List of earliest references in English cricket

Last updated February 22, 2024

This is a list of the earliest known references to cricket being played in each of the historic counties of England.

Counties (by date of reference)

Surrey – c.1550 re John Derrick and the 1597 Guildford court case; the world's earliest definite mention of cricket^[1]^[2]
Kent – c.1611 re the match at Chevening, the world's oldest known organised match^[3]
Sussex – 1611 re an ecclesiastical court case^[4]
Hampshire – 1647 at Winchester College ^[5]
London – 1617 re Oliver Cromwell ^[6]
Horsted Keynes - 1624 re Jasper Vinall First recorded death on a cricket pitch.
Oxfordshire – 1673 at the University of Oxford ^[7]
Middlesex – 1680; also the first mention re umpires ^[8]
Cambridgeshire – 1710 at the University of Cambridge ^[9]
Essex – 1724 re the Chingford-Stead match^[10]
Berkshire – 1727 at Eton College ^[11]
Gloucestershire – 1729^[11]
Buckinghamshire – 1730^[12]
Hertfordshire – 1732^[13]
Dorset – 1738^[14]
Bedfordshire – 1741^[15]
Huntingdonshire – 1741^[15]
Northamptonshire – 1741^[15]
Suffolk – 1743^[11]
Norfolk – 1745^[11]
Durham – 1751^[16]
Somerset – 1751^[17]
Warwickshire – 1751^[18]
Yorkshire – 1751^[16]
Derbyshire – 1757^[19]
Northumberland – 1766^[20]
Wiltshire – 1769^[20]
Nottinghamshire – 1771^[21]
Leicestershire – 1776^[22]
Cheshire – 1781^[22]
Lancashire – 1781^[22]
Rutland – 1790^[23]
Lincolnshire – 1792^[23]
Shropshire – 1794^[23]
Devon – 1799^[24]
Cornwall – 1813^[25]
Staffordshire – 1817^[25]
Herefordshire – 1823^[26]
Westmorland – 1827^[26]
Cumberland – 1828^[26]
Worcestershire – 1829^[26]

Ireland, Scotland and Wales

Glamorgan – 1780 re a match in Swansea
Ireland – 1792 re a military match in Dublin ^[23]
Scotland – 1750 re a military match in Perth ^[19]
Wales – 1763 in Pembroke ^[20]

Formation of county clubs in England and Wales

Numerous sources list the foundation dates of the county clubs. Note that some clubs have been re-founded after earlier versions became defunct. The dates below are mostly taken from the 1982 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack :^[27]

Bedfordshire – 1899
Berkshire – 1895
Buckinghamshire – 1891
Cambridgeshire – 1844 to 1869; 1891
Carmarthenshire – 1908 to 1911
Cheshire – 1908
Cornwall – 1894
Cumberland (called Cumberland and Westmorland CCC until 1955) – 1948
Denbighshire – 1930 to 1935
Derbyshire – 1870
Devon – 1867 to 1897; 1899
Dorset – 1896
Durham – 1882
Essex – 1876
Glamorgan – 1888
Gloucestershire – 1871
Hampshire – 1863
Herefordshire – 1836 to unknown; 1992
Hertfordshire – 1876
Huntingdonshire – 1831 to 1895; 1948
Kent – 1842
Lancashire – 1864
Leicestershire – 1879
Lincolnshire – 1906
Middlesex – 1864
Monmouthshire – 1901 to 1934
Norfolk – 1827 to c.1850; 1876
Northamptonshire – 1878
Northumberland – 1895
Nottinghamshire – 1841
Oxfordshire – 1921
Shropshire – 1956
Somerset – 1875
Staffordshire – 1871
Suffolk – 1932
Surrey – 1845
Sussex – 1839
Wales Minor Counties – 1988
Warwickshire – 1882
Wiltshire – 1893
Worcestershire – 1865
Yorkshire – 1863

Related Research Articles

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 in other parts of England, its growth accelerating with references being found in many 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.

The 1744 cricket season in England is remembered for the earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket. This was drafted by members of several cricket clubs, though the code was not published until 1755. Much of its terminology such as no ball, over, toss, umpire and wicket remain in current use. The season is also notable for the two earliest known surviving match scorecards. The second of those matches, played on Monday, 18 June, was a celebrated event in which a Kent county team challenged an England team at the Artillery Ground, Kent winning by one wicket.

Edwin Stead was a noted patron of English cricket, particularly of Kent teams in the 1720s. He usually captained his teams but nothing is known about his ability as a player. He was born at Harrietsham in Kent and died in London.

The 1741 English cricket season was the 45th cricket season since the earliest recorded eleven-a-side match was played. Details have survived of nine significant matches, including the first known appearance of Slindon Cricket Club. The earliest known tie in an eleven-a-side match occurred.

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 world's earliest known organised match was held in Kent c.1611 and the county has always been 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.

Essex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. It is almost certain that cricket reached Essex by the 16th century and that it developed during the 17th century with inter-parish matches being played.

The 1742 English cricket season was the 46th cricket season since the earliest recorded eleven-aside match was played. Details have survived of ten significant matches, including two famous matches London and Slindon in September.

