1769 English cricket season

Cricket season review November 2025 November 2025 1768 1768 English cricket season 1770 1770 English cricket season The 1769 English cricket season was the last in which the original London Cricket Club and the Artillery Ground feature prominently in the records. Details of eleven 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. The increasing stature of the Hambledon Club was encouraging a shift in focus from the Artillery Ground towards Broadhalfpenny Down, which became a major venue through the 1770s. The process may have been accelerated by Hambledon's innings victory over Surrey in September. The highlight of this match was one of the earliest known century partnerships, between Tom Sueter and George Leer of Hambledon, described by a contemporary reporter as 'remarkable'. Elsewhere, John Minshull scored the first definitely recorded century in the sport's history, albeit in a minor match. Kent v London Kent and London played each other three times in August.ACS 1981 23 The first match was in Blackheath, and Kent won by 47 runs. According to the Middlesex Journal: 'Greenwich, Woolwich and Deptford beat the Artillery Club of London by 47 notches'.Buckley 1935 50–52 The other two matches took place on the Artillery Ground. In the first of these, London won by 56 runs, and a report said: 'A great match at cricket was played in the Artillery Ground, for a very large sum of money (£20,000), and great bets depending, between eleven gentlemen of London and eleven of Kent : the match not being played out, they began again yesterday at two in the afternoon; when the Londoners beat by 56 notches'.Waghorn 1899 69 The last match was played on Saturday, 26 August, and Kent won by 6 wickets.Buckley 1935 50–52 Hambledon v Caterham The Hambledon and Caterham clubs met 29 June on Broadhalfpenny Down, and 31 July to 1 August at Guildford Bason.ACS 1981 23 The result of the first is unknown, and Hambledon won the second by 4 wickets. A report of the game in the Reading Mercury on Saturday, 5 August reads: 'On Monday last began to be played at Guildford, in Surrey, the decisive grand match at cricket between the Hambledon and Caterham Clubs, which, after a long and vigorous contest, was determined on Tuesday evening in favour of the former. The utmost activity and skill in the game was displayed by each individual through the whole course of this match, but particularly the batting of Messrs Small and Bayton on the Hambledon team. There were near 20,000 spectators, and it is generally allowed by the best judges to have been the finest match that ever was played".Buckley 1935 50–52 The Hambledon team was: Thomas Ridge, William Hogsflesh, Thomas Brett, Peter Stewart, Richard Nyren, John Small, John Bayton, Glazier, Tom Sueter, Purdy, and William Barber.Buckley 1935 50–52 The Caterham team was: Henry Rowett, Bellchambers, Lumpy Stevens, Page, Joseph Miller, Smailes, John Wood, Will Palmer, Shepherd, Thomas Quiddington, and Wessing.Buckley 1935 50–52 A report in the Whitehall Evening Post on Tuesday, 8 August states: 'Guildford. The benefit arising to this town by the last great match at Cricket has set many projections on foot for more sport of that sort. They talk of a match soon for £1,000 a side between a certain Duke against All England'. John Sackville had succeeded to his title as 3rd Duke of Dorset on 6 January 1769.Buckley 1935 50–52 The Middlesex Journal, dated Thursday, 3 August, states: 'The afternoon of the first day was wet; the close of play scores were: Caterham, 104; Hambledon, 51 for 4'. As this was the 'decisive grand match', it leaves open the question of another one played betfore the 'first match' on 29 June, or between that match and this one.Buckley 1935 50–52 On 28 September, Hambledon played Surrey on Broadhalfpenny Down.ACS 1981 24 Hambledon won by an innings and 41 runs.Waghorn 2005 33 It is possible that Surrey was Caterham again, because a newspaper report said: 'the second great match of cricket was played on Broad-halfpenny'. The reporter went on to say: 'What is very remarkable, the two first mates on the Hambledon team (Sueter and Leer) fetched 128 before they were parted'. This is the sport's second known century partnership, and the first in which the batters' names are known: Tom Sueter and George Leer.Waghorn 2005 33 Berkshire v Surrey Berkshire played their first eleven-a-side match as an individual county team on 8 June, when they hosted Surrey on Datchet Common.ACS 1981 23 The match was reported by the St James Chronicle on Tuesday, 13 June. Surrey won by 6 runs.Buckley 1935 50–52 Duke of Dorset's XI v Wrotham Although this was certainly a minor match, it has a place in cricket history