1768 English cricket season

Cricket season review December 2025 December 2025 1767 1767 English cricket season 1769 1769 English cricket season The 1768 English cricket season saw the death of William Bedle, the first great cricketer, and the rise to prominence of John Small, the greatest player of the 1760s and 1770s. The season has left the third scorecard of an important match, although it only provides batsmen's scores and team totals. Details are known of nine historically important matches.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. William Bedle On Friday, 3 June, William Bedle died at his house near Dartford. He was 'near 90', and was 'formerly accounted the most expert cricket player in England'. Born in about 1678, he must have been in his prime during the first quarter of the 18th century. His death was reported by the Lloyd's Evening Post on Friday, 10 June.Buckley 1935 48 Bourne v Caterham Bourne and Caterham played each other four times in 1768. The first match was 10 June on Westerham Common, and Caterham won by 14 runs. The Kentish Weekly Post of Saturday, 11 June recorded the teams and individual scores.Buckley 1935 48 10 June 1768 Caterham Bourne 63 Smailes 25, Carpenter 8 no bowling data recorded 60 Muddle 15, Will Palmer 12 no bowling data recorded 150 Foule 33, Henry Rowett 30 no bowling data recorded 139 Richard Simmons 45, Will Palmer 23 no bowling data recorded Caterham won by 14 runs Westerham Common, Surrey not known Toss not known The primary source refers to the Caterham club as "Westerham & Caterham", probably because of the venue.Buckley 1935 48 This is the third time (and the first since 1744) that the individual scores in a significant match have survived. No details of dismissal were recorded.Buckley 1935 48 The next two matches, both played in the Caterham area, were announced by the St James Chronicle on Saturday, 23 July. The newspaper referred to the teams as Mr Horatio Mann's Club (Bourne) and Mr Henry Rowett's Club (Caterham). Neither result has been found.Buckley 1935 49 There was a fourth match on 12 August which was billed as Bourne v Surrey, though the Surrey team was probably Caterham again. The venue was Bishopsbourne Paddock, but the result is again unknown.Buckley 1935 49 Hampshire v Sussex On 5 August, Hampshire played Sussex on Broadhalfpenny Down; the result is unknown. The match was referenced in a letter dated Wednesday, 27 July, from Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh of Uppark to Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle: 'I hear there is to be a great Cricket match play'd next Friday s'ennight upon Broad-halfpenny, about 7 miles West of this place in Hampshire & at wch. The Duke of Richmond & many from the Chichester Div. Of the County will be present, for it is a match made by the Duke (Sussex against Hampshire) with a Mr. Ridge near Warnford; at wch. Mr. Sackville is to play (for) Sussex'.McCann 2004 72–73note nights The now archaic word s'ennight often occurs in 18th century writing. It is an abbreviation of 'seven nights' and means 'seven nights hence'. In this instance, Sir Matthew refers to a game taking place 'a week on Friday', in current parlance. The teams met again 10 September, also on Broadhalfpenny, and Hampshire won by 7 wickets.McCann 2004 73 A report states: 'Last Monday another great match at cricket was played on Broad Halfpenny between eleven gentlemen of the county of Sussex, against eleven of the Hambledon Club, for a large sum, which was won by the latter, who had seven wickets to go down. Mr Small got above four score notches in this match, and was not out when the game was finished'. It is not known if Small scored his 80-plus runs in one innings, or if it was his match total.McCann 2004 73 Hambledon v Kent 29 & 30 August : Hambledon v Kent on Broadhalfpenny Down. Hambledon won by 144 runs.ACS 1981 23 This was reported in the Reading Mercury on Saturday, 3 September, as: 'Last Tuesday the second great match at cricket was played on Broad-Halfpenny between eleven gentlemen of the Hambledon Club against eleven gentlemen of the county of Kent for a considerable sum, which was won by the former by upwards of 100 notches; but what is very remarkable, one Mr Small, of Petersfield, fetched above seven score notches off his own bat'.Waghorn 1899 66 Hambledon score 131 and 194, and Kent replied with 141 and 40, so Hambledon actually won by 144 runs—moreorless Small's contribution.Waghorn 1899 66 There is no confirmation, but Small may have scored cricket's earliest-known century in this game. The Mercury is ambiguous as it cannot be said for certain if his 140-plus was his match total, or his score in the second innings. Even if it was his match total, it remains possible that he scored a century in one innings, if he made 40 or less in the other.Maun 2011 188 Single wicket On Saturday, 28 May, the Kentish Weekly Post reported that 'last week in the Artillery Ground', a 'fives' game between the Hon. J. F. Sackville's team and Mr Horace Mann's team lasted two days. Sackville (soon to become 3rd Duke of Dorset) won by 4 wickets. The players and their individual scores are known. Mann's team of Bellchambers, John Boorman, James Fuggles, Thomas May, and Muddle scored 26 and 29; Sackville's team of Brobham, John Bayton, John Small, Birchett, and Mandy scored 20 and 36/1. May scored 10 and 12 for Mann, and Bayton of Hambledon scored 8 and 36* for Sackville, so Bayton's second innings decided the match. The more notable John Small scored only 3 and 0.Buckley 1935 47 Other events Essex v London was arranged for Wednesday, 8 June on Epping Common but the London team did not appear, and forfeited their deposit.Buckley 1935 48 The secondary sources have recorded three ladies' matches that took place in June between teams from Harting and Rogate in Sussex. These games attracted crowds of two to three thousand.Waghorn 1899 64–65McCann 2004 71–72 A match between Middlesex and Surrey, to be played 29 July in Stamford Hill,ACS 1981 23 was pre-announced in Lloyd's Evening Post on Wednesday, 27 July. The stake was to be 100 guineas a side. No post-match report has been found.Buckley 1937 4 First mentions Players 100% 33.33% John Bayton (Hampshire) Bellchambers (Surrey) Birchett (Caterham) Blake (Caterham) John Boorman (Kent/Essex) Brobham (Kent) Carpenter (Caterham) John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (Kent) Foule (Surrey) 33.33% Edward Francis (Caterham) T. Francis (Caterham) James Fuggles (Kent) Golding (Bourne) Love (Bourne) Mandy (Kent) Richard May (Kent) Thomas May (Kent) Miller (Caterham) 33.33% Muddle (Kent) Will Palmer (Kent/Surrey) Thomas Ridge (Hampshire) Richard Simmons (Kent) Smailes (Caterham) John Small (Hampshire) Twinker (Caterham) Ward (Bourne) Venues Stamford Hill (unspecified)Buckley 1937 4 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 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 Maun Ian Ian Maun From Commons to Lord's, Volume Two: 1751 to 1770 2011 Martin Wilson Leicester 978-09-56906-60-1 McCann Tim Timothy J. McCann Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century 2004 West Sussex Record Office Lewes 978-08-54450-55-8 https://www.sussexrecordsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/Digital_editions/SRS-Vol-88.pdf 88 Waghorn H. T. H. T. Waghorn Cricket Scores, Notes, &c. From 1730–1773 Blackwood Edinburgh 1899 1086375331 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 Bowen Rowland Rowland Bowen Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development 1970 Eyre & Spottiswoode London 978-04-13278-60-9 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:1768 in England