Related Research Articles
John Small was an English professional cricketer who played during the 18th century and had one of the longest careers on record. Born at Empshott,Hampshire,he is generally regarded as the greatest batsman of the 18th century and acknowledged as having been the first to master the use of the modern straight bat which was introduced in the 1760s. He probably scored the earliest known century in important cricket. The strength of the Hambledon/Hampshire team during Small's prime years can be seen in the team being rated the (unofficial) Champion County in 10 seasons:1766–1771,1776–1777,1779 and 1783. He died at Petersfield,where he was in residence for most of his life and where he established businesses.
In the years from 1726 to 1750,cricket became an established sport in London and the south-eastern counties of England. In 1726,it was already a thriving sport in the south east and,though limited by the constraints of travel at the time,it was slowly gaining adherents elsewhere with references being found in other southern counties. Having been essentially a rural pastime for well over a century,cricket became a focus for wealthy patrons and gamblers whose interests funded its growth throughout the 18th century.
Edward "Lumpy" Stevens was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket in the 18th century. He was an outstanding bowler who is generally regarded as the first great bowler in the game's history. He was universally known by his nickname and was always called "Lumpy" in contemporary scorecards and reports.
Richard Nyren (1734–1797) 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.
Lord John Philip Sackville was the second son of Lionel Sackville,1st Duke of Dorset. He was a keen cricketer who was closely connected with the sport in Kent.
In the 1772 English cricket season,it became normal practice to complete match scorecards and there are surviving examples from every subsequent season. Scorecards from 1772 have been found for three eleven-a-side matches in which the Hampshire county team played against an England team,and for one top-class single wicket match between Kent and Hampshire. The three Hampshire v England matches have been unofficially recognised by certain sources as first-class,although no such standard existed at the time. Prior to 1772,only four scorecards have survived,the last from a minor match in 1769.
Thomas Waymark was an English professional cricketer in the first half of the 18th century. He was probably born at or near to Mitcham in Surrey in June 1705. He is one of the earliest known players on record.
Joseph Miller was a noted English cricketer who is generally considered to have been one of the greatest batsmen of the 18th century. He is mostly associated with Kent but also made appearances for All-England and Surrey. First recorded in the 1769 season,Miller made 65 known appearances from then to 1783. He was unquestionably an outstanding batsman and perhaps second only to John Small in the 18th century.
William Yalden was an English cricketer who played towards the end of the 18th century and is considered to be one of the earliest known players who were classed as a wicket-keeper-batsman. Yalden played mainly for Chertsey and Surrey sides,although he was also a regular,sometimes as captain,in England teams,particularly in matches against Hampshire. His career began in the 1760s and he is known to have played until 1785.
Lamborn was a significant English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club in the 18th century and is recognised as one of the greatest innovators in the history of bowling.
William Palmer was an English cricketer who played during the 1760s and 1770s. He was born and died in Coulsdon,Surrey. As a top-order batsman,he was a member of the local Coulsdon Cricket Club and also played county cricket for Surrey. Most of Palmer's career was before cricket's statistical record began in the 1772 season so relatively little is known of him. However,he regularly played in noteworthy matches until 1776. He has been recorded in 24 eleven-a-side matches and in one top-class single wicket match. He was last recorded playing for Coulsdon against Chertsey in 1784 when he was 47 years old.
John Wood was an English cricketer who played for Kent. His career began in the 1760s before first-class statistics began to be recorded and his known first-class career spans the 1772 to 1783 seasons.
Henry Attfield was an English cricketer who is recorded in a total of 27 matches between 1773 and 1789,20 of which have been given retrospective first-class status. He played mainly for Chertsey and Surrey sides.
A variety of Kent county cricket teams played matches from the early 18th century until the formation of the original county club in 1842. The county's links to cricket go back further with Kent and Sussex generally accepted as the birthplace of the sport. It is widely believed that cricket was first played by children living on the Weald in Saxon or Norman times. The earliest known organised match was held in Kent in around 1611 and the county was always at the forefront of cricket's development through the growth of village cricket in the 17th century to representative matches in the 18th. A Kent team took part in the earliest known inter-county match,which was played on Dartford Brent in 1709.
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.
In the 1788 English cricket season,Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) published a revised code of the Laws of Cricket,thereby confirming itself as the body in sole charge of the Laws,and taking responsibility for the sport's governance. MCC was then called "The Cricket Club at St. Marylebone",contrasting with its predecessor,the White Conduit Club of Islington,which remained active in 1788. As in 1787,their two teams played against each other at Lord's. A total of fifteen match scorecards have survived and there are brief newspaper mentions of five other matches,including two played under single wicket rules.
Stephen Harding was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Chertsey,All-England and Surrey. Harding was a hard-hitting batsman and a good bowler,although his style and pace is unknown. He featured in single wicket contests and seems to have been a fine all-rounder.
Thomas Swayne was a noted professional cricketer who played for Surrey in the 1770s.
East Kent and West Kent were titles sometimes given to two cricket teams from their respective areas of the English county of Kent which generally played in matches prior to the foundation of the official Kent County Cricket Club in the mid 19th century. West Kent teams have been recorded from 1705,but there is no known record of an East Kent team until 1781. There were seven major matches from 1781 to 1790 in which teams of this type faced each other,although there is doubt about the match titles with sources using different team names.