1857 English cricket season

1857 English cricket season

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1857 was the 71st season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). ^{[note 1]} A highlight was the first AEE v UEE contest.

Important matches

1857 match list

Events

The AEE and UEE began an annual series of matches against each other that continued until 1869. The fixture was the most important of the season while it lasted. Two games were played in 1857, both at Lord's and both won by the AEE.

AEE players in 1857 included: G Parr (captain), AJD Diver, HH Stephenson, J Caesar, RC Tinley, G Anderson, E Willsher and J Jackson.

UEE players in 1857 included: J Wisden (captain), J Dean, J Grundy, W Caffyn, John Lillywhite, T Lockyer, W Mortlock and W Martingell.

J. Grundy became the first player to be given out handling the ball when playing for MCC vs. Kent at Lord's.

Leading batsmen

William Caffyn was the leading runscorer with 612 @ 18.00

Other leading batsmen were: J Lillywhite, G Parr, T Lockyer, J Grundy, J Caesar, HH Stephenson, J Wisden, J Dean

Leading bowlers

William Caffyn was the leading wicket-taker with 126

Other leading bowlers were: J Wisden, J Jackson, E Willsher, G Griffith, W Martingell, J Lillywhite, CDB Marsham, FW Bell

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.

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.
• 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.

External links

• CricketArchive – season summaries