1791 English cricket season
Encyclopedia
In the 1791 English cricket season, the emergence of the Brighton club
heralded a brief revival of Sussex cricket which had been prominent during the early 18th century. As with Hornchurch Cricket Club
and Essex
, the Brighton team was a fair representation of Sussex as a county and the county name is used where the opposition is another county team or All-England
. The club's venue was the Prince of Wales Ground
in Brighton, which had its name changed over the years and was known as Box's Ground in the 19th century.
William Beldham with 532 runs was the top scorer in 1791
Others were Henry Fitzroy
with 386 runs; Earl of Winchilsea
345; George Louch
336; William Fennex
296; Edward Bligh
271; Charles Lennox
269; Tom Walker
196; Charles Cumberland
and Jack Small
181 each
Captain Charles Cumberland
with 41 known wickets was the leading bowler in 1791
Others were William Fennex
with 34; Richard Purchase
19; Thomas Boxall
and Thomas Lord
17 each; John Boorman
15
Star fielder George Louch
with 21 took the most catches in 1791
Other leading fielders were William Beldham 20 ct; Tom Taylor
15 ct; Charles Lennox
9 ct, 3 st; John Wells
11 ct; Thomas Ingram
10 ct, 1 st; Edward Bligh
10 ct; Stephen Amherst
7 ct, 2 st; William Fennex
9 ct.
Brighton Cricket Club
Brighton Cricket Club was based at Brighton, Sussex and was briefly a major cricket team, playing four known first-class matches in the 1792 season, at which time it was representative of Sussex as a county....
heralded a brief revival of Sussex cricket which had been prominent during the early 18th century. As with Hornchurch Cricket Club
Hornchurch Cricket Club
Hornchurch Cricket Club is based in Hornchurch, Essex and was established in 1783. The club had several good players and for the next ten years it was representative of Essex as a county, the club's name sometimes being interchangeable with that of the county in first-class scorecards.Essex...
and Essex
Essex county cricket teams
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...
, the Brighton team was a fair representation of Sussex as a county and the county name is used where the opposition is another county team or All-England
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
. The club's venue was the Prince of Wales Ground
Prince of Wales Ground
The Prince of Wales Ground, also known as "Prince's Ground", in Brighton, Sussex was a venue for major cricket matches in the closing years of the 18th century .-Location:...
in Brighton, which had its name changed over the years and was known as Box's Ground in the 19th century.
Matches
| Date | Match Title | Venue | Source | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16–18 May (M-W) | MCC v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB110 | Middlesex won by 30 runs |
| 23–25 May (M-W) | MCC v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB111 | Middlesex won by 6 wkts |
| 30 May-2 Jun (M-Th) | Old Etonians v Gentlemen | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB111 | Gents won by 6 wkts |
The Old Etonian and Gentlemen teams in the list were major sides. They were composed mainly of leading amateurs and had noted professionals as given men. |
||||
| 2–3 June (Th-F) | MCC v Kent | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB112 | MCC won by innings & 113 runs |
| 13–14 June (M-Tu) | MCC v Essex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB115 | Essex won by 45 runs |
| 20–22 June (M-W) | All-England v Hampshire | Burley-on-the-Hill, Rutland | SB115 | All-England won by 54 runs |
Burley-on-the-Hill in Rutland was the Earl of Winchilsea's country retreat, which he used as his base for foxhunting parties. It is not far from the Great North Road so communication with London was relatively easy at the time. Burley-on-the-Hill has been confused with Burghley Park near Stamford but it is quite different. |
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| 23–24 June (Th-F) | Old Etonians v MCC | Burley-on-the-Hill, Rutland | SB116 | MCC won by 6 wkts |
| 25 June (S) | Leicestershire v MCC ^ | Burley-on-the-Hill, Rutland | SB117 | MCC won by innings & 4 runs |
| 6–8 July (W-F) | All-England v Hampshire | Sevenoaks Vine | SB117 | All-England won by 1 wkt |
| 13–15 July (W-F) | Hampshire v All-England | Windmill Down | SB118 | All-England won by 60 runs |
