External links
- Bloomsbury – the Wisden Archive Eton v Harrow
| The ground |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches |
| |
| Records | ||
| Eton v Harrow | |
|---|---|
| First played | 1805 |
| Rematch | 1818 |
| Annual event since | 1822 |
| Current champion | Harrow |
| Wins, draws and total years not played | |
| Eton | 60 |
| Harrow | 61 |
| Drawn matches | 68 |
| Total years not played | 5 |
| Last year not played | 2020 |
The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual match between public school rivals Eton College and Harrow School. It is the oldest modern sporting rivalry between two schools, one of the longest-running annual sporting fixtures in the world and is the last annual school cricket match still to be played at Lord's. [1] [2]
In February 2022, the MCC announced that from 2023 onwards the fixture would no longer be held at the ground. [3] It would be replaced by the finals of boys’ and girls’ schools competitions, as stated by MCC to be more inclusive. [4] However, in September, 2022, following opposition from a section of its membership, the club decided that the match would be held at Lord's in 2023 to allow time for further consultation. [5] In March, 2023 it was announced that the fixture would continue to be played at Lord's until at least 2027, following which there would be a review and a possible vote in 2028 on whether the match should remain at Lord's. [6]
Cricket was being played by teams at English public schools by the time of the English Commonwealth. Horace Walpole entered Eton in 1726, and later wrote that playing cricket was a common occurrence at the school. Westminster School played matches against Eton at Tothill Fields in the 1790s. By the early 19th century, cricket was well established in English public and grammar schools. [7] [8]
There is some evidence for earlier matches between Eton and Harrow, but teams from the schools definitely played a cricket match at Lord's Old Ground in 1805, probably organised by the boys. They moved to Lord's Cricket Ground for a rematch in 1818, and played again in 1822. From 1822, the match has been an annual event, with the exceptions of 1829–1831, 1856 and 2020. During the two World Wars it was relocated away from Lord's.
A triangular tournament at Lord's also involving Winchester – Public Schools Week – ran until 1854; it was emulated by matches of other schools, particularly Charterhouse, Rugby and Westminster. The schools were early adopters of cricket caps: Eton (light blue) and Winchester (blue) in 1851, and Harrow (striped) in 1852, followed by Cambridge (1861) and Oxford (1863).
The first Eton–Harrow match in 1805 preceded by one year the first Gentlemen v Players in 1806. Charles Wordsworth, nephew of William Wordsworth, played for Harrow in the four matches in 1822 to 1825, and arranged the first University Match at Lord's in 1827, two years before the first Boat Race. Many Eton and Harrow players went on to win blues at Oxford and Cambridge. Eton v Harrow was joined by the University Match and Gentlemen v Players as the three key features in the England cricket season.
In its heyday, in the late 19th century and early 20th century, "the Schools day" was one of the highlights of the London "season", alongside Henley Royal Regatta and Royal Ascot. [7] [8] The number of spectators necessitated the first introduction of viewing stands and a boundary rope at Lord's in 1866. The game made national newspaper headlines, and was attended by schoolboys large and small, their elder brothers and fathers, accompanied by their ladies and other members of London society. The match in 1914 was attended by over 38,000 people during its two days. Even in 2008, the match attracted a larger crowd than any of Middlesex's first-class matches. [9]
The influence of the Eton v Harrow match waned as the dominance of amateurs in cricket was replaced by increasing professionalism, noticeably after the First World War and to an even greater extent after the Second.
It was not just Eton and Harrow that played at Lord's. There was a group of ten schools called 'The Lord's Schools' which had fixtures each season. These were Eton College, Harrow School, Tonbridge School, Marlborough College, Rugby School, Cheltenham College, The Oratory School, Haileybury College, Clifton College and Beaumont College (now closed).
Many famous individuals and famous cricketers have played in the match. Lord Byron played for Harrow in the 1805 match, Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis for Harrow in Fowler's match in 1910, Bolo Whistler for Harrow in 1916, Alec Douglas-Home for Eton in 1921 and 1922, Terence Rattigan for Harrow in 1929 and Henry Blofeld for Eton in 1955. Early prominent cricketers who played in the Eton v Harrow match include E. H. Budd, John Kirwan and Herbert Jenner (Eton); and Edward Grimston, Charles Harenc and Charles Wordsworth (Harrow). Between the 1870s and the 1890s, there were the Studd brothers, Bernard Bosanquet, Ivo Bligh, Martin Bladen (who later became Lord Hawke) and George Harris (who later became Lord Harris) (Eton); and A. N. Hornby, Archie MacLaren and Stanley Jackson (Harrow). Lionel Tennyson (later 3rd Baron Tennyson) played for Eton before the First World War, and Gubby Allen just afterwards. Around this time the prominent future amateurs for Derbyshire included Anthony Jackson, Geoffrey Jackson, Guy Jackson, Wilfred Hill-Wood and Basil Hill-Wood.
Other players who were later first-class cricketers were not selected for their school, including Charles Lyttelton (later 10th Viscount Cobham), Wykeham Cornwallis (later 2nd Baron Cornwallis), Nigel Haig and Denis Hill-Wood.
The match has included fifteen players from Eton and six from Harrow who later played for the England cricket team, most recently Nick Compton (Harrow) in Tests and Alex Loudon (Eton) in ODIs. In recent years, few players have gone on to become professionals in first-class cricket, exceptions being Compton, Gary Ballance and Sam Northeast from Harrow, and Jamie Bruce and Loudon from Eton.
Amongst the cricketers who became the coach at Eton or Harrow after their playing days, one was George Hirst, who coached at Eton for 18 years from 1921. [10]
Harrow won the latest edition in 2025 by 31 runs. Harrow batted first and scored 282/8 in their 55 Overs. Eton were always behind the run rate, the pressure told and they were eventually all out for 251. Harrow now overtake Eton as having won more matches. [11]
| The ground | | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches |
| |
| Records | ||