1774 English cricket season

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1774 English cricket season
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The Laws of Cricket were substantially revised before the beginning of the 1774 English cricket season. The scorecards of five top-class matches have survived and there are reports of other senior matches, including two single wicket events. [note 1] Hampshire did much better than in 1773 and were unbeaten in their known results to the end of July but then they lost twice to Kent in August.

Contents

Single wicket

Records have survived of three matches played under single wicket rules. The first on 6–7 June was a five-a-side match between Hampshire and Kent at Moulsey Hurst for a stake of 100 guineas a side. Lumpy Stevens and Samuel Colchin played as given men for Hampshire and John Minshull as one for Kent. Hampshire scored 118 and 127; Kent scored 21 and 36. Hampshire won by 188 runs. Tom Sueter with 74 in the second Hampshire innings scored more than both innings of Kent on his own. [5]

The Kentish Gazette on 22 June advertised a single wicket match at Sevenoaks Vine on 27 June for £100 a side between the Kent professionals John Wood (i.e., the bowler from Seal) and William Bullen of Greenwich. The outcome was not reported. [6] On the same day, there was a five-a-side match between teams called Middlesex and London on Marylebone Fields. The stakes here were £20. [7]

Eleven-a-side matches

The scorecards of five senior matches, all involving Hampshire, have survived. In these five, Hampshire played twice each against England and Kent. The fifth match was against Surrey. Limited information about other matches has been found in contemporary newspapers. [8]

Matches with scorecards

22–24 June 1774
Scorecard
v
Hampshire won by innings and 52 runs [9]
Broadhalfpenny Down, near Hambledon, Hampshire


datematch titlevenuesourceresult
8–9 July (F-S) England v Hampshire Sevenoaks Vine [10] Hampshire won by 169 runs

Hampshire 139 (J Aylward 29, G Leer 28; W Bullen 5w) & 182 (J Aylward 61, T Sueter 30; J Wood 3w, S Colchin 3w); All-England 88 (J Wood 27; E Stevens 2w, T Brett 2w, R Nyren 2w) & 64 (S Colchin 19; E Stevens 4w). Hampshire were greatly helped by having Lumpy as a given man.

Both of the two John Woods were playing for All-England and we do not know which of them scored 27 or which of them took the three second innings wickets. They might well have shared the wickets. Oddly enough, we do know that it was John Wood of Chertsey who took a catch in the first innings!

William Bullen, Kent fast bowler, took five wickets in one innings. Though it must have occurred innumerable times previously, this is the first time in the statistical record (i.e. since 1772) that a bowler can definitely be credited with the 5wI feat.

This was the final appearance in senior matches by John Frame, the Kent fast bowler who was held by John Nyren to have been "the other principal with Lumpy" (i.e., in opposition to Hambledon). His greatest years were behind him when the statistical record began (he would have been 39 in 1772). He started playing in 1749. The bulk of his career was through the 1750s and 1760s and Scores & Biographies records him bowling for the Dartford/Kent team that beat All-England twice in 1759.

28 July (Th) Surrey v Hampshire Guildford Bason [11] Hampshire won by 7 wickets

Surrey 61 (W Palmer 26*; T Brett 5w, W Hogsflesh 2w) & 77 (H Attfield 16; T Brett 4w, R Francis 3w, R Nyren 2w); Hampshire 91 (John Small 28; T White 3w, J Wood of Chertsey 2w) & 48-3 (R Francis 14).

Thomas Brett's haul of at least nine wickets in the match is the highest recorded since the statistical record began and the second known instance of 5wI.

Two Surrey players in this game were Muggeridge and T Quiddington, both well known at the time and certainly active before 1772. They were both members of the Chertsey club. Quiddington's name has the alternative spelling of Quiddenden; his first name may have been Thomas but it is not certain. He is known to have been a long stop fielder and a “steady batter”. Muggeridge, of whom no details are known, played until about 1778.

The player called Richard Miller made a rare appearance in this game and the question has been asked about his possible relationship to Joseph Miller, who also played for Surrey on this occasion.

8–10 August (M-Tu) Kent v Hampshire Sevenoaks Vine [12] Kent won by innings & 35 runs

Hampshire 46 (John Small 18; E Stevens 4w) & 159 (John Small 55*, E Aburrow 26; F Booker 2w); Kent 240 (J Miller 95, Duke of Dorset 77, T Pattenden 24; T Brett 2w)

Joseph Miller's score of 95 was the highest individual innings on record to this time, beating the known record of 88 by Richard Newland in 1745 and by William Yalden in 1773.

This was the final match in the “first phase” of Richard Purchase’s career. The Hampshire bowler did not appear again until the 1781 season but then continued to play regularly until he finally retired after the 1803 season.

15–18 August (M-Th) Hampshire v Kent Broadhalfpenny Down [13] Kent won by 4 wickets

Hampshire 174 (John Small 45, R Nyren 35, J Aylward 30; E Stevens 3w) & 129 (E Aburrow 33, R Francis 22; S Colchin 2w, T White 2w); Kent 168 (J Miller 40, T Pattenden 35, W Bullen 27, S Colchin 25; T Brett 3w, W Barber 2w) & 136-6 (T White 50, J Miller 45; R Nyren 2w)

William Hogsflesh played as a substitute fielder in Kent's second innings because he did not bat for Hampshire. We do not know if he fielded in the Kent first innings. The interesting thing is that he was allowed to bowl, as he took the wicket of Richard Simmons.

