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1773 English cricket season

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1773 English cricket season
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In the 1773 Englishcricketseason, there was a downturn in the fortunes of theHambledon Clubas theirHampshireteam lost every match they are known to have played, and some of their defeats were heavy. Their poor results owed much to star bowlerThomas Bretthaving been injured. Three other county teams were active:Kent,MiddlesexandSurrey.Teams calledEnglandtook part in five matches, all against Hampshire, and won all five.

William Yaldenwas one of the season's leadingwicket-keepersand he also equalledRichard Newland's record for the highest individualinningsin a senior match when he scored 88 for Surrey against Hampshire in September. Based on survivingscorecarddata, the highest runscorers of the whole season wereThomas White(Surrey),Joseph Miller(Kent) andWill Palmer(Surrey).Lumpy Stevensof Surrey was the leadingbowlerwith 18wickets.

Single wicket

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The earliest significant event of the season was asingle wicketmatch played on 2 June at theArtillery Groundbetween Five ofEnglandand Five ofHampshirefor a stake of£1,000.It was billed as "the first great match this season".[1]The Hampshire team wasJohn Small,Tom Sueter,Richard Nyren,George LeerandThomas Brett.England's five wereLumpy Stevens,John Minshull,Joseph Miller,Dick MayandWill Palmer.England scored 31 & 27/4 against Hampshire's 24 & 33 to win by 1wicket.Miller was 11not outat the end and so scored the winningrun(s).Leer with scores of 16 and 13 made the most runs.[2]

Eleven-a-side

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TheAssociation of Cricket Statisticians and Historians(the ACS) listed twelve senior eleven-a-side matches in the 1773 Englishcricketseason.[3]A thirteenth match, which they had overlooked, was played on 9–10 July.[4][note 1]The combined Hampshire andSussexteam underwritten by theHambledon Clubtook part in eight matches – five againstEnglandand three againstSurrey– and lost all of them. Surrey played in all the other five matches, four againstKentand one againstMiddlesex.Surrey defeated Kent three times and lost to them once; they also lost the Middlesex match.[3]

Hampshire v England

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The first match between Hampshire and England took place atSevenoaks Vineon 28–29 June. The England team was a strong Kent and Surrey combination. The survivingscorecardis the first since 1744 to include somebowlingandfieldingdetails, though no credit was given to the bowler when abatsmanwas out other than by being cleanbowled,a constraint in scoring that was not rectified until well into the 19th century. In this match,Lumpy Stevensmay have been the best bowler as he took fivewicketsbowled and possibly had more fromcatches.Hampshire batted first and were all out for 77. England totalled 177 in reply to establish a firstinningslead of 100;Joseph Millerscored 73. In their second innings, Hampshire weredismissedfor only 49 and so England won by an innings & 51 runs. The scorecard includes the first known instance ofhit wicketas a means of dismissal, but it is not mentioned again until 1786. The batsman in this case wasJohn Minshulland it was another "first" for him as he scored cricket's earliest recordedcenturyin 1769.[7][8]

There was a return match at theArtillery Groundon 2–3 July.John Smallscored 58 in Hampshire's first innings total of 132. England replied with 187 to take a first innings lead of 55. Hampshire then scored 154 and England made 100/4 to win by 6 wickets.CoulsdonbatsmanWill Palmer,who had an outstanding season in 1773, scored 52*and 30*in the two England innings.[9][10]

The two teams met at the Artillery Ground again a week later, on 9–10 July. This match is not included in the ACS list but Martin Wilson in hisIndex to Waghornexplains the situation, based onH. T. Waghorn's source, that it is an extra match which had previously been overlooked. Waghorn's source reported that England won by 2 wickets but Hampshire were handicapped becauseThomas Brettwas injured.[1][4]

Two days later, England and Hampshire played again, this time atLaleham BurwayinChertsey,and England won by the convincing margin of 114 runs.[11]No scorecard has been found but there was a report in theMorning Poston 16 July which said: "Hampshire being beat again last Tuesday on Laleham Burway they must now resign the Cricket laurel, though much against their will".[11]The report went on to say how the Hampshire fielders had crowded theDuke of Dorset,who was scoring well with shots to the off-side, thereby preventing him from making a full play at the ball. This practice actually contravened the 1744Laws of Cricketwhich stated that "in the case of hindrance (the umpires) may order a notch (run) to be scored".[12]Although Dorset could presumably have appealed to the umpires, he dealt with the matter as a batsman. He asked the fielders to stand back and they refused, so he played his shot fully and "in so doing brought one of the gentlemen to the ground".[13]

