Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Club
Encyclopedia
Cricket
may not have reached the English counties
of Leicestershire
and Rutland
until the 18th century. A notice in the Leicester Journal dated 17 August 1776 is the earliest known mention of cricket in the area.
The Leicester Journal on 4 August 1781 reported Leicester v Melton Mowbray at Barrowcliffe Meadow near Leicester
. Melton Mowbray won by 16 runs.
Later the same season, the first reports have been found of a match between Leicester and Nottingham Cricket Club. These two old clubs forged quite a fierce rivalry. They met at Loughborough
on 17 & 18 September 1781 and the game was incomplete due to a dispute . Nottingham scored 50 & 73; Leicester had scored 73 & 9-2 when the game ended prematurely because of a dispute about wide deliveries. The repercussions dragged on and the dispute remained unresolved for some years.
In 1787, Leicester played matches against Coventry and Melton Mowbray. The Coventry game is extensively recorded in Buckley. Leicester lost by an innings to Melton Mowbray but defeated Coventry by 45 runs. In September 1788, they defeated Coventry by 28 runs in another match which Buckley records.
In 1789, Leicester played Nottingham again in two matches at Loughborough. They won one each and full scorecards have survived. It is evident that by this time these teams were representative of their counties and, in 1791, they were both deemed good enough to play against MCC
, but they were both well beaten. This was hardly surprising as northern cricket was still developing while the southern teams had considerable match experience.
Leicester's game against MCC was played at Burley-on-the-Hill in Rutland, which was the Earl of Winchilsea’s
country retreat, 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.
In 1792, Burley-on-the-Hill staged "Leicestershire & Rutland v Nottingham", the home side winning by 4 wickets and providing a historical example of the fact that Leicestershire cricket encompasses Rutland.
In a further game at Leicester in 1800, Nottingham won by an innings and the old Leicestershire & Rutland club seemed to fade away after that, apart from a couple of mentions in the early 19th century.
Leicestershire CCC played its inaugural first-class match on 14, 15 & 16 May 1894 versus Essex CCC at Leyton. It was the initial first-class match played by either club.
In 1895, Leicestershire CCC joined the County Championship
.
For the history of Leicestershire cricket since the foundation of the county club, see : Leicestershire County Cricket Club
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...
may not have reached the English counties
Historic counties of England
The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...
of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
until the 18th century. A notice in the Leicester Journal dated 17 August 1776 is the earliest known mention of cricket in the area.
The original Leicestershire club
A few years later, a Leicestershire & Rutland Cricket Club was taking part in important matches, some of which are now recognised as major cricket matches. Note that in some contemporary reports the club is called simply Leicester but the personnel involved are the same whichever title is used.The Leicester Journal on 4 August 1781 reported Leicester v Melton Mowbray at Barrowcliffe Meadow near Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. Melton Mowbray won by 16 runs.
Later the same season, the first reports have been found of a match between Leicester and Nottingham Cricket Club. These two old clubs forged quite a fierce rivalry. They met at Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
on 17 & 18 September 1781 and the game was incomplete due to a dispute . Nottingham scored 50 & 73; Leicester had scored 73 & 9-2 when the game ended prematurely because of a dispute about wide deliveries. The repercussions dragged on and the dispute remained unresolved for some years.
In 1787, Leicester played matches against Coventry and Melton Mowbray. The Coventry game is extensively recorded in Buckley. Leicester lost by an innings to Melton Mowbray but defeated Coventry by 45 runs. In September 1788, they defeated Coventry by 28 runs in another match which Buckley records.
In 1789, Leicester played Nottingham again in two matches at Loughborough. They won one each and full scorecards have survived. It is evident that by this time these teams were representative of their counties and, in 1791, they were both deemed good enough to play against MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
, but they were both well beaten. This was hardly surprising as northern cricket was still developing while the southern teams had considerable match experience.
Leicester's game against MCC was played at Burley-on-the-Hill in Rutland, which was the Earl of Winchilsea’s
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....
country retreat, 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.
In 1792, Burley-on-the-Hill staged "Leicestershire & Rutland v Nottingham", the home side winning by 4 wickets and providing a historical example of the fact that Leicestershire cricket encompasses Rutland.
In a further game at Leicester in 1800, Nottingham won by an innings and the old Leicestershire & Rutland club seemed to fade away after that, apart from a couple of mentions in the early 19th century.
19th century
Little more is heard of Leicestershire cricket until the formation of the present club on 25 March 1879.Leicestershire CCC played its inaugural first-class match on 14, 15 & 16 May 1894 versus Essex CCC at Leyton. It was the initial first-class match played by either club.
In 1895, Leicestershire CCC joined the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
.
For the history of Leicestershire cricket since the foundation of the county club, see : Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....