1768 English cricket season

Caterham 63 (Smailes 25) & 150 (Foule 33, Mr H Rowett 30); Kent 60 & 139 (R Simmons 45, W Palmer 23)

The Kentish Weekly Post of Sat 11 June records the teams and individual scores. The Caterham club is referred to as "Westerham & Caterham", probably because of the venue. Bourne is actually Mr (later Sir) Horatio Mann’s team and the newspaper on this occasion calls it Bourne, where Mr Mann had his residence and his own very famous venue: Bishopsbourne Paddock. In other reports, Mr Mann’s teams are variously referred to as Kent or, perhaps most accurately, East Kent.

This is the third time (and the first since 1744) that the individual scores of a major match have survived. No details of dismissal were recorded.

Announced in the St James Chronicle on Sat 23 July. Caterham was to give Bourne two men. The St James Chronicle referred to the teams as Mr Horatio Mann’s Club and Mr Henry Rowett’s Club.

Pre-announced in Lloyd’s Evening Post on Wed 27 July. To be played for 100 guineas a side.

Announced in the St James Chronicle on Sat 23 July. Bourne (Horace Mann) was to give Caterham (Henry Rowett) one man.

Referred to in a letter dated Wed 27 July 1768 from Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh of Uppark to Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle: "I hear there is to be a great Cricket match play’d next Friday Sennight upon Broad-halfpenny, about 7 miles West of this place in Hampshire & at wch. The Duke of Richmond & many from the Chichester Div. Of the County will be present, for it is a match made by the Duke (Sussex against Hampshire) with a Mr. Ridge near Warnford; at wch. Mr. Sackville is to play on the Sussex side".

The now archaic word s’ennight often occurs in 18th century writing. It is an abbreviation of "seven nights" and means "seven nights hence". In this instance, Sir Matthew refers to a game taking place "a week on Friday", as we would say.

The Kentish Gazette on Wed 10 August announced this game by saying: The last match was thought to be as good a match as was ever played. This is the last match that will be played in Bourne Paddock this year. Although billed as "Bourne v Surrey", it was probably a fourth game in the Caterham v Bourne series.

Reported in the Reading Mercury on Sat 3 September. The report stated: Last Tuesday the second great match at cricket was played on Broad-Halfpenny between eleven gentlemen of the Hambledon Club against eleven gentlemen of the county of Kent for a considerable sum, which was won by the former by upwards of 100 notches; but what is very remarkable, one Mr Small, of Petersfield, fetched above seven score notches off his own bat.

The team scores were: Hambledon – 131 + 194 = 325; Kent – 141 + 40 = 181

One of early cricket’s most tantalising questions is: did John Small score the earliest known first-class century in this game?

The Mercury is ambiguous as it cannot be said for certain if his 140-plus was his match total or his score in the second innings. Ashley Mote states that if he scored 140-plus out of 194 it would have been a truly astonishing performance ^[5]. Astonishing, but not impossible. Even if it was his match total, it remains possible that his second innings was a century if he scored less than 50 in the first innings.

A report states: Last Monday another great match at cricket was played on Broad Halfpenny between eleven gentlemen of the county of Sussex, against eleven of the Hambledon Club, for a large sum, which was won by the latter, who had seven wickets to go down. Mr Small got above four score notches in this match, and was not out when the game was finished. Once again, it is not known if John Small scored his 80-plus in one innings or if it was his match total.