1792 English cricket season
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In the 1792 English cricket season, Kent played Hampshire at Cobham Park, which was Lord Darnley’s estate and the home of the Bligh family. Ninety years later it became the home of the Ashes in the shape of the urn brought back from Australia by the Hon. Ivo Bligh.
A match in Sheffield provides the earliest known instance of the rare dismissal of obstructing the field.
Elsewhere, the earliest known cricket club in India was formed in Calcutta.
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[edit] Matches
| Date | Match Title | Venue | Source | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-9 May (M-W) | MCC v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB128 | MCC won by 274 runs |
| 15-17 May (Tu-Th) | MCC v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB129 | Middlesex won by 5 runs |
| 21-22 May (M-Tu) | Bligh v Earl of Winchilsea | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB129 | Winchilsea's XI won by 8 wkts |
| 28-30 May (M-W) | MCC v Sussex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB130 | Sussex won by 9 wkts |
| 31 May - 1 June (Th-F) | MCC v Berkshire | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB131 | MCC won by 7 runs |
| 6-8 June (W-F) | MCC v All-England | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB132 | MCC won by innings & 10 runs |
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See the note re the 1793 match on 12-14 June which some sources have recorded on the same dates in 1792. |
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| 21-23 June (Th-S) | All-England v Kent | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB133 | All-England won by 10 runs |
| 2-4 July (M-W) | All-England v Hampshire | Burley-on-the-Hill, Rutland | SB134 | Hampshire won by 75 runs |
| 9 July (M) | Nottingham v Leicester ^ | Burley-on-the-Hill, Rutland | SB135 | Leicester won by 4 wkts |
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^ Full title is Nottingham v Leicestershire & Rutland. There is no doubt the teams were representative of the counties and similar to the sides that competed against MCC in 1791. The match is historically important and is a major fixture. The Nottingham v Leicester game is also in William North’s 1832 book of Nottingham Old Club Match Scores. |
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| 16-18 July (M-W) | Hampshire v All-England | Windmill Down | SB136 | Hampshire won by 127 runs |
| 19-20 July (Th-F) | Hampshire Colts v Brighton # | Windmill Down | SB137 | Hampshire won by 6 wkts |
| 24-27 July (Tu-F) | Hampshire v Surrey | Perriam Down | SB137 | Surrey won by 109 runs |
| 2-4 Aug (Th-S) | Berkshire v MCC | Oldfield Bray | SB138 | Berkshire won by 10 runs |
| 7 Aug (Tu) | Brighton v Hampshire Colts # | PoW Ground, Brighton | SB139 | Brighton won by 7 wkts |
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# The two Hambledon v Brighton games recorded in S&B are considered minor due to lack of recognised players. |
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| 15-17 Aug (W-F) | Kent v Hampshire | Cobham Park, near Gravesend | SB140 | Hampshire won by 8 wkts |
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Cobham Park was Lord Darnley’s estate and the home of the Bligh family. Ninety years later it became the home of the Ashes brought back from Australia by the Hon. Ivo Bligh. |
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| 20-23 Aug (M-Th) | Sussex v MCC | PoW Ground, Brighton | SB140 | Sussex won by 3 wkts |
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The Prince of Wales Ground in Brighton had its name changed over the years and was known as Box’s Ground in the next century. |
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| 23-25 Aug (Th-S) | Sussex v MCC | PoW Ground, Brighton | SB141 | Sussex won by innings & 44 runs |
| 27 Aug (M) | Sheffield v Bents Green | Sheffield ? | FLPV | Sheffield won by 10 wkts |
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This was three innings a side and is the first match played in Yorkshire for which the full scores are known. Mr Buckley found the information in the Sheffield Advertiser dated 31 August 1792. This is the first match in which a batsman was given out for obstructing the field. The Bents Green player John Shaw, who scored 7 in the first innings, had his dismissal recorded as "run out of the ground to hinder a catch". |
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| 29-31 Aug (W-F) | Kent v Essex | Dartford Brent | SB142 | Kent won by 81 runs |
| 5-6 Sept (W-Th) | Sussex v Middlesex | PoW Ground, Brighton | SB142 | Sussex won by 5 wkts |
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S&B says only the two first innings were played during 5-7 Sept 1792 (rain-affected?) and the game was concluded on 27 May 1793 when the two second innings were played. |
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| 17-19 Sept (M-W) | Kent v Hampshire | Dartford Brent | SB143 | Hampshire won by innings & 23 runs |
| 20-22, 24 Sept (Th-M) | Middlesex v Sussex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | brit | drawn (rain) |
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Britcher reports that the game was postponed because of rain until Whit Monday in 1793 but we do not know if it was concluded. Details of this match only came to light recently when Britcher’s work became available. |
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| 27-28 Sept (Th-F) | Essex v Kent | Langton Park, Hornchurch | SB144 | Kent won by 158 runs |
[edit] First mentions
- Thomas Ray
- Robert Robinson
- Sylvester (Middlesex) – played 28 matches to 1799
- J Harding (Surrey) – played 37 matches to 1810
- Finch (Berkshire) – played 13 matches to 1795
- S Gill (Berkshire) – played 11 matches to 1795
- Monk (Berkshire) – played ten matches to 1795
- Sir John Shelley (Sussex/MCC; amateur) – played ten matches to 1795
- Timber (Berkshire) – played ten matches to 1795
- Thompson (Berkshire) – played nine matches to 1794
- James Smith (Kent/Middlesex) – played eight matches to 1796
- Lord Milsingtown (Hampshire; amateur) – played six matches to 1799
- Harvey (Essex) – played five matches to 1793
- Quam (Berkshire; amateur) – played four matches to 1793
- Capson (Sussex) – played three matches to 1792
- Munday (Hampshire) – played three matches to 1797
- W Streets (Notts) – played four matches to 1803
- J Clarke (Leics) – played two matches to 1800
- J Stewart (Hampshire; amateur) – played two matches to 1797
[edit] 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.
Tom Walker with 542 runs, including a top score of 107, made the most runs in 1792; ahead of William Beldam with 503, including a top score of 144.
Other leading runscorers were William Fennex 388; Earl of Winchilsea 374; Edward Bligh 372; George Louch 270; Andrew Freemantle 266; Jack Small 258; Richard Purchase 232; George Henry Monson 230; John Wells 207
[edit] 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.
Thomas Boxall with 46 was the leading wicket-taker in 1792
Other leading bowlers were David Harris with 36 wickets; Thomas Lord 33; John Hammond 28; Richard Purchase 28; Tom Walker 24; William Beldam 18; Harry Walker 18; William Fennex 13; William Bedster 10
[edit] 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.
William Beldam with 31 catches was easily the season's best fielder
Others were George Henry Monson 13 ct, 1 st; Edward Bligh 7 ct, 6 st; George Louch 13; William Fennex 11 ct, 1 st; Richard Purchase 11 ct; John Wells 11 ct; Thomas Ingram 6 ct, 4 st; Thomas Scott 9 ct; Tom Taylor 9
[edit] References
- Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley (FL18)
- Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket by G B Buckley (FLPV)
- Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century by Timothy J McCann (TJM)
- The Dawn of Cricket by H T Waghorn (WDC)
- Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 by Arthur Haygarth (SBnnn)
- Scores 1790-1805 (annual issues) by Samuel Britcher
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