List of Sussex cricketers to 1838

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This is an incomplete list of cricketers who played for Sussex before the foundation of the county club in March 1839.

Contents

Cricket is widely thought to have evolved from bat-and-ball games played by children in the south-east England counties of Kent and Sussex, particularly in the Weald and the North and South Downs. [1] There are references to cricket in Sussex through the 17th century. In June 1697, the first known newspaper report about what was then called "a great match at cricket" concerned one in Sussex. It was played eleven-a-side for fifty guineas, a colossal sum at the time, indicating that two strong teams were assembled. While this may have been an important match, possibly between two county teams, the report is very brief, and details of the match itself were not included. [2] [3]

In the 1720s, more information was recorded, and among the known matches are those organised by the 2nd Duke of Richmond and Sir William Gage. Some of their matches were against each other, but they also opposed patrons from other counties, particularly Edwin Stead of Kent. [4] One of the earliest great players was Thomas Waymark, noted for his "extraordinary agility and dexterity", who was employed by Richmond. [5] [6]

The first match known to involve a team called Sussex was against Kent at Walworth Common on 24 June 1729. [7] After that, Sussex matches were sporadic until the emergence of Brighton Cricket Club around 1790. In the 1820s, Sussex were the flagbearers of the roundarm revolution, and their bowlers Jem Broadbridge and William Lillywhite were key to the new style's acceptance. Sussex remained a strong team into the 1830s. On 17 June 1836, the Sussex Cricket Fund was established to support county matches, and this led to the foundation on 1 March 1839 of Sussex County Cricket Club, England's oldest county club. [8]

This list of players includes those who went on to play for the county club. It does not include any who played for the club, but not for the pre-1839 team. Note also that many of the players appeared for other teams besides Sussex.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ W. Ayling was active in 1825 and 1826. It is unknown if he had any connection with William Ayling. [9]

References

  1. ↑ Underdown 2000, p. 4.
  2. ↑ McCann 2004, p. xli.
  3. ↑ Buckley 1935, p. 1.
  4. ↑ McCann 2004, p. lxiii.
  5. ↑ Waghorn 2005, p. 7.
  6. ↑ Birley 1999, p. 20.
  7. ↑ Maun 2009, pp. 38–39.
  8. ↑ Bowen 1970, p. 271.
  9. ↑ Carlaw 2020, pp. 33–34.

Bibliography

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