John Wood (Surrey cricketer, born 1744)
Encyclopedia
For the 18th century Kent
cricketer, please see John Wood (Kent cricketer, born 1745)
For the former Durham CCC cricketer, please see John Wood (cricketer, born 1970)
John Wood aka Thomas Wood (born October 1744 and died March 1793 at Coulsdon
, Surrey
) was an English cricket
er who played for Chertsey Cricket Club
and Surrey
. His career began in the 1760s before first-class statistics
began to be recorded and his known first-class career spans the 1773 to 1780 seasons.
He has often been confused with his namesake who played for Kent
at the same time. Although Wood is credited with 23 first-class appearances by CricketArchive, there are only 13 which can definitely be attributed to him. Using the data in Scores and Biographies, there were 12 matches in which a player known only as "Wood" took part, with Wood of Kent specifically recorded in 10.
In addition to confusion about Wood's namesake, there is uncertainty about his forename as he is called Thomas Wood in Scores and Biographies, where he is described as "Thomas Wood, a miller, living in Pirbright
, Surrey". This is almost certainly incorrect and CricketArchive believes that his name was John Wood. It seems that Scores and Biographies has equated him with Thomas Woods
who played as a given man for Chertsey
against Dartford
in 1761 when John Wood was only 16.
The first time a John Wood is mentioned in the sources is when one plays for Caterham
against Hambledon
in 1769. This was probably the Surrey-based player. In the same season, a player called Wood played for the Duke of Dorset
's XI against Wrotham in the minor match that featured John Minshull
's century. Given Dorset's strong Kent connection, this was probably John Wood of Kent.
Both John Woods are found in 1773 scorecards and are usually differentiated in Scores & Biographies by the Surrey one being called Thomas. Wood of Surrey had a very good season in 1773 and was one of the leading wicket takers that year.
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
cricketer, please see John Wood (Kent cricketer, born 1745)
For the former Durham CCC cricketer, please see John Wood (cricketer, born 1970)
John Wood (cricketer, born 1970)
For the 18th century Surrey cricketer, please see John Wood For the 18th century Kent cricketer, please see John Wood John Wood was an English cricketer...
John Wood aka Thomas Wood (born October 1744 and died March 1793 at Coulsdon
Coulsdon
Coulsdon is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt of the Farthing Down, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
) was an English cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er who played for Chertsey Cricket Club
Chertsey Cricket Club
Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest in England. Its own website dates its founding as 1737 but in fact matches involving a Chertsey team date from 1736....
and Surrey
Surrey county cricket teams
Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...
. His career began in the 1760s before first-class statistics
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
began to be recorded and his known first-class career spans the 1773 to 1780 seasons.
He has often been confused with his namesake who played for Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
at the same time. Although Wood is credited with 23 first-class appearances by CricketArchive, there are only 13 which can definitely be attributed to him. Using the data in Scores and Biographies, there were 12 matches in which a player known only as "Wood" took part, with Wood of Kent specifically recorded in 10.
In addition to confusion about Wood's namesake, there is uncertainty about his forename as he is called Thomas Wood in Scores and Biographies, where he is described as "Thomas Wood, a miller, living in Pirbright
Pirbright
Pirbright is a village in Surrey, England. Neighbouring villages include Worplesdon, Deepcut, Brookwood and Normandy. Pirbright parish has an area of some falling into two distinct communities with the military area to the north of the railway and the village to the south...
, Surrey". This is almost certainly incorrect and CricketArchive believes that his name was John Wood. It seems that Scores and Biographies has equated him with Thomas Woods
Thomas Woods (cricketer)
Thomas Woods was an English cricketer who played for Surrey in the 1750s and 1760s before first-class statistics began to be recorded....
who played as a given man for Chertsey
Chertsey Cricket Club
Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest in England. Its own website dates its founding as 1737 but in fact matches involving a Chertsey team date from 1736....
against Dartford
Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent...
in 1761 when John Wood was only 16.
The first time a John Wood is mentioned in the sources is when one plays for Caterham
Caterham Cricket Club
Caterham Cricket Club was based at Caterham, Surrey. Caterham at this time was effectively representative of Surrey as a county. Its home venue was on Caterham Common...
against Hambledon
Hambledon Club
The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...
in 1769. This was probably the Surrey-based player. In the same season, a player called Wood played for the Duke of Dorset
John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset...
's XI against Wrotham in the minor match that featured John Minshull
John Minshull
John Minshull aka Minchin was a famous English cricketer during the 1770s...
's century. Given Dorset's strong Kent connection, this was probably John Wood of Kent.
Both John Woods are found in 1773 scorecards and are usually differentiated in Scores & Biographies by the Surrey one being called Thomas. Wood of Surrey had a very good season in 1773 and was one of the leading wicket takers that year.