First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adjudged to be worthy of the status by virtue of the standard of the competing teams. Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings each, although in practice a team might play only one innings or none at all.
Kenneth Cranston was an English amateur cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Lancashire and eight times for England, in 1947 and 1948. He retired from playing cricket to concentrate on his career as a dentist.
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Somerset. Founded in 1875, Somerset was initially regarded as a minor county until official first-class status was acquired in 1895. Somerset has competed in the County Championship since 1891 and has subsequently played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. The club's limited overs team was formerly named the Somerset Sabres, but is now known only as Somerset.
The Netherlands national cricket team is the men's team that represents the Kingdom of the Netherlands and is administered by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.
Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of English first-class cricket matches. Two matches were played in 1806, but the fixture was not played again until 1819. It became an annual event, usually played at least twice each season, except for the years 1826, 1828, 1915–1918 and 1940–1945. In essence, it was a match between teams consisting of amateur ("Gentlemen") and professional cricketers ("Players") that reflected the English class structure of the 19th century: the Players were working class cricketers who earned their living through the game, whilst the Gentlemen were middle- and upper-class cricketers, usually products of the public school system, who were unpaid.
Roy Kilner was an English professional cricketer who played nine Test matches for England between 1924 and 1926. An all-rounder, he played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1927. In all first-class matches, he scored 14,707 runs at an average of 30.01 and took 1,003 wickets at an average of 18.45. Kilner scored 1,000 runs in a season ten times and took 100 wickets in a season five times. On four occasions, he completed the double: scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets in the same season, recognised as a sign of a quality all-rounder.
Frank William Milligan was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who played in two Tests in 1899. He died in the campaign to relieve Mafeking during the Second Boer War.
Herbert Tremenheere "Herbie" Hewett was an English amateur first-class cricketer who played for Somerset, captaining the county from 1889 to 1893, as well as Oxford University and the Marylebone Cricket Club. A battling left-handed opening batsman, Hewett could post a large score in a short time against even the best bowlers. Capable of hitting the ball powerfully, he combined an excellent eye with an unorthodox style to be regarded at his peak as one of England's finest batsmen.
1962 was the 63rd season of County Championship cricket in England.
1867 was the 81st season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Yorkshire achieved a perfect season in first-class cricket, something not likely to be equaled on covered pitches due to the high frequency of drawn matches, and even beforehand much more difficult due to the increased scoring after 1870, produced by the usage of a heavy roller and the disappearance of the abundant shooters, which previously made batting very tough. The season is, however, best known for a schism between the northern and southern professionals that led to the North v South game, one of the major "representative" fixtures of the time, being suspended for several years because northern professionals refused to play in London for want of better conditions.
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.
Charles Cuthbert Powell Williams, Baron Williams of Elvel, was a British business executive, Labour life peer and member of the House of Lords. In his 20s he played first-class cricket while at university and for several seasons afterwards. He was the stepfather of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Cricket in World War II was severely disrupted in most of the countries where first-class cricket is played. Only in India was a normal schedule of matches maintained throughout. In Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies the normal first-class competitions were suspended for some or all of the war and a small number of ad hoc first-class matches were organised when possible.
Cricket, and hence English amateur cricket, probably began in England during the medieval period but the earliest known reference concerns the game being played c.1550 by children on a plot of land at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Surrey. It is generally believed that cricket was originally a children's game as it is not until the beginning of the 17th century that reports can be found of adult participation.
The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual match between public school rivals Eton College and Harrow School. It is 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. In February 2022, the MCC announced that from 2023 onwards the fixture would no longer be held at the ground. It would be replaced by the finals of boys’ and girls’ schools competitions, as stated by MCC to be more inclusive. 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.
Amateur status had a special meaning in English cricket. The amateur in this context was not merely someone who played cricket in his spare time but a particular type of first-class cricketer who existed officially until 1962, when the distinction between amateurs and professionals was abolished and all first-class players became nominally professional.
The Gentlemen appeared in first-class cricket between 1806 and 1962, always in the showcase Gentlemen v Players matches against the Players. Teams called the Gentlemen have played in a few minor matches.
The Players appeared in first-class cricket between 1806 and 1962, nearly always in the showcase Gentlemen v Players matches against the Gentlemen, though Players teams have occasionally played against touring sides too. Teams called the Players have played in a few minor matches.
