1819 English cricket season

1819 English cricket season

← 1818 1820 →

1819 was the 33rd season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The Gentlemen v Players match, previously played in 1806 only, was resurrected. Details of six matches are known. ^{[note 1]}

Events

• 7 September – death of Lumpy Stevens, arguably the greatest bowler of the 18th century
• According to James Pycroft in The Cricket Field, the size of the wickets was increased in 1817 to 27 inches (690 mm) by 8 inches (200 mm), but it seems more likely that the rule was introduced in 1819.
• With cricket still recovering from the effects of the Napoleonic War, a total of only 6 first-class matches were recorded in 1819:
  • 24 May – Cambridge Town Club v Cambridge University @ Parker's Piece, Cambridge
  • 7–9 June – All-England XII v Hampshire XII @ Lord's Cricket Ground ^{[5] [6]}
  • 21 June – Cambridge Town Club v Cambridge University @ Parker's Piece, Cambridge
  • 29–30 June – All-England v Hampshire @ Lord's Cricket Ground ^[7]
  • 7–9 July – Gentlemen v Players @ Lord's Cricket Ground ^[8]
  • 25–26 August – Epsom v Hampshire @ Epsom Downs ^[9]

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. Haygarth, p.420.
6. This match is an exception to the normal rule of eleven-a-side in first-class cricket.
7. Haygarth, p.423.
8. Haygarth, p.425.
9. Haygarth, p.427.

Bibliography

• ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709–1863. Nottingham: ACS. OCLC   85045528.
• ACS (1982). A Guide to First-class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles. Nottingham: ACS. OCLC   10586869.
• Haygarth, Arthur (1996) [1862]. Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Kennington: Frederick Lillywhite. ISBN   978-19-00592-23-9.
• Warner, Pelham (1946). Lords: 1787–1945. London: Harrap. OCLC   877106024.

Further reading

• Altham, H. S.; Swanton, E. W. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914) (5th ed.). London: George Allen & Unwin. OCLC   894274808.
• Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. London: Aurum Press. ISBN   978-18-54107-10-7 – via Internet Archive.
• Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode. ISBN   978-04-13278-60-9.
• Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. London: HarperCollins. ISBN   978-00-07183-64-7 – via Internet Archive.