| 22–23 July (F-S) | West Sussex v Hambledon Town | Goodwood Park | brit | drawn |
A return match took place on 20 Sept (see below) and was recorded in S&B. |
||||
| 25–28 July (M-Th) | All-England v Hampshire | Perriam Down | SB119 | All-England won by innings & 68 runs |
| 28–29 July (Th-F) | Andover v MCC | Perriam Down | SB120 | MCC won by innings & 43 runs |
| ? July | Earl of Winchilsea v E Bligh | Burley-on-the-Hill | SB119 | Bligh's XI won by innings & 64 runs |
Definitely a minor match with numerous irregulars. The date is also in doubt as Mr Haygarth points out. |
||||
| 11-13 Aug (Th-S) | Essex v MCC | Langton Park, Hornchurch | SB121 | MCC won by 166 runs |
| 15-18 Aug (M-Th) | MCC v Kent | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB121 | Kent won by 5 wkts |
| 19-20 Aug (F-S) | MCC &c. v Essex # | unknown | brit | Essex won by 4 runs |
The venue was probably Lord’s but it is unrecorded. |
||||
| 23-25 Aug (Tu-Th) | Surrey v Hampshire | Holt Pound, Wrecclesham | SB122 | Surrey won by 17 runs |
Wrecclesham is in Surrey. Holt Pound was a small ground partly designed by William Beldham on behalf of the owner Mr Holt. |
||||
| 26-27 Aug (F-S) | Waltham v Hornchurch | Waltham | brit | Hornchurch won by 10 wkts |
| 29-30 Aug (M-Tu) | Nottingham v MCC ^ | King's Meadow, Nottingham | SB123 | MCC won by 10 wkts |
^ The MCC teams were good quality and it is clear from reference to 1789 that the Leicester and Nottingham teams were representative of the counties. These two matches are historically important and are major fixtures. The Nottingham v MCC game is also in William North's 1832 book of Nottingham Old Club Match Scores. |
||||
| ? Sept | Windsor & Eton v Warfield | Eton Brocas | WDC | Warfield won by 2 wkts |
| 12-14 Sept (M-W) | Hornchurch v Waltham | Langton Park, Hornchurch | brit | Waltham won by 57 runs |
| 15-16 Sept (Th-F) | Essex v MCC &c. # | Langton Park, Hornchurch | brit | Essex won by innings & 23 runs |
# These two games were unknown until recently as Britcher is the sole source. The MCC &c. team in both games is properly titled 5 of Herts and 5 of MCC and Mr S Amherst. |
||||
| 19-22 Sept (M-Th) | Sussex v Middlesex | PoW Ground, Brighton | SB125 | Middlesex won by 21 runs |
The emergence of the Brighton club at this time heralded a brief revival of Sussex cricket which had been prominent during the early C18. As with Hornchurch/Essex, the Brighton team was a fair representation of Sussex as a county and the county name is used where the opposition is another county team or All-England. |
||||
| 20-22 Sept (Tu-Th) | Hambledon Town v West Sussex | Windmill Down | SB125 | West Sussex won by 11 runs |
The Hambledon Town v West Sussex game recorded in SB125 is considered minor due to lack of recognised players. Many of the Sussex team were in the Duke of Dorset’s side that played in the minor match at Lord’s on 3 June 1790 (SB101). |
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First mentions
- Lord Frederick BeauclerkLord Frederick BeauclerkLord Frederick Beauclerk was an outstanding but controversial English first-class cricketer for 35 years from 1791 to 1825. On his retirement, he served as president of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1826.Beauclerk was the fourth son of the 5th Duke of St Albans and became a clergyman. He was Vicar...
- Charles CumberlandCharles CumberlandCaptain Charles Cumberland was an English cricketer of the late 18th century. He was an outstanding bowler, his style being right arm fast underarm; and he was arguably the best amateur bowler of the underarm era...
- Thomas MellishThomas MellishThomas Mellish was an English amateur cricketer who made 52 known appearances in major cricket matches between 1791 and 1815....
(MCC; amateur) – played 52 matches to 1815 - John GoldhamJohn GoldhamJohn Goldham aka Goldhawk was an English professional cricketer who made 35 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1812.-External sources:*...
aka Goldhawk (Middlesex) – played 35 matches to 1812 - W. WellsW. WellsW Wells was an English professional cricketer who made 12 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1816.-External sources:*...
(Middlesex) – played twelve matches to 1816 - Littler (Essex cricketer)Littler (Essex cricketer)John Littler was an English professional cricketer who made 9 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1793.-External sources:*...
