1881 English cricket season

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1881 English cricket season
1880
1882

1881 was the 95th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). There was a first outright title win by Lancashire and a strike by the Nottinghamshire professionals, led by their main bowler Alfred Shaw, over benefits and terms. [1]

Contents

Champion County

[a]

Playing record (by county)

CountyPlayedWonLostDrawn
Derbyshire 8251
Gloucestershire 10424
Hampshire 2020
Kent 10370
Lancashire 13 [b] 1003
Middlesex 9 [b] 333
Nottinghamshire 12444
Surrey 14491
Sussex 12381
Yorkshire 161033

[2]

Leading batsmen (qualification 20 innings)

1881 English season leading batsmen [3]
NameTeamMatchesInningsNot outsRunsHighest scoreAverage100s50s
A. N. Hornby Lancashire
MCC
25380153418840.3637
W. G. Grace Gloucestershire 1322179218237.7124
Charles Leslie Oxford University
Middlesex
13232741111 not out35.2825
George Ulyett Yorkshire 24402124311232.7119
Walter Read Surrey 1630193116032.1016

Leading bowlers (qualification 1,000 balls)

1881 English season leading bowlers [4]
NameTeamBalls bowledRuns concededWickets takenAverageBest bowling5 wickets
in innings
10 wickets
in match
Allen Hill Yorkshire 13454374310.166/1820
George Nash Lancashire 18265575210.717/2241
Alec Watson Lancashire35048166911.827/3752
Dick Barlow Lancashire29889407911.898/2952
Tom Emmett Yorkshire24389197612.098/2261

Nottinghamshire strike

Nottinghamshire's professionals, led by Alfred Shaw, held a strike over playing contracts agreed by the MCC and secretary Captain Henry Holden. The players demanded security of contract for all games during the season and the right to organise their own terms [5] rather than those set by the MCC, which during the 1870s as county cricket grew established a strong grip on terms for professional players. [5]

The dispute meant that seven of Nottinghamshire's top players did not play for the first half of the season, and leading batsman Arthur Shrewsbury played only three first-class games all year. [1] Shaw and Shrewsbury used the dispute to organise an eight-month tour of Australia and New Zealand during the winter. [1]

Notable events

See also

Notes

a An unofficial seasonal title sometimes proclaimed by consensus of media and historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted. Although there are ante-dated claims prior to 1873, when residence qualifications were introduced, it is only since that ruling that any quasi-official status can be ascribed.
b The match between Middlesex and Lancashire at Lord's was cancelled because Harrow Wanderers had booked the ground on the same day.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 When cricketers went on strike
  2. Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Rigby A-Z of Cricket Records; p. 54 ISBN   072701868X
  3. First Class Batting in England in 1881
  4. First Class Bowling in England in 1881
  5. 1 2 Kynaston, David; WG’s Birthday Party; p. 28. ISBN   1408810115
  6. "Famous cricketers: the Randons" . www.hathernhistory.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.

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