1781 English cricket season

Cricket season review November 2025 November 2025 1780 1780 English cricket season 1782 1782 English cricket season The earliest known mention of cricket in Lancashire occurred in the 1781 English season, and the Hambledon Club decided to abandon Broadhalfpenny Down. Details of thirteen historically important matches are known.note status Any match listed in the ACS' Important Match Guide (1981) is historically important, and therefore of the highest standard, whether or not a scorecard might exist. The same applies to numerous matches discovered by researchers since 1981.ACS 1981 1–40 For further information, see First-class cricket. Single wicket A five-a-side single wicket match between England and Hambledon was played on Moulsey Hurst. Hambledon won by 78 runs. Hambledon had Lumpy Stevens as a given man, and he bowled four England batsmen. Noah Mann made the top score in the match (67), and also held five catches to dismiss half of England's players. The other Hambledon players were John Small, Tom Sueter, and Richard Aubrey Veck. England's players were James Aylward, William Bedster, William Bullen, Robert Clifford, and Joseph Miller. Bullen took six wickets in the match (all bowled). The actual date of the match is unknown.Haygarth 1996 46 Hampshire v Kent Hampshire played four matches against Kent between June and August. The venues were Itchin Stoke Down, Bishopsbourne Paddock (twice), and the last-ever important match on Broadhalfpenny Down. The teams won two matches each. There were outstanding performances by several players including Lamborn, Noah Mann, James Aylward, Tom Sueter, Robert Clifford, and William Bullen.Haygarth 1996 47–50 Dorset's XI v Mann's XI The Duke of Dorset and Sir Horatio Mann arranged two matches between their own teams. As was often the case in the 18th century, team nomenclature varied from match to match. Dorset's team was either the Duke of Dorset's XI or West Kent; Mann's team was either Sir Horatio Mann's XI or East Kent.Haygarth 1996 47–49 The first match was in June on Sevenoaks Vine, where Dorset's XI won by 10 wickets.Haygarth 1996 47 The second was in August at Bishopsbourne Paddock. Dorset's XI won again, this time by 106 runs, after Tom Sueter had made two half-centuries in the match with 58 and 56. Lumpy Stevens took four wickets (bowled only) in each of the East Kent innings.Haygarth 1996 49 Leicester v Nottingham A match between Leicester and Nottingham took place at an unspecified venue in Loughborough on 17 and 18 September. It was reported in the Leicester Journal on Saturday, 22 September. Nottingham scored 50 and 73; Leicester had scored 73 and 9/2 when the game ended prematurely because of a dispute about wide deliveries. The repercussions dragged on and the dispute remained unresolved a year later.Buckley 1935 92–93 In early August, Leicester had played against Melton Mowbray on Barrowcliffe Meadow in Leicester. Melton Mowbray won by 16 runs.Buckley 1935 92 Berkshire Four matches involved teams from Berkshire. Maidenhead played Odiham twice in July, and both matches were won by Odiham.Waghorn 2005 54 Maidenhead then played against Buckinghamshire in August, and won by 124 runs.Waghorn 2005 54 In September, there was an inter-county match on Benson Common between Oxfordshire and Berkshire, but the result is unknown.Buckley 1935 93 Other events A match on Brinnington Moor in August is the earliest known reference to cricket being played in the counties of Cheshire and Lancashire.Bowen 1970 266 The match between two parish teams was reported in the Manchester Journal on Saturday, 1 September.Buckley 1937 10 Broadhalfpenny Down had been the Hambledon Club's chosen venue for at least 25 years. The Duke of Dorset supposedly commented that it was 'a bleak place to play cricket', and others agreed. The Down is actually two miles from the village of Hambledon, and it is uphill. Deciding that it was too remote, the club's members decided that Windmill Down, adjacent to the village, would be a more suitable venue.Birley 1999 39 First mentions Clubs and teams East KentHaygarth 1996 47–49 LeicesterBuckley 1935 92–93 Leicestershire & RutlandBuckley 1935 92–93 Melton MowbrayBuckley 1935 92 OdihamWaghorn 2005 54 Counties CheshireBuckley 1937 10Bowen 1970 266 LancashireBuckley 1937 10Bowen 1970 266 Players Hogben (Kent)Haygarth 1996 48–50 J. Martin (Essex)Haygarth 1996 48 Michael Remington (Kent)Haygarth 1996 44 T. Skinner (Hampshire)Haygarth 1996 48 Webb (Kent)Haygarth 1996 48 Venues Barrowcliffe MeadowBuckley 1935 92 Benson CommonBuckley 1935 93 Loughborough (unspecified)Buckley 1935 92–93 Notes note References Bibliography ACS Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709–1863 1981 ACS Nottingham https://archive.acscricket.com/online_library/match_guides/bi_imp_match_guide/index.html 85045528 Birley Derek Derek Birley A Social History of English Cricket 1999 Aurum Press London 978-18-54107-10-7 https://archive.org/details/socialhistoryofe0000birl_d1n5 Internet Archive Bowen Rowland Rowland Bowen Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development 1970 Eyre & Spottiswoode London 978-04-13278-60-9 Buckley G. B. G. B. Buckley Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket 1935 Cotterell & Co. Birmingham 23450280 Buckley G. B. G. B. Buckley Fresh Light on pre-Victorian Cricket 1937 Cotterell & Co. Birmingham 23469107 Haygarth Arthur Arthur Haygarth Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826) Frederick Lillywhite Kennington 1996 1862 978-19-00592-23-9 Waghorn H. T. H. T. Waghorn The Dawn of Cricket J. W. McKenzie London 2005 1906 978-09-47821-17-3 Further reading Altham H. S. Harry Altham E. W. Swanton E. W. Swanton A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914) 5th 1962 George Allen & Unwin London 894274808 Major John John Major More Than A Game 2007 HarperCollins London 978-00-07183-64-7 https://archive.org/details/morethangamestor0000majo_b8t0 Internet Archive Wilson Martin An Index to Waghorn Bodyline Books (limited edition, by subscription only) London 2005 Category:1780s in cricket Category:English cricket seasons in the 18th century Category:1781 in England