(Essex) – played nine matches to 1793 - Alexander PitcairnAlexander PitcairnAlexander Pitcairn was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club from 1791 to 1792. He also played for the Gentlemen of Kent, Gentlemen of England and Thomas Assheton Smith II's XI...
(MCC; amateur) – played nine matches to 1792 - Welsh (MCC cricketer)Welsh (MCC cricketer)Welsh was an English amateur cricketer who made 8 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1793.-External sources:*...
(MCC; amateur) – played eight matches to 1793 - P. VallanceP. VallanceP Vallance was an English professional cricketer who made 7 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1792.-External sources:*...
(Sussex) – played seven matches to 1792 - Collins (Hampshire cricketer)Collins (Hampshire cricketer)David Collins was an English professional cricketer who made 6 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1792. He was formerly known as David Christiansen but changed his name when he got married .-External sources:*...
(Hampshire) – played six matches to 1792 - Gregory (Sussex cricketer)Gregory (Sussex cricketer)Gregory was an English professional cricketer who made 5 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1792.-External sources:*...
(Sussex) – played five matches to 1792 - Thomas Jutten (cricketer)Thomas Jutten (cricketer)Thomas Jutten was an English professional cricketer who made 5 known appearances in major cricket matches between 1791 and 1792.-External sources:*...
(Sussex) – played five matches to 1792 - Thomas LiffenThomas LiffenThomas Liffen was an English professional cricketer who made 5 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1792.-External sources:*...
(Sussex) – played five matches to 1792 - J. MerchantJ. MerchantJ Merchant aka Marchant was an English professional cricketer who made 5 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1792.-External sources:*...
aka Marchant (Sussex) – played five matches to 1792 - Sale (Berkshire cricketer)Sale (Berkshire cricketer)Sale was an English amateur cricketer who made 5 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1793.-External sources:*...
(MCC/Berkshire; amateur) – played five matches to 1793 - Sackville Tufton, 9th Earl of ThanetSackville Tufton, 9th Earl of ThanetSackville Tufton, 9th Earl of Thanet succeeded to his title in April 1786, following the death of his father Sackville Tufton, 8th Earl of Thanet...
(Kent; amateur) – played five matches to 1794 - W. ChapmanW. ChapmanWilliam Chapman was an English professional cricketer who made 5 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1803.-External sources:*...
(Notts) – played five matches to 1803 - Hon. W. HarbordW. HarbordWilliam Assheton Harbord, 2nd Baron Suffield was an English amateur cricketer who made three known appearances in first-class cricket matches during the 1791 season. He succeeded his father, Harbord Harbord, 1st Baron Suffield, as Baron Suffield in February 1810.-External sources:*...
(MCC; amateur) – played four matches to 1791 - John VallanceJohn VallanceFor the Canadian Member of Parliament see John Vallance John Vallance was an English amateur/professional cricketer who made 5 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1792.-External sources:*...
(Sussex) – played four matches to 1792 - Miles (Essex cricketer)Miles (Essex cricketer)Miles was an English professional cricketer who made 3 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1793.-External sources:*...
(Essex) – played three matches to 1793 - R. StewartR. StewartR Stewart was an English amateur cricketer who made 3 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1799.-External sources:*...
(MCC; amateur) – played three matches to 1799 - Humphrey HopkinHumphrey HopkinHumphrey Hopkin was an English professional cricketer who made 2 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1800.-Career:...
(Notts) – played two matches to 1800 - E. StreeterE. StreeterE Streeter was an English professional cricketer who made 2 known appearances in major cricket matches from 1791 to 1792.-External sources:*...
(Sussex) – played two matches to 1792
Leading batsmen
Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so it is impossible to provide a complete analysis of batting performances: e.g., the missing not outs prevent computation of batting averages. The "runs scored" are in fact the runs known.William Beldham with 532 runs was the top scorer in 1791
Others were Henry Fitzroy
Henry Fitzroy (cricketer)
The Honourable Henry FitzRoy was a son of the 1st Baron of Southampton who, as a member of MCC, regularly took part in major cricket matches as an amateur player. He made 44 known appearances from the 1788 season to the 1793 season.FitzRoy is believed to have been right-handed as both batsman and...
with 386 runs; Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea
George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea KG PC FRS was an important figure in the history of cricket. His main contributions to the game were patronage and organisation but Winchilsea, an amateur, was also a very keen player....
