1761 English cricket season

1761 English cricket season
Cricket formats major, including single wicket

The famous Chertsey Cricket Club was active in the 1761 English cricket season but overall there was again a scarcity of games possibly because of the war situation.

Matches

Date Match Title Venue Result
27 June (S) Essex v Kent[1] Billericay result unknown

This was announced in the Ipswich Journal of the previous Saturday, 20 June, as: 11 men of Kent v. the best 11 of Essex. The precise venue was The Crown in Billericay.

1 July (W) Chertsey v Dartford[1] Laleham Burway result unknown

Played for 20 guineas a side. Chertsey had three given men: William Piper, Charles Sears and Thomas Woods. The latter is interesting given the confusion over players called Wood or Woods in the 1770s; there was a Surrey player at that time who was variously called John Wood or Thomas Wood. The Whitehall Evening Post on Saturday 27 June said: Great sport is expected as they are accounted as good 22 men as any in England.

31 August (M) Richmond v Chertsey[2] Richmond Green result unknown

Played for £20 a side.

28 September (M) Chertsey v Hampton[1] Laleham Burway result unknown

Announced in the Whitehall Evening Post on Sat 26 September. Hampton had Charles Sears, John Haynes and Shock White as given men.[1] The enigmatic Shock White, who was a Brentford man, is not to be confused with Thomas White of Reigate.

Other events

Thurs 2 July. The Whitehall Evening Post reported the death of Mr George Smith on Mon 29 June at The Castle in Marlborough.[1] He was formerly the keeper of the Artillery Ground and the landlord of the adjoining Pyed Horse in Chiswell Street.

Tues 7 July. The Leeds Intelligencer (now the Yorkshire Post) announced a game to be played at Chapeltown the following Thursday (9 July) and this is the first game known of in the Leeds area. Sheffield had been a known centre of Yorkshire cricket since 1751.

Sat 18 July. The General Evening Post reported that part of the walls of Bunhill Fields Burial Ground and the Artillery Ground will shortly be taken down to widen that part of the City Road.[1] See also 28 August 1776.

Thurs 3 September. The General Evening Post announced an odds game in Essex with 22 of the county to play the Dartford XI. This is the first known instance of 22 playing against 11. Dartford were to have Tom Faulkner and Durling as given men.[3]

First mentions

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
  2. H T Waghorn, The Dawn of Cricket, Electric Press, 1906
  3. G B Buckley, Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket, Cotterell, 1937

Bibliography

Additional reading

External links