1770 English cricket season
1770 was the 74th English cricket season since the earliest known important match was played. Details have survived of four important matches. Hambledon continued to be successful.
Important matches
The following matches are classified as important:[note 1]
| date | match title | venue | result | source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June (Tu) | Brentford & Richmond v Essex[1] | Richmond Green | result unknown | |
| notes |
Announced in the Whitehall Evening Post on Thursday 7 June but no match details were reported. | |||
| 20 & 21 August (M-Tu) | London & Middlesex v Surrey [2] | Artillery Ground | result unknown | [3] |
| notes |
No details are known. | |||
| 11 September (Tu) | Chertsey v Hampton | Moulsey Hurst | result unknown | [4] |
| notes |
The General Evening Post on Sat 8 September announced: Mr Garrick has given two silver cups to be played for at Cricket between Chertsey and Hampton next Tuesday on Moulsey Hurst. | |||
| 4 & 5 October (Th-F) | Hambledon v Caterham [5] | Broadhalfpenny Down | Hambledon won by 57 runs | [3] |
| notes |
Hambledon scored 104 and 105; Caterham replied with 74 and 78. No other details are known. | |||
Other events
Tuesday, 26 June. The Middlesex Journal on Thursday, 29 June reported the death of a Mr Johnson, who was a goldsmith at London Wall. His death was "occasioned by a blow which he received from a cricket ball on Thursday, 21 June near Islington".[1]
There was a notice in the General Evening Post dated Tuesday, 7 August that "His Majesty (i.e., George III) has given a silver cup to be played for at cricket on the 20th inst. on Richmond Green, on account of the Princes having been much pleased with a Cricket match there on Mon. last".[4] No details of either match have been found.
In the year of the so-called "Boston Massacre", which occurred on Monday, 5 March, there was a report in the Middlesex Journal on Thursday, 16 August that: "about three days before the meeting of Parliament, a grand Cricket Match will be played by 11 of the Ministry against 11 of the Patriots, when great sport is expected".[1]
Notes
- ↑ First-class cricket was officially defined in May 1894 by a meeting at Lord's of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the county clubs which were then competing in the County Championship. The ruling was effective from the beginning of the 1895 season. Pre-1895 matches of the same standard have no official definition of status because the ruling is not retrospective and the important matches designation, as applied to a given match, is based on the views of one or more substantial historical sources. For further information, see First-class cricket, Forms of cricket and History of cricket.
References
Bibliography
- ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
- Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell.
- Buckley, G. B. (1937). Fresh Light on pre-Victorian Cricket. Cotterell.
- Haygarth, Arthur (1862). Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Lillywhite.
- McCann, Tim (2004). Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century. Sussex Record Society.
- Waghorn, H. T. (1899). Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730–1773). Blackwood.
- Waghorn, H. T. (1906). The Dawn of Cricket. Electric Press.
- Wilson, Martin (2005). An Index to Waghorn. Bodyline.
Further reading
- 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.
- Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.
- Maun, Ian (2011). From Commons to Lord's, Volume Two: 1751 to 1770. Martin Wilson. ISBN 978-0-9569066-0-1.
- Mote, Ashley (1997). The Glory Days of Cricket. Robson.
- Underdown, David (2000). Start of Play. Allen Lane.