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1826 English cricket season
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Cricket season review
March 2015
May 2026
1825 1825 English cricket season 1827 1827 English cricket season
The 1826 English cricket season was the 40th since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The revival of inter-county cricket gathered pace and William Clarke made his known debut in historically important eleven-a-side 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.
Honours
Most runs – Tom Marsden 227 @ 227.00 (HS 227: he had just the one innings)
Most wickets – William Lillywhite 27 (BB 9–?)
Important matches
A total of seven important matches were recorded in 1826, including four inter-county matches.ACS 1981 33
Events
The Lord's pavilion, gutted by fire in July 1825, was rebuilt in time for MCC's annual dinner on Thursday 11 May.
Inter-county cricket flourished again, mainly through the efforts of the Sussex county organisation based on the Midhurst club. Sussex played matches against Kent and a combined Hampshire/Surrey team.
24 to 26 July — Yorkshire's first great player Tom Marsden scored 227 for Sheffield and Leicester v Nottingham at the Darnall New Ground in Sheffield. A report said that Marsden batted over eight hours, approximately 4½ hours on the 25th and 3½ hours on the 26th.
5 May — a significant event that would in time accelerate the spread of cricket throughout England was the passage of an Act of Parliament that authorised creation of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway and effectively began the "railway boom".
31 December — death of John Small, the great Hambledon batsman.
First mentions
Top-class players who made their known debuts in 1826:
William Clarke – Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. An outstanding slow bowler who founded the All England Eleven in 1846.https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28566/28566.html William Clarke CricketArchive 12 February 2026 subscription
Thomas Box – Sussex. One of the greatest wicket-keepers of the 19th century. Played for over 30 seasons and then became proprietor of the Royal New Ground (known as "Box's Ground) and the Royal Brunswick Ground.https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28060/28060.html Thomas Box CricketArchive 12 February 2026 subscription
Tom Marsden – Sheffield and Yorkshire. Left-handed batter who was noted for his hard-hitting style, and a roundarm slow left arm spinner. Also an important single wicket player.Haygarth 1997 12https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/31/31238/31238.html Tom Marsden CricketArchive 12 February 2026 subscription
Thomas Barker – Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Roundarm fast bowler.https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/27/27686/27686.html Thomas Barker CricketArchive 12 February 2026 subscription
James Cobbett – Middlesex and MCC. All-rounder who bowled with a slow roundarm action.https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/28/28600/28600.html James Cobbett CricketArchive 12 February 2026 subscription
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
Haygarth Arthur Arthur Haygarth Scores & Biographies, Volume 2 (1827–1840) Frederick Lillywhite Kennington 1997 1862 978-19-00592-23-9
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
Haygarth Arthur Arthur Haygarth Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826) Frederick Lillywhite Kennington 1996 1862 978-19-00592-23-9
Major John John Major More Than A Game 2007 HarperCollins London 978-00-07183-64-7 https://archive.org/details/morethangamestor0000majo_b8t0 Internet Archive
Warner Pelham Pelham Warner Lords: 1787–1945 1946 Harrap London 877106024
Category:1820s in cricket
Category:English cricket seasons in the 19th century
Category:1826 in England