In the 1788 English cricket season, MCC became the game's lawgiver.
Fri 30 May. A revised set of Laws was issued by the Cricket Club at Marylebone, formerly the White Conduit Club. This action confirmed MCC as the body in sole charge of the Laws.
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| Date | Match Title | Venue | Source | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26–28 May (M-W) | Earl of Winchilsea v Sir H Mann | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB81 | Earl of Winchilsea's XI won by 106 runs |
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David Harris took ten wickets in the match for the losing side |
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| 4 June (W) | Surrey v Windsor Forest | Warfield | WDC | WF won by 206 runs |
| 5–7 June (Th-S) | Paulet's XI v G East's XI | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB81 | Paulet's XI won by 25 runs |
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George Louch of East's XI took five catches. He was noted for his close fielding skills. |
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| 9–10 June (M-Tu) | Surrey v Hampshire | Moulsey Hurst | SB82 | Surrey won by 9 wkts |
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Surrey bowlers Lumpy and Butcher dismissed Hampshire for 59 and 63. |
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| 13 June (F) | Hornchurch v Moulsey Hurst | Langton Park, Hornchurch | FL18 | result unknown |
| 17–18 June (Tu-W) | Hampshire v All-England | Stoke Down | SB83 | Hampshire won by innings & 76 runs |
| 27 June (F) | MCC v White Conduit | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB83 | MCC won by 83 runs |
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This game is the earliest MCC match of which the score has survived and so it is of great historical interest. It is in S&B and also in the ACS list but the WCC team includes only one recognised player (Mr C Anguish) and there are understandable doubts about its quality. Historical importance is the reason for its major classification. |
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| 2–4 July (W-F) | Hampshire v Surrey | Perriam Down | SB84 | Hampshire won by 4 wkts |
| 9–11 July (W-F) | Earl of Winchilsea v Mr Assheton Smith | Perriam Downs, Luggershall | WDC | Smith’s XI won by 3 wkts |
| 14 July (M) | Hampshire v Surrey | Odiham | FL18 | result unknown |
| 15–18 July (Tu-F) | Surrey v Kent | Moulsey Hurst | SB85 | Surrey won by innings & 65 runs |
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Tom Walker top-scored for Surrey with 93* and it is believed he opened and so carried his bat. |
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| 24–25 July (Th-F) | All-England v Hampshire | Sevenoaks Vine | SB85 | Hampshire won by 53 runs |
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John Crawte made his known debut in major cricket for All-England A partial score exists of a minor game between Eastbourne and Alfriston that was played on or about 26 July (FLPV). |
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| 29–31 July (Tu-Th) | Kent v All-England | Coxheath | SB86 | All-England won by innings & 80 runs |
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George Louch took six catches in the match for All-England ACS Guide has this game on 22–24 July which means it clashed with the Sevenoaks game starting on 24 July that featured most of the same players. S&B has the game on 29–31 July and this date seems the more likely. |
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| 5-7 Aug (Tu-Th) | Kent v Surrey | Bishopsbourne | SB87 | Surrey won by 37 runs |
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The Kent v Surrey game listed in WDC on 5 July was a wrongly dated duplicate of the 5-7 Aug game. |
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| 13-15 Aug (W-F) | Hampshire v Surrey | Windmill Down | SB87 | Hampshire won by 4 wkts |
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Andrew Freemantle made his known debut in major cricket for Hampshire. |
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| 26-29 Aug (Tu-F) | Sir H Mann v Earl of Winchilsea | Bishopsbourne | SB88 | Mann's XI won by 75 runs |
| 15-17 Sept (M-W) | London v Middlesex | venue unknown | FL18 | London by 68 runs |
| 22 Sept (M) | Leicester v Coventry | Lutterworth | FL18 | Leicester won by 28 runs |
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Extensively described in FL18, p. 132-134. See also 6-7 Aug 1787. |
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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.
| runs | player |
|---|---|
| 381 | William Beldham |
| 294 | Tom Walker |
| 270 | Richard Purchase |
| 265 | Harry Walker |
| 215 | James Aylward |
| 201 | John Small |
| 193 | Noah Mann |
| 179 | John Wells |
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.
| wkts | player |
|---|---|
| 43 | David Harris |
| 36 | Edward "Lumpy" Stevens |
| 25 | Robert Clifford |
| 19 | Butcher |
| 18 | Noah Mann |
| 16 | Richard Purchase |
| 9 | Gilbert East |
| 9 | Tom Taylor |
| 8 | William Brazier |
| 7 | William Bullen |
| 6 | John Boorman |
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.
| ct/st | player |
|---|---|
| 17 | George Louch |
| 16 | Harry Walker |
| 15 | William Beldham |
| 13 | Thomas Taylor |
| 12 | Richard Purchase |
| 11 | Robert Clifford |
| 8 | William Bullen |
| 8 | John Wells |
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