1827 was the 41st season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club. It saw the first playing of the University match and the introduction of roundarm bowling as an accepted way of delivering the ball. [note 1]
The controversy surrounding roundarm bowling came to a head before the season began and three trial matches were played between Sussex and All-England. No firm conclusions were drawn in the immediate aftermath of the trials and it was many years before roundarm was formally legalised, but in practice roundarm was adopted in 1827 as its practitioners, especially William Lillywhite and Jem Broadbridge of Sussex, continued to use it with little, if any, opposition from umpires.[ citation needed ] Underarm bowling did not cease and continued into the twentieth century with George Simpson-Hayward being the last major exponent.
On 22 August, George Rawlins playing for Sheffield against Nottingham [5] became the first batsman to be out hit the ball twice in a first-class game. [6] This has since occurred only six more times in English first-class cricket,[ citation needed ] and not since 1906.
The first University match was held between Cambridge University and Oxford University at Lord's on 2 June. The two-day match was drawn. The match did not become an annual fixture until 1838.[ citation needed ]
Yorkshire's Tom Marsden was the leading runscorer with 308 runs scored at a batting average of 25.66 ahead of Kent's James Saunders who scored 299 at an average of 24.91 including the season's only first-class century.
William Ashby of Kent was the leading wicket-taker with 29 wickets ahead of Sussex's Jem Broadbridge with 27.