St George's Cricket Club

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Harry Wright was a successful bowler for St George's Club before he moved to the Cincinnati Red Stockings Harry Wright Baseball Card Cropped.jpg
Harry Wright was a successful bowler for St George's Club before he moved to the Cincinnati Red Stockings

The St George's Cricket Club, also referred to as the St George Cricket Club, was the leading cricket club in the United States from the 1840s to the 1870s. [1] Founded in 1839, [2] [3] with assistance from prominent members of the St George's Society of New York, [4] it was originally located in Manhattan, New York, and later moved to Hoboken, New Jersey. Nicknamed the "Dragonslayers", in 1844 the club hosted the first international cricket match, between teams representing Canada and the United States.

History

The St George's Cricket Club (SGCC) was originally located in Manhattan, New York, and later moved to the corner of Clinton Street and 9th Street in Hoboken, New Jersey. [5] It hosted the first international cricket match in 1844, between Canada and the United States.

Most of its playing members were British-born and excluded Americans from participating in their "English game". The local resentment of this English social exclusivity amongst New York ball players may have been the impetus for cricket to be designated as an "English" game in the US, though it had been played for over a century at the time. The SGCC club traveled to Canada on several occasions in the 1850s, encouraging a touring tradition for American sports which culminated in George Parr's All-England XI visiting New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal in 1859. [6] This was the first occasion that a professional team of players in any sport had played in the United States. The All England Team of professionals played a US XXII team that included five SGCC players.

In 1866, it was reported that the SGCC had 200–300 members and was in a "flourishing condition", being able to field "three excellent elevens". [7] It continued its dominant New York cricket organizational role until 1876, when the founding of the New York Metropolitan league and the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club at Walker Park ushered in a new era of league cricket in New York. [8] Its first ground was located in Midtown Manhattan off of Bloomingdale Road (now Broadway) between 30th and 31st Street. The ground was located behind the Casper Samler farmstead, which was later replaced by the Gilsey Hotel. [9] This ground was the site of many matches, including the first international cricket match in 1844. In the 1850s, economic development in Midtown necessitated that the club move to a new ground in Harlem. This ground was known colloquially and in news articles as the "Red House" ground and was located between what is now 105th and 106th streets and First Avenue. The Red House ground played host to domestic competitions between teams from New York and Philadelphia, as well as international matches with Canadian teams including the 1853 match between the US and Canada. Ultimately, the team relocated to Hoboken, New Jersey. After the Civil War, St George's was slated to get a ground in Central Park before moving to Hudson City. St George's opponents included the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club, the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and the Toronto Cricket Club. George Wright includes a picture of St George's cricket grounds in his biography.

George Wright's older brother Harry also played for St George's team. The Wrights' father, Samuel, was the professional groundskeeper for the team and is depicted, along with his son Harry, in a famous daguerreotype holding a cricket bat while Harry holds a baseball bat.

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References

  1. Malcolm, Dominic (2006). "The Diffusion of Cricket to America: A Figurational Sociological Examination". Journal of Historical Sociology . 19 (2): 151–173. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6443.2006.00276.x. ISSN   0952-1909.
  2. Noboa y Rivera, Raf (March 28, 2015). "How Philadelphia became the unlikely epicenter of American cricket". The Guardian . London. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  3. Kirsch, George B. (1984). "American Cricket: Players and Clubs Before the Civil War" . Journal of Sport History. 11 (1): 28–50. ISSN   0094-1700 via JSTOR.
  4. A History of St. George's Society of New York from 1770 to 1913. St. George's Society of New York. 1913. p. 32 via Internet Archive.
  5. Boyd, W. Andrew (1889). Gospill's Directory for Jersey City, Hoboken, Union Hill, West Hoboken, and Weehawken, 1889–1890. Washington, D.C.: W. Andrew Boyd. p. 487 via HathiTrust.
  6. The International Cricket Match, Played Oct., 1859, in the Elysian Fields, at Hoboken, on the Grounds of the St. George's Cricket Club. New York: Vinten. 1859 via Internet Archive.
  7. Peverelly, Charles A. (1866). The Book of American Pastimes, containing a History of the Principal Base-ball, Cricket, Rowing, and Yachting Clubs of the United States. New York: Charles A. Peverelly. pp. 529–530 via HathiTrust.
  8. Sentance, P. David (2006). Cricket in America 1710-2000. McFarland.
  9. Dayton, Abram C. (1882). Last Days of Knickerbocker Life in New York. New York: George W. Harlan. pp. 98–99 via Internet Archive.