Moulsey Hurst

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The Thames at Moulsey Hurst

Moulsey Hurst is located in what is now West Molesey, Surrey on the south bank of the River Thames above Molesey Lock.

It is one of England's oldest sporting venues. It is said to be the site of the first game of golf in England, during the reign of James VI and I, who was a golf enthusiast. It was famous in the 18th and 19th centuries for cricket, prizefighting and other sports. It was the site of the now defunct Hurst Park horse race course.

The site can be reached from Hampton across the river by Hampton Ferry when it is running in the summer.

The 1872 Ordnance Survey map shows a race course marked Molesey Hurst in this position. The location of the cricket ground was probably in the centre of the racecourse, which was common practice in the 18th century. The present day cricket pitch is about a quarter of a mile further east. One of cricket's most famous paintings, Cricket at Moulsey Hurst, is owned by MCC and on display at Lord's ^[1].

In 2004, Hurst Park Residents Association laid out a "heritage marker" close to the river, which contains a number of illustrations of the history and activities of the area ^[2].

1 Chronology of events
2 References
3 External links
4 Further reading

[edit] Chronology of events

887 – Vikings sailed up the Thames here to sack Chertsey Abbey
1726 – the earliest known use of the site for cricket is recorded in the London Evening Post dated Sat 27 August 1726, in the paper's first year of publication; it carried an advertisement for a single wicket match From Lads to Lord's
May 1785 – James Sadler made a hot air balloon ascent near here, accompanied by a Member of Parliament, about a year after the success of the Montgolfier Brothers balloon
Autumn 1787 – a professional runner named Powell ran a mile in 4 minutes and 3 seconds at Moulsey Hurst in preparation for an attempt on the 4 minute mile
August 1795 – in a cricket match at Moulsey Hurst, John Tufton was dismissed leg before wicket (lbw) by John Wells; according to Arthur Haygarth ^[3] it was the first time lbw had ever been recorded in a scorecard
1798 – a Mr Troward, a member of the Toxophilite Society, shot an arrow on a level piece of ground on Moulsey Hurst seventeen score, or 340 yards

v • d • e English cricket venues in the 18th century

Artillery Ground \| Bishopsbourne Paddock \| Broadhalfpenny Down \| Bromley Common \| Dartford Brent Duppas Hill \| Guildford Bason \| Itchin Stoke Down \| Kennington Common \| Laleham Burway Lord's Cricket Ground \| Mitcham Cricket Green \| Moulsey Hurst \| Prince of Wales Ground Richmond Green \| Vine Cricket Ground \| White Conduit Fields \| Windmill Down

[edit] References

^ David Underdown, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000 (the painting is illustrated in this book)
^ Peter Radford The Observer Sunday May 2, 2004
^ Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862, page 191. Haygarth says: In this match, "leg before wicket" is found scored for the first time. In Britcher's printed score-book, Mr J. Tufton is in this match put down as bowled merely, and the leg before wicket added in a note. At first, when any one was got out in this way, it was marked down as simply bowled, and the leg before wicket omitted.