The 1743 English cricket season was the 47th cricket season since the earliest recorded eleven-a-side match was played. Details have survived of 18 eleven-a-side and three single wicket matches.

The 1745 English cricket season was the second season following the earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket.

The 1746 English cricket season was the third season following the earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket.

The 1747 English cricket season was the fourth season following the earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket.

The 1748 English cricket season was the fifth season following the earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket. Details have survived of six significant eleven-a-side and 18 single wicket matches. 1748 was the halcyon season of single wicket, perhaps never so popular before or since.

Addington Cricket Club fielded one of the strongest cricket teams in England from about the 1743 season to the 1752 season although the village of Addington is a very small place in Surrey about three miles south-east of Croydon. The team was of county strength and featured the noted players Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Harris, George Jackson and Durling. The team immediately accepted the Slindon Challenge, in 1744, to play against any parish in England. The only other club to accept was Robert Colchin's Bromley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Green cricket ground</span> English cricket ground

Richmond Green cricket ground, on The Green at Richmond, London, has been a venue for cricket matches since the 17th century. The earliest reference dates from May 1666 and some top-class matches were played there in the first half of the 18th century. A match in 1731, which culminated in a riot, is the earliest in cricket history of which team scores are known. The result of a match in July 1741 is the sport's earliest known tie.

Cow Meadow, renamed Becket's Park in 1935, was an 18th-century county cricket venue situated alongside the River Nene near the centre of Northampton. It is known to have been used for two matches in August 1741. On Saturday, 15 August, a combined Northamptonshire & Huntingdonshire team played Bedfordshire and won. The second match on Tuesday, 18 August, was between Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire and played for 20 guineas per side.

In English cricket, the years from 1751 to 1775 are notable for the rise of the Hambledon Club and the continuing spread of the sport across England. The Laws of Cricket underwent a re-codification in 1775, including the introduction of the leg before wicket rule and the addition of the third stump to the wicket.

In English cricket, the period from 1776 to 1800 saw significant growth and development in English cricket to the point that it became a popular sport nationwide, having outgrown its origin in the south-eastern counties. Prominent northern clubs were established at Nottingham and Sheffield.

References

↑ Altham, ch. 1.
↑ Underdown, p. 3.
↑ Underdown, p. 4.
↑ Underdown, p. 5.
↑ Birley, p. 10.
↑ Altham, p. 22.
↑ Maun, p. 15.
↑ Buckley (FL18), p. 1.
↑ Altham, pp. 24–25.
↑ Waghorn (DC), pp. 5–6.
1 2 3 4 Bowen, p. 263.
↑ Waghorn (CS), p. 3.
↑ Buckley (FL18), p. 7.
↑ Major, p. 116.
1 2 3 Waghorn (CS), p. 27.
1 2 Ashley-Cooper, p. 83.
↑ Buckley (FL18), p. 18.
↑ Maun, p. 13.
1 2 Bowen, p. 264.
1 2 3 Bowen, p. 265.
↑ Buckley (FLPV), p. 6.
1 2 3 Bowen, p. 266.
1 2 3 4 Bowen, p. 267.
↑ Bowen, p. 268.
1 2 Bowen, p. 269.
1 2 3 4 Bowen, p. 270.
↑ Wisden 1982, pp. 277–278.

Bibliography

Altham, H. S. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914). George Allen & Unwin.
Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. Aurum.
Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. Eyre & Spottiswoode.
Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell.
Buckley, G. B. (1937). Fresh Light on pre-Victorian Cricket. Cotterell.
Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.
Maun, Ian (2009). From Commons to Lord's, Volume One: 1700 to 1750. Roger Heavens. ISBN 978-1-900592-52-9.
Underdown, David (2000). Start of Play. Allen Lane. ISBN 0-7139-9330-8.
Waghorn, H. T. (1899). Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730–1773). Blackwood.
Waghorn, H. T. (1906). The Dawn of Cricket. Electric Press.

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[1] Altham, ch. 1.

[2] Underdown, p. 3.

[3] Underdown, p. 4.

[4] Underdown, p. 5.

[DB10-5] Birley, p. 10.

[HSA22-6] Altham, p. 22.

[7] Maun, p. 15.

[8] Buckley (FL18), p. 1.

[9] Altham, pp. 24–25.

[10] Waghorn (DC), pp. 5–6.

[RB263-11] 1 2 3 4 Bowen, p. 263.

[12] Waghorn (CS), p. 3.

[13] Buckley (FL18), p. 7.

[14] Major, p. 116.

[WCS27-15] 1 2 3 Waghorn (CS), p. 27.

[ASW83-16] 1 2 Ashley-Cooper, p. 83.

[17] Buckley (FL18), p. 18.

[18] Maun, p. 13.

[RB264-19] 1 2 Bowen, p. 264.

[RB265-20] 1 2 3 Bowen, p. 265.

[21] Buckley (FLPV), p. 6.

[RB266-22] 1 2 3 Bowen, p. 266.

[RB267-23] 1 2 3 4 Bowen, p. 267.

[RB268-24] Bowen, p. 268.

[RB269-25] 1 2 Bowen, p. 269.

[RB270-26] 1 2 3 4 Bowen, p. 270.

[27] Wisden 1982, pp. 277–278.

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