1774 English cricket season

Last updated August 14, 2023

The 1774 English cricket season was the third in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of five first-class matches have survived.

Laws revision

The Laws of Cricket were revised during a meeting held at the Star and Garter on Pall Mall, London during February. This was attended by a range of influential cricket figures who produced "New Articles of the Game of Cricket", essentially a revised version of the 1744 Laws.^[1]^[2]

The revision of the Laws formalised the standard width of a cricket bat at 4.25 inches (10.8 cm), a measure that had been introduced by the Hambledon Club following the Monster Bat Incident of 1771.^[3] The weight of a cricket ball was narrowed to between 5.5 ounces (160 g) and 5.75 ounces (163 g), having previously been limited to between 5 ounces (140 g) and 6 ounces (170 g),^[3]^[4] and the toss of a coin was removed from the game, with the visiting team instead having the choice of whether to bat or bowl first.^[5]^[6]

The revision introduced Leg Before Wicket (LBW) as a means of dismissal, stating that "the striker is out if he puts his leg before the wicket with a design to stop the ball and actually prevent the ball from hitting it".^[7] The introduction of LBW stemmed from batsmen deliberately blocking the ball using their legs rather than attempting to play it with their bat, most notably a player named Ring.^[8] While the Law was revised nine times between its introduction and 1831,^[8] it was not until 1839 that the Law was amended to state that the ball had to pitch in line with the stumps in order for the batsman to be out.^[9]

Matches

Five first-class match scorecards survive from 1774.^[10]^[11]

22–24 June - Hampshire XI v England - Broadhalfpenny Down ^[12]
7–8 July - England v Hampshire XI - Sevenoaks Vine ^[13]
20–21 July - Surrey XI v Hampshire XI - Guildford Bason ^[14]
8–10 August - Kent XI v Hampshire XI - Sevenoaks Vine^[15]
15–18 August - Hampshire XI v Kent XI - Broadhalfpenny Down^[16]

In the match between Hampshire and England on 7–8 July, bowler William Bullen took the first known five wicket haul in first-class matches: note that bowlers in this era were only credited with a wicket when they bowled the batsman.

Six other matches are known to have been played during the season, including matches between county teams. Full scorecards do not survive from these matches.^[17]

Debutants

The following players made their first known appearance during the 1774 season.

William Brazier (Kent)
Richard Miller (Surrey)
Muggeridge (Surrey)
Waller (Kent)

Related Research Articles

Leg before wicket (lbw) is one of the ways in which a batter can be dismissed in the sport of cricket. Following an appeal by the fielding side, the umpire may rule a batter out lbw if the ball would have struck the wicket but was instead intercepted by any part of the batter's body. The umpire's decision will depend on a number of criteria, including where the ball pitched, whether the ball hit in line with the wickets, the ball's expected future trajectory after hitting the batter, and whether the batter was attempting to hit the ball.

Broadhalfpenny Down is a historic cricket ground in Hambledon, Hampshire. It is known as the "Cradle of Cricket" because it was the home venue in the 18th century of the Hambledon Club, but cricket predated the club and ground by at least two centuries. The club is in the parish of Hambledon close to the neighbouring parish of Clanfield. The club took the name of the neighbouring rural village of Hambledon, about 2.7 miles away by road.

Richard Nyren was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket during the heyday of the Hambledon Club. A genuine all-rounder and the earliest known left-hander of note, Nyren was the captain of Hampshire when its team included players like John Small, Thomas Brett and Tom Sueter. Although the records of many matches in which he almost certainly played have been lost, he made 51 known appearances between 1764 and 1784. He was known as the team's "general" on the field and, for a time, acted as the club secretary as well as taking care of matchday catering for many years.

In the 1772 English cricket season, it became normal practice to complete match scorecards and there are surviving examples from every subsequent season. Scorecards from 1772 have been found for three eleven-a-side matches in which the Hampshire county team played against an England team, and for one top-class single wicket match between Kent and Hampshire. The three Hampshire v England matches have been unofficially recognised by certain sources as first-class, although no such standard existed at the time. Prior to 1772, only four scorecards have survived, the last from a minor match in 1769.

Joseph Miller was a noted English cricketer who is generally considered to have been one of the greatest batsmen of the 18th century. He is mostly associated with Kent but also made appearances for All-England and Surrey. First recorded in the 1769 season, Miller made 65 known appearances from then to 1783. He was unquestionably an outstanding batsman and perhaps second only to John Small in the 18th century.

In the 1773 English cricket season, there was a downturn in the fortunes of the Hambledon Club as their Hampshire team lost every match they are known to have played, and some of their defeats were heavy. Their poor results owed much to star bowler Thomas Brett having been injured. Three other county teams were active: Kent, Middlesex and Surrey. Teams called England took part in five matches, all against Hampshire, and won all five.

The 1775 English cricket season was the fourth in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of four first-class matches have survived.

The 1776 English cricket season was the fifth in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of seven first-class matches have survived. The earliest printed cricket scorecard templates were introduced during 1776.

The 1777 English cricket season was the sixth in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of six first-class matches have survived. James Aylward made a record score of 167 runs that stood until 1820.

The 1778 English cricket season was the seventh in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of five first-class matches have survived.

The 1779 English cricket season was the eighth in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of five first-class matches have survived.

The 1780 English cricket season was the ninth in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of four first-class matches have survived. The first six-seam cricket balls were used during the season.

The 1788 English cricket season was the 17th in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status and the second after the foundation of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The season saw 11 first-class matches played in the country.

Frederick William Lillywhite was an English first-class cricketer during the game's roundarm era. One of the main protagonists in the legalisation of roundarm, he was one of the most successful bowlers of his era. His status is borne out by his nickname: The Nonpareil.

Horace Bates was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1822 to 1832.

George Bennett, sometimes known as Farmer Bennett, was an English professional cricketer, who played first-class cricket from 1853 to 1873. He was mainly associated with Kent County Cricket Club, and made more than 150 appearances in first-class matches.

Events in world sport through the years 1771 to 1775.

In English cricket, the years from 1751 to 1775 are notable for the rise of the Hambledon Club and the continuing spread of the sport across England. The Laws of Cricket underwent a re-codification in 1775, including the introduction of the leg before wicket rule and the addition of the third stump to the wicket.

References

↑ Ross G (1975) 200 years of laws, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack , 1975. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
↑ Mortimer G (2013) Object 5: Laws of the game], in A History of Cricket in 100 Objects. London: Profile Books. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
1 2 Vamplew W (2007) Playing with the Rules: Influences on the Development of Regulation in Sport, p.33–34. University of Stirling. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
↑ Cricket, Encyclopædia Britannica online (revised 2019-01-03). Retrieved 2019-02-16.
↑ Dates in cricket history, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack , 1953. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
↑ Rundell M (2009) Wisden Dictionary of Cricket. London: A & C Black. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
↑ Quoted at The evolution of the lbw, CricInfo, 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
1 2 Nasim R (2000) LBW -The cause of crisis in cricket, CricInfo, 2000-09-27. Retrieved 2019-02-16.
↑ The evolution of the lbw, op. cit.
↑ Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) (1981) A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
↑ Results, English Domestic Season 1774, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
↑ England v Hampshire, Scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
↑ England v Hampshire, Scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
↑ Surrey v Hampshire, Scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
↑ Kent v Hampshire, Scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
↑ Hampshire v Kent, Scorecard, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
↑ Other matches in England 1774, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2019-02-10.