because John Minshull, whose name was given as Minchin on the scoresheet, scored 107 for Dorset's XI in the second innings—the first century in any class of cricket that has definitely been recorded.Bowen 1970 56Maun 2011 205 Other events On Monday, 8 May, a combined Caterham & Coulsdon team played against England at Smitham Bottom, Coulsdon; the result is unknown. The exact venue was to be a field belonging to the Red Lion at Smitham Bottom, and it was a Whitsuntide event.Buckley 1935 50–52 The Middlesex Journal reported on Thursday, 6 July: 'Yesterday a Mr. Carter, a very eminent butcher of Grub Street, but of a corpulent body, was playing at Cricket in the Artillery Ground, making a stroke at the ball which he missed, he threw himself round with so great force that he broke his knee pan (knee cap). He was carried home, with little hope of ever recovering the use of his leg again'.Buckley 1935 50–52 On Thursday, 20 July, a report in the Whitehall Evening Post said: 'Nothing can exceed the vogue that Cricket has in some parts of Surrey and Hampshire: the people are so fond of it that it is common for them to ride 40 miles to be mere spectators at a Cricket match. A few days ago 22 expert players played a match not far from Godalming when each team got the same number of notches at both innings, which was esteemed very extraordinary'.Buckley 1935 50–52 The Reading Mercury published a letter from 'An old Cricket Player' on Monday, 24 July, concerning: 'A Reading v. Sonning match on Bulmarsh Heath on Fri., 21 July, complaining of the latter's unfair tactics. Sonning batted first and made 86: Reading then made 187, sacrificing their last five wickets: Sonning then made 125 which put them 24 ahead. There had been a bet between a player on each team on their total individual scores. The Sonning player made 9 the first innings, and between 60 & 70 the second : the Reading player having made 41 the first innings could not exceed the other's total as only 25 runs were wanted to win the match. There was a dispute over that, but finally the Reading player agreed to go in for the game. Sonning at first refused to play or to pay the money, although there was nearly an hour to go; they finally went into the held, and "by throwing the ball about, out of the way" so delayed the game that it could not be played out'.Buckley 1935 50–52 On Tuesday, 1 August, the Whitehall Evening Post reported: 'We are informed that the great match at Cricket, which has been so long in agitation, will be decided one day next week on the downs at Calais. On this match near £5,000 is depending : the players are to be all English men'.Buckley 1935 50–52 Middlesex played London in Stanmore on Saturday, 26 August.ACS 1981 23 The Bath Chronicle reported this on Thursday, 31 August, and said: 'London beat Middlesex for 50 guineas'.Buckley 1935 50–52 West Kent were to play Surrey on Friday, 22 September, at Sevenoaks Vine.ACS 1981 23 It was announced the previous day in the St James Chronicle, but no post-match report has been found. West Kent was then the Duke of Dorset's team.Buckley 1935 50–52 First mentions Clubs and teams BerkshireBuckley 1935 50–52 Caterham & CoulsdonBuckley 1935 50–52 Duke of Dorset's XIBowen 1970 56Maun 2011 205 WrothamMaun 2011 205 Players 100% 33.33% William Barber (Hambledon/Hampshire) S. Bartram (Duke of Dorset's XI) Bishop (Dorset's XI) William Bowra (Kent/Dorset's XI) Thomas Brett (Hambledon/Hampshire) Jasper Fish (Kent/Dorset's XI) Glazier (Hambledon/Hampshire) William Hogsflesh (Hambledon/Hampshire) George Leer (Hambledon/Hampshire) 33.33% Joseph Miller (Kent/Dorset's XI) John Minshull (Kent/Dorset's XI) Richard Nyren (Hambledon/Hampshire) Oliver (Dorset's XI) Page (Chertsey/Surrey) Thomas Pattenden (Kent/Dorset's XI) Purdy (Hambledon/Hampshire) Thomas Quiddington (Chertsey/Surrey) 33.33% Shearcy (Dorset's XI) Shepherd (Chertsey/Surrey) Lumpy Stevens (Chertsey/Surrey) Tom Sueter (Hambledon/Hampshire) Wessing (Chertsey/Surrey) Whiting (Dorset's XI) John Wood (Kent/Dorset's XI) John Wood (Chertsey/Surrey) Venues Guildford BasonBuckley 1935 50–52 Stanmore (unspecified)Buckley 1935 50–52 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 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 Maun Ian Ian Maun From Commons to Lord's, Volume Two: 1751 to 1770 2011 Martin Wilson Leicester 978-09-56906-60-1 Waghorn H. T. H. T. Waghorn Cricket Scores, Notes, &c. From 1730–1773 Blackwood Edinburgh 1899 1086375331 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 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 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:1760s in cricket Category:English cricket seasons in the 18th century Category:1769 in England