The United South of England Eleven (USEE) was an itinerant cricket team founded in November 1864 by Edgar Willsher, as secretary, and John Lillywhite, as treasurer.[1]
The USEE was founded at a time of protracted between northern and southern professionals when the public's demand for exhibition matches was in decline. This was due to an excess of supply, as there had been several predecessors, and the growing interest in county cricket that was developing in the 1860s. But the USEE did succeed in prolonging its existence when it signed cricket's main attraction W G Grace in 1870.[2]
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When the United North of England Eleven (UNEE) was founded in 1869, it soon established a regional rivalry with the USEE and the two teams met three times in 1870, the UNEE's first season. The UNEE got off to a flying start when they easily beat the USEE, including the Graces, at Lord's in July 1870 by an innings and 70 runs.[3] In the next match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, the UNEE won by an innings and 5 runs.[4] The Graces did not play in this game. The teams met again at The Oval in August and this match was drawn, the USEE needing 33 more to win with eight wickets standing and W G Grace still in with 51 not out.[5]
The teams did not meet in 1871 and their rivalry was renewed in 1872 when four matches were arranged although the last one at Leeds in September was cancelled.[6] The first match at Bishop's Stortford in June was drawn. In August, the UNEE won by 8 wickets at Hunslet.[7] In September, the tide turned and the USEE recorded its first win over the UNEE by 8 wickets.[8]
The elevens did not meet in 1873 and there were two matches in 1874 at Todmorden and Wellingborough. At Todmorden in July, the USEE won convincingly by an innings and 30 runs, largely due to a century by Henry Charlwood and ten wickets taken by W G Grace.[9] The USEE won by 9 wickets at Wellingborough in September after the UNEE followed on.[10]
There were no matches in 1875 and then the UNEE reasserted itself in 1876 with a win and a draw from two matches. The first at Fartown Ground, Huddersfield was won by 7 wickets after Andrew Greenwood scored 111.[11] In the second match at the Town Cricket Club Ground in Hull, the UNEE was saved by an innings of 108 not out by Ephraim Lockwood but the highlight of the match was W G Grace's innings of 126 in a USEE total of only 159.[12]
That was the last time the UNEE played the USEE although there was a curious footnote to the series when the USEE played against the official North of England cricket team in 1880.[13] The North's team in this match at Rotherham bore little resemblance to the UNEE but, nevertheless, the official North hammered another nail into the coffin of the unofficial USEE with a 53 run victory.