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Thomas Lord was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1787 to 1802. He made a brief comeback,playing in one further match in 1815. Overall,Lord made 90 known appearances in first-class cricket. He was mostly associated with Middlesex and with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) as a ground staff bowler.
William "Silver Billy" Beldham was an English professional cricketer who played for numerous teams between 1782 and 1821. He was born at Wrecclesham,near Farnham in Surrey,and died at Tilford,Surrey. In some sources,his name has been given as "Beldam" or "Beldum". A right-handed batting all-rounder,he is widely recognised as one of the greatest batsmen of cricket's underarm era. Using an underarm action,he bowled pitched deliveries at a fast medium pace. He generally fielded in close catching positions,mostly at slip and sometimes played as wicket-keeper.
Richard Nyren was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket during the heyday of the Hambledon Club. A genuine all-rounder and the earliest known left-hander of note,Nyren was the captain of Hampshire when its team included players like John Small,Thomas Brett and Tom Sueter. Although the records of many matches in which he almost certainly played have been lost,he made 51 known appearances between 1764 and 1784. He was known as the team's "general" on the field and,for a time,acted as the club secretary as well as taking care of matchday catering for many years.
Thomas Walker was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the days of the Hambledon Club and later for Surrey. He was famous for his brilliant defensive batting. He is also credited with introducing,roundarm bowling,the predecessor of modern overarm bowling.
White Conduit Fields in Islington was an early venue for cricket and several major matches are known to have been played there in the 18th century. It was the original home of the White Conduit Club,forerunner of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Later it was used by The Islington Albion Cricket Club,who played their last game at the ground in 1834. Maps from the time show that the cricket field was a few hundred metres north of the White Conduit House,in the land surrounding the modern Richmond Crescent,and paintings suggest it was also possibly on the adjacent field to the south at the modern Barnard Park.
The White Conduit Club (WCC) was a cricket club based on the northern fringes of London that existed from about 1782 until 1788. Although short-lived,it had considerable significance in the history of the game,as its members created the first Lord's venue and reorganised themselves as the new Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
David Harris was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1782 to 1798.
Robert Clifford was an English cricketer who played in 71 first-class cricket matches between 1777 and 1792.
George Finch,9th Earl of Winchilsea,was an English peer,army officer and cricketer who was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisation but Winchilsea,an amateur,was also a very keen player. Finch served with the 87th Foot at the time of the American Revolutionary War from its formation in 1779 to its disbanding in 1783,with the temporary ranks of major and lieutenant-colonel. Finch was the first president of the Royal Institution,and it was through his influence that it received the endorsement of King George III.
Thomas (Tom) Taylor was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club. He is generally regarded as one of the most outstanding players of the 18th century.
In the 1773 English cricket season,there was a downturn in the fortunes of the Hambledon Club as their Hampshire team lost every match they are known to have played,and some of their defeats were heavy. Their poor results owed much to star bowler Thomas Brett having been injured. Three other county teams were active:Kent,Middlesex and Surrey. Teams called England took part in five matches,all against Hampshire,and won all five.
The 1786 English cricket season was the 15th in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status and the last before the Marylebone Cricket Club was founded in 1787. The season saw five top-class matches played in the country.
The 1787 cricket season in England is noteworthy for the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) after the opening of Thomas Lord's first ground in the parish of Marylebone,north of London. MCC soon became the sport's governing body with the new ground as its feature venue. The first match known to have been played at Lord's was on Monday,21 May,between the White Conduit Club and a Middlesex county team. The first match known to involve a team representing MCC was against White Conduit on Monday,30 July. Including these two,reports and/or match scorecards have survived of numerous eleven-a-side matches played in 1787. Eleven are retrospectively,but unofficially,recognised as first-class.
The 1788 English cricket season was the 17th in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status and the second after the foundation of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The season saw 11 first-class matches played in the country.
Charles Cumberland was an English cricketer of the late 18th and early 19th centuries who is known to have played in 26 matches which are retrospectively rated first-class.
John Dampier was an English amateur cricketer in the late 18th century. His place of birth is unknown but he was educated at Eton College. He died in Ely,Cambridgeshire when he was either 75 or 76 years old. He made five known appearances for the White Conduit Club team,based at White Conduit Fields in Islington,between 1785 and 1787. He was an early member of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) which was founded in 1787,but he is not known to have played for MCC.
Lieutenant-General Charles Monson was a British Army officer and cricketer who played club matches during the 1780s for the White Conduit Club.
The Reverend George Dupuis was an English minister who was active as a cricketer in the 1780s and 1790s,making five known appearances in first-class matches. His batting and bowling styles are unknown.
Between 1786 and 1833,eight first-class matches were played by teams which were apparently selected alphabetically,though not always by design. For example,a match might have players with surnames beginning A to K on one side and players with surnames beginning L to Z on the other. It is possible that other similar matches were played to c.1825 but,if so,the records have not survived. The idea has not been repeated at first-class level since 1833.
References
- ↑ Haygarth, p.64.
- ↑ "White Conduit Club v Kent 1786". CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