The last match between the two was played atBroadhalfpenny Downon 4–5 August and England won by 9 wickets. Hampshire were all out for 89 and 140 with Stevens bowling seven and Dorset bowling six. In England's first innings,Thomas Whitescored 69 and Palmer 68 in a total of 202. England scored 28/1 in their second innings to complete their fifth win of the season over Hampshire.[14][15]

Hampshire v Surrey

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The Hampshire v Surrey matches were played towards the end of the season, the first on 26 August at Broadhalfpenny Down. Hampshire scored 103 and 51; Surrey replied with 131 and 24/4 to win by 6 wickets. The top score in the match was 35 byRichard Francisof Surrey in the first innings. No bowling or fielding details were recorded.[16]

InScores & Biographies(S&B),Arthur Haygarthstates that the details were obtained from theHampshire Chronicleas the match was not included in the "old printed book of Hambledon scores from 1772 to 1784".S&Bgoes on to regret the absences of John Small and Thomas Brett, the best batsman and best bowler respectively of Hampshire. He says Hampshire fielded almost a "scratch side" as there were four debutants Cotton, Horne, Lawrence and M. Lewis who do not appear again in recorded scores. Some or all of them may have been active before 1772. Strictly speaking, the Hampshire team in this game was Hambledon Parish. Some regular players who lived elsewhere in the county, including Small and Brett, did not play.[16][17]

The second match was played 16–18 September at Laleham Burway and Surrey won by 8 wickets. Hampshire were dismissed for only 38 in their first innings. [18][19]The third match was at Broadhalfpenny Down on 27–28 September and Surrey won convincingly by an innings and 60 runs. Hampshire were dismissed for 83 and 82. Both their totals were beaten byWilliam Yaldenon his own as he scored 88 in Surrey's innings of 225. Yalden's score was the highest in 1773 and it equalled the known record for the highest individual innings in a senior match;Richard Newlandscored 88 playing for England against Kent in 1745.[20][21]

Kent v Surrey

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Kent and Surrey played each other four times – twice at Laleham Burway, once atBourne Paddockand once atSevenoaks Vine.Surrey won the first three matches and Kent won at Sevenoaks. The first match was at Laleham Burway on 21–22 June and Surrey won by 35 runs after scoring 175 and 70 while dismissing Kent for 133 and 77. Thomas White made scores of 44 and 23 for Surrey. No bowling or fielding details were recorded.[22][23]

The second match at Bishopsbourne on 19–21 July is the first in which close of play scores are included in the scorecard. The match was interrupted by rain. On the first day, a Monday, Surrey were all out for 77 and Kent were 55/5 at the close. On Tuesday, Kent added only eight more runs and were dismissed for 63. Surrey started their second innings but, with rain intervening, had made only 65/2 by the close. The match was completed on the Wednesday with Thomas White going on from 2*overnight to 60. Surrey's total was 217. BowlersJohn Woodand Lumpy Stevens dismissed Kent for 78 to ensure a Surrey victory by 153 runs.[14][24]

No scorecard has been found for the third match at Laleham Burway on 9–10 August. A report says the stakes were 500 guineas per side and Surrey won by 8 wickets.[25]The fourth match was played 16–18 August on Sevenoaks Vine and Kent won by 6 wickets. Thomas White made another good score with 59 but was on the losing team this time.[26][27]

Surrey v Middlesex

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Surrey metMiddlesexatKennington Commonon 13 July. No scorecard has been found. The stakes were 100 guineas a side and Middlesex won by 6 runs having a match total of 179 to Surrey's 173.[25]

Other events

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On 30 July, there was a match atBourne Paddockbetween the Bourne and Chatham clubs for which a grandstand was erected.[13]It was rained off not long after it began; Bourne had scored 56/8 in their first innings. The Bourne team included Joseph Miller, Will Palmer,James Fuggles,Richard Simmonsand one of the Mays, as well as the team's patronSir Horatio Mannhimself. The Chatham team includedRobert CliffordandGeorge Louch.[28]In the report of an earlier Chatham match, Louch was "admired for his activity in the field". He had a reputation as one of the bestfieldersin England.[29]

Also on 30 July, there was a match atBroadhalfpenny Downbetween Hambledon Town and Hampshire, which was played for 20guineasa side.[25]It is included in the ACS list but perhaps for historical interest only.[3]

On 5 August, there was aLondonv England match onWhite Conduit Fields.TheMiddlesex Journalreported in its edition of Saturday, 7 August that London won "with great ease".[28]It may well have been a "gentlemen only" game as, according to the ACS guide, the England team was "an inferior eleven".[3]