345; George Louch
George Louch
George Louch was an English cricketer and match organiser during the 18th century. He was especially noted for his fielding and was an early stalwart of Marylebone Cricket Club.He was a native of Chatham and was evidently educated at Westminster...
336; William Fennex
William Fennex
William Fennex was a famous English cricketer. He was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler...
296; Edward Bligh
Edward Bligh
Edward Bligh , styled The Honourable from birth, was an Irish politician, a noted amateur cricketer and a prominent early member of the Marylebone Cricket Club....
271; Charles Lennox
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox KG, PC was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.-Background:...
269; Tom Walker
Thomas Walker (cricketer)
Thomas "Tom" Walker was an English cricketer who played for Hampshire in the days of the Hambledon Club and later for Surrey. He was famous for his brilliant defensive batting. He is also credited with introducing, roundarm bowling, the predecessor of modern overarm bowling.-Career:Walker was born...
196; Charles Cumberland
Charles Cumberland
Captain Charles Cumberland was an English cricketer of the late 18th century. He was an outstanding bowler, his style being right arm fast underarm; and he was arguably the best amateur bowler of the underarm era...
and Jack Small
Jack Small
John Small junior was an English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.Jack Small made his debut in 1784, his career continuing until 1811...
181 each
Leading bowlers
Note that the wickets credited to an 18th century bowler were only those where he bowled the batsman out. The bowler was not credited with the wickets of batsmen who were caught out, even if it was "caught and bowled". In addition, the runs conceded by each bowler were not recorded so no analyses or averages can be computed.Captain Charles Cumberland
Charles Cumberland
Captain Charles Cumberland was an English cricketer of the late 18th century. He was an outstanding bowler, his style being right arm fast underarm; and he was arguably the best amateur bowler of the underarm era...
with 41 known wickets was the leading bowler in 1791
Others were William Fennex
William Fennex
William Fennex was a famous English cricketer. He was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler...
with 34; Richard Purchase
Richard Purchase
Richard Purchase was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club.He was only 16 when he made his debut in 1773.Born in Liss, Hampshire, he played for his county in 1773 and 1774 but then did not appear again until 1781...
19; Thomas Boxall
Thomas Boxall
Thomas Boxall was a famous English cricketer of the late 18th century. He was a very successful right arm bowler, believed to have been fast underarm....
and Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1787 to 1802. He made a brief comeback, playing in one further match in 1815. Overall, Lord made 90 known appearances in first-class cricket...
17 each; John Boorman
John Boorman (cricketer)
John Boorman was a famous English cricketer whose career spanned the 1772 season and the 1793 season....
15
Leading fielders
Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so the totals are of the known catches and stumpings only. Stumpings were not always recorded as such and sometimes the name of the wicket-keeper was not given. Generally, a catch was given the same status as "bowled" with credit being awarded to the fielder only and not the bowler. There is never a record of "caught and bowled": the bowler would be credited with the catch, not with the wicket.Star fielder George Louch
George Louch
George Louch was an English cricketer and match organiser during the 18th century. He was especially noted for his fielding and was an early stalwart of Marylebone Cricket Club.He was a native of Chatham and was evidently educated at Westminster...
with 21 took the most catches in 1791
Other leading fielders were William Beldham 20 ct; Tom Taylor
Thomas Taylor (cricketer)
Thomas Taylor was a famous English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club. He is generally regarded as one of the most outstanding players of the 18th century....
15 ct; Charles Lennox
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox KG, PC was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.-Background:...
9 ct, 3 st; John Wells
John Wells (cricketer)
John Wells was a famous English cricketer who played for Surrey.-Career:...
11 ct; Thomas Ingram
Thomas Ingram
Thomas Ingram was an English cricketer of the late 18th century. He was a left-handed batsman and a wicketkeeper.According to Scores and Biographies, Ingram was for a time a victualler at Cobham in Surrey...
10 ct, 1 st; Edward Bligh
Edward Bligh
Edward Bligh , styled The Honourable from birth, was an Irish politician, a noted amateur cricketer and a prominent early member of the Marylebone Cricket Club....
10 ct; Stephen Amherst
Stephen Amherst
Stephen Amherst was an English amateur cricketer who was also a noted patron and organiser of first-class matches....
7 ct, 2 st; William Fennex
William Fennex
William Fennex was a famous English cricketer. He was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler...
9 ct.