Other matches

datematch titlevenuesourceresult
13–14 July (W-Th)Hampshire v KentBroadhalfpenny Down [14] Hampshire won by 10 wickets

The stake was £525. Kent had “Lumpy”, Thomas “Daddy” White and Samuel Colchin as given men, though Colchin seems to have been a Kent man. Kent issued a challenge to play two further matches; these were played in August and have surviving scorecards.

10 August (W)Maidstone v SussexMaidstone [15] Sussex won by 1 wicket

Sussex had two given men, both from Kent. It is assumed that the Maidstone team was the Duke of Dorset's XI. Sussex still needed three to win when their last man went in.

22–23 August (M-Tu)London v ChertseyArtillery Ground [16] London won by 5 wickets

Chertsey scored 146 & 97; London scored 158 & 86–5.

24 August (W)Sussex v MaidstonePeasmarsh [17] result unknown

This was due to be played by the same teams as on 10 August. No report was found.

14 September (W)Hambledon Parish v HampshireBroadhalfpenny Down [18] result unknown

This has historical interest but, as with a similar fixture earlier, it is probably a minor match.

27 September (Tu)Surrey v HampshireLaleham Burway [19] result unknown

Advertised on Sat 24 September in the St James Chronicle. The stakes were £100 a side and Surrey were to have Samuel Colchin as a given man.

Other events

The ACS list includes an Essex v Kent match at Ingatestone on 8 August but that was the same day as the Kent v Hampshire match at Sevenoaks, so it was probably a minor match between two parish sides using the names of their counties. [20]

Players

Based on data in the surviving match scorecards, the highest run-scorers in 1774 were Joseph Miller and John Small with 241 runs apiece. Bowlers were only credited with the wickets of those batsmen they bowled out; if the batsman was caught, only the fielder received credit. Also, the runs conceded by each bowler were not recorded. The highest wicket-takers were Thomas Brett (18) and Lumpy Stevens (17). The most catches were held by John Small (5) followed by Richard Nyren and Samuel Colchin (4 each). [21] [22] William Brazier, who became a prominent player for many years, made his first recorded senior appearance in the Kent v Hampshire match on 8–10 August. [12]

The Laws of Cricket 1774

The Laws of Cricket , first drafted ahead of the 1744 season, were extensively revised on 25 February 1774 by a committee representing several clubs and counties. They met at the Star and Garter in Pall Mall, London. The chairman was Sir William Draper and other members were the Duke of Dorset, the Earl of Tankerville, Sir Horatio Mann, Philip Dehany, John Brewer Davis, Harry Peckham, Charles Powlett, Francis Vincent, John Cooke, Charles Coles and Richard James. [23]

As reprinted in Scores & Biographies, the revised Laws stated: [23]

Notes

  1. ↑ Some eleven-a-side matches played from 1772 to 1863 have been rated "first-class" by certain sources. [1] However, the term only came into common use around 1864, when overarm bowling was legalised. It was formally defined as a standard by a meeting at Lord's, in May 1894, of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the county clubs which were then competing in the County Championship. The ruling was effective from the beginning of the 1895 season, but pre-1895 matches of the same standard have no official definition of status because the ruling is not retrospective. [2] Matches of a similar standard since the beginning of the 1864 season are generally considered to have an unofficial first-class status. [3] Pre-1864 matches which are included in the ACS' "Important Match Guide" may generally be regarded as top-class or, at least, historically significant. [4] For further information, see First-class cricket.

References

  1. ↑ "First-Class matches in England in 1772" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  2. ↑ Wisden (1948). Preston, Hubert (ed.). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (85th ed.). London: Sporting Handbooks Ltd. p. 813. OCLC   851705816.
  3. ↑ ACS 1982, pp. 4–5.
  4. ↑ ACS 1981, pp. 1–40.
  5. ↑ Waghorn 2005, p. 38.
  6. ↑ Buckley 1935, p. 64.
  7. ↑ Buckley 1935, p. 65.
  8. 1 2 ACS 1981, p. 24.
  9. 1 2 3 Haygarth 1996, p. 21.
  10. ↑ Haygarth 1996, p. 17.
  11. ↑ Haygarth 1996, p. 18.
  12. 1 2 Haygarth 1996, p. 19.
  13. ↑ Haygarth 1996, p. 20.
  14. ↑ Ashley-Cooper 1929, p. 22.
  15. ↑ McCann 2004, pp. 96–97.
  16. ↑ Buckley 1935, p. 67.
  17. ↑ McCann 2004, p. 97.
  18. ↑ Buckley 1935, p. 68.
  19. ↑ Buckley 1935, p. 69.
  20. ↑ Buckley 1935, p. 66.
  21. ↑ "Season summary: Batting by runs, 1774" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "Season summary: Bowling by wickets, 1774" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  23. 1 2 Haygarth 1996, pp. 16–17.

Bibliography

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