On 16–18 August, there was a match atTothill Fieldsbetween the Westminster andLondonclubs. Shock White ofBrentfordplayed for Westminster as agiven man.There has been some confusion in sources between this player and Thomas White ofReigatebut Shock's appearance at Tothill Fields coincides with Thomas playing for Surrey against Kent in Sevenoaks on the same dates (see above), thus confirming that they were two different people.[28]

There was a return match between Chatham and Bourne on 30 August on theChatham Lines.It ended in a draw. They played again at Bourne Paddock in September and Bourne won by 3 wickets.[30]

A match was scheduled atAndoveron 24–25 September betweenSussexand Hampshire. Sussex were due to have Lumpy Stevens and Thomas White of Surrey as given men; and alsoJohn Bayton,the noted Hambledon batsman of the 1760s, though he may have been a native of Sussex. The match was cancelled because only seven of the Sussex team turned up. Apart from the afore-mentioned three players, the Sussex team was by no means top-class. Hampshire, on the other hand, had selected Davis, Aylward, Small, Sueter, Leer, Nyren, Stewart, Brett, Purchase, Barber and Hogsflesh.[31]

First mentions

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The following people are mentioned in sources for the first time in the 1773 season:

Players

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Based on data in the survivingmatch scorecards,the highest run-scorers in 1773 wereThomas White(328),Joseph Miller(316) andWill Palmer(305). Bowlers were only credited with the wickets of those batsmen theybowledout; if the batsman wascaught,only the fielder received credit. Also, the runs conceded by each bowler were not recorded. The highest wicket-takers wereLumpy Stevens(18),John Woodof Surrey (16) and theDuke of Dorset(15). The most catches, six apiece, were taken byWilliam Yalden,Richard SimmonsandJohn Minshull.Yalden and Simmons werewicket-keepers;Minshull was afielder.[32][33]

Notes

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  1. ^Some eleven-a-side matches played 1772–1863 have been rated "first-class"by certain sources, but there wasno such standard at the time.The term came into common use from around 1864 and was formally defined as a standard by a meeting atLord's,in May 1894, ofMarylebone Cricket Club(MCC) and thecounty clubswhich were then competing in theCounty Championship.The ruling was effective from the beginning of the1895 season.[5]Pre-1864 matches which are included in the ACS' "Important Match Guide" may generally be regarded as top-class or, at least, historically significant.[6]

References

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  1. ^abWaghorn 1906,p. 37.
  2. ^Waghorn 1899,pp. 90–91.
  3. ^abcdACS 1981,p. 24.
  4. ^abWilson 2005,p. 52.
  5. ^ACS 1982,pp. 4–5.
  6. ^ACS 1981,pp. 1–40.
  7. ^Haygarth 1996,p. 8.
  8. ^"Match scorecard: England v Hampshire, 28–29 June 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved2 November2022.
  9. ^Haygarth 1996,p. 7.
  10. ^"Match scorecard: England v Hampshire, 2–3 July 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved7 November2022.
  11. ^abBuckley 1935,pp. 60–61.
  12. ^Maun 2009,pp. 214–217.
  13. ^abBuckley 1935,p. 61.
  14. ^abHaygarth 1996,p. 12.
  15. ^"Match scorecard: Hampshire v England, 4–5 August 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved8 November2022.
  16. ^abHaygarth 1996,p. 13.
  17. ^"Match scorecard: Hampshire v Surrey, 26 August 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved7 November2022.
  18. ^Haygarth 1996,pp. 15–16.
  19. ^"Match scorecard: Surrey v Hampshire, 16–18 September 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved8 November2022.
  20. ^Ashley-Cooper 1924.
  21. ^"Match scorecard: Hampshire v Surrey, 27–28 September 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved8 November2022.
  22. ^Haygarth 1996,p. 6.
  23. ^"Match scorecard: Surrey v Kent, 21–22 June 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved1 November2022.
  24. ^"Match scorecard: Kent v Surrey, 19–21 July 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved8 November2022.
  25. ^abcWaghorn 1906,p. 38.
  26. ^Haygarth 1996,p. 14.
  27. ^"Match scorecard: Kent v Surrey, 9–10 August 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved8 November2022.
  28. ^abcBuckley 1935,p. 62.
  29. ^Buckley 1935,p. 60.
  30. ^Waghorn 1899,pp. 111–114.
  31. ^Buckley 1935,p. 63.
  32. ^"Season summary: Batting by runs, 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved28 October2022.
  33. ^"Season summary: Bowling by wickets, 1773".CricketArchive.Retrieved28 October2022.

Bibliography

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Further reading

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