreed to play it again on Mon 13 September.. |
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| 4 September (S) | Surrey v Kent [3] | Dulwich Common | drawn (rain) | |
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This game was drawn due to heavy rain. Kent led by 17 on first innings but Surrey, with 3 wickets standing, needed just 12 to win when rain ended it. The report says the participants originally intended to continue another time but it seems they settled for the draw. |
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| 6 September (M) | Surrey v Mr Chambers’ XI [4] | Sanderstead Common | Surrey won | |
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The Daily Post Boy reported on Wed Sept that 11 of Surrey beat the 11 who about a fortnight ago beat the Duke of Richmond’s men. See the game on Mon 23 August above. The report on Wed 8 September suggests that the Duke of Richmond conceded his controversial game against Mr Chambers. |
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| 15 September (W) | London v Croydon [4] | Artillery Ground | Croydon won | |
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Again the confusion between Croydon and Surrey: one report says Croydon, another says Surrey. Croydon is the more likely. This was probably the replay of the game on Thurs 2 September (see above), but postponed by two days from the originally agreed date. |
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| 28 September (Tu) | Surrey v London [3] | Kennington Common | result unknown | |
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No post-match report was found for this match despite its being promoted as likely to be the best performance of this kind that has been seen for some time. It is interesting that for the convenience of the gamesters, the ground is to be staked and roped out so it seems that enclosure quickly became common practice in 1731. In addition, the advertisement refers to the whole county of Surrey as London’s opponents. The Prince of Wales was expected to attend. |
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[edit] Other events
July. A single wicket match at Maidstone between two officers of the Royal Horse Guards, Captain Beak and Lieutenant Coke. It was for a considerable sum of money and won by Captain Beak after three hours very hard played. Mr Waghorn says it is the first military match he found during his researches [5].
July. An unusual match at Duppas Hill, Croydon between a Kent team and a Surrey team who were all called Wood. The Kent team won. This is interesting given the well documented confusion over different players called Wood in the 1770s [5].
Saturday 2 October: a great cricket match will be play’d in the Artillery Ground; it will be the last plaid (sic) this season; 11 of a side, stumps to be pitch’d exactly at 12 o’clock [3].
Saturday 2 October at Mitcham Cricket Green in Surrey. The local club played against Ewell, also in Surrey, for a small stake. This is interesting because it mentions "the famous Tim Coleman" who usually played for the London and was in the Ewell team on this occasion. It is rarely that a player is mentioned by name in these early reports and even more rarely that he is given praise. Mr Coleman was on the losing side in this game as the home team won by several notches [3].
[edit] References
- ^ An unofficial seasonal title proclaimed by media or historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted
- ^ Champion counties from 1728
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p H T Waghorn, The Dawn of Cricket, Electric Press, 1906
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
- ^ a b c H T Waghorn, Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730-1773), Blackwood, 1899
[edit] External sources
[edit] Further reading
- H S Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962
- Derek Birley, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999
- Rowland Bowen, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970
- David Underdown, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000
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