1826 in sports

1826 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.

Boxing

Events

30 June — Jem Ward retains his English Championship title when he defeats Phil Sampson in ten rounds at Norwich.^[1]

Events

Inter-county cricket flourishes again, mainly through the efforts of the Sussex county organisation based on the Midhurst club. Sussex plays matches against Kent and a combined Hampshire/Surrey team.
The pavilion at Lord's Cricket Ground has been rebuilt following the fire in July 1825. From this time on, cricket records are more certain and will become increasingly so as scorecard data increases (e.g., to include the name of the bowler when a catch is taken) and standards of scoring become widely accepted.
24, 25 and 26 July – Yorkshire's first great player Tom Marsden scores 227 for Sheffield and Leicester v Nottingham at the Darnall New Ground in Sheffield. This score beats the 167 scored by James Aylward in 1777 and is the new individual record for first-class cricket.^[2]
31 December — death of John Small, the great Hambledon batsman

England

Champion County^[3] – Sussex
Most runs – Tom Marsden 227 @ 227.00 (HS 227: he had just the one first-class innings)
Most wickets – William Lillywhite 27 (BB 9–?)

England

^ Cyber Boxing Zone – Jem Ward. Retrieved on 6 November 2009.
^ On the basis that William Ward's score of 278 in 1820 is not universally recognised as first-class.
^ An unofficial seasonal title proclaimed by consensus of media and historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted.