1782 English cricket season

1782 was the 86th English cricket season since the earliest known important match was played. The great fast bowler David Harris made his first-class debut and the Hambledon Club moved to Windmill Down as a new home venue.

Important matches

The following matches are classified as important:^{[note 1]}

Single wicket

• 28–30 August (W–F) : Six of Kent v Six of Hambledon Club @ Moulsey Hurst. Hambledon won by 47 runs.

First mentions

• David Harris
• "Little" Joey Ring

Other events

Tues 18 June. The Hampshire Chronicle reported the first meeting on Windmill Down, referring to the ground as "a field called the New Broad Halfpenny adjoining to the Town of Hambledon". See FL18, p. 94.

Mon 1 July. The Salisbury Journal recorded Richard Nyren as returning thanks to the public for the many favours he has received in the last 20 years (FL18).

Meanwhile, the Nottingham v Leicester saga had dragged on and was still unresolved by the end of the 1782 season. FL18 has recorded these excerpts from various issues of the Leicester Journal:

"A Card – The members of the Leicester Cricket Club present their compliments to the Nottingham Cricket Players, who have given a public challenge in the Nottingham Journal of the 22nd inst., and inform them that they are ready to meet them on any ground either in friendship or for any sum of money, provided they pay that small debt of honour which they left at Loughborough last year—upon any other condition they apprehend no Society of Credit can play with them. (L.J. Sat 29 June)

Mon. last (30 Sept) being the day appointed for playing the match at Cricket between the Nottingham and Leicester Clubs, eleven of the latter attended at Nottingham for that purpose, when the former, contrary to every principle of honour and integrity, declined playing the match on the terms agreed on at Loughborough by Messrs. Ellis and Hutchinson on the part of Nottingham and the deputies of the Leicester Club.

Such a resolution at that time needs no comment. (L.J. Sat 5 October)

Nottingham’s explanation of the above appeared in the Nottingham Journal of 12 October 1782, the gist of which is as follows :—

When the parties met at Loughborough to settle the conditions of the proposed match as to time, place and amount of money, the Leicester deputies insisted on 15 names being put down by the Nottingham representatives from which the team would be selected, but they themselves put down only 13 names, reserving the right to choose the other two from the county.

Nottingham agreed under protest, as it was not their custom to give any names till the day of play.

Of the 15 named by Nottingham, 5 could not play, and these were for the most part their best players.

Nottingham asked for one more to make up their team, a request that was refused ; they then offered to play ten against eleven, but this was declined by the Leicester umpire.

Nottingham suggested that Leicester were only too glad of an excuse for not playing the match. (L.J. Sat 19 October)"

How long the standoff lasted is unclear but they were playing each other again by 1789!

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.

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.

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.

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Ashley-Cooper, F. S. (1924). Hambledon Cricket Chronicle 1772–1796. Jenkins.
• Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell.
• Haygarth, Arthur (1862). Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Lillywhite.
• Mote, Ashley (1997). The Glory Days of Cricket. Robson.
• Nyren, John (1998). Ashley Mote, ed. The Cricketers of my Time. Robson.
• Waghorn, H. T. (1906). The Dawn of Cricket. Electric Press.
• Wilson, Martin (2005). An Index to Waghorn. Bodyline.

Further reading

• ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
• 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.
• Buckley, G. B. (1937). Fresh Light on pre-Victorian Cricket. Cotterell.
• McCann, Tim (2004). Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century. Sussex Record Society.
• Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.
• Underdown, David (2000). Start of Play. Allen Lane.

External links

• Leach, John (2008). "Classification of cricket matches from 1697 to 1825". Stumpsite. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
• Leach, John (2007). "From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787". Stumpsite. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
• Collins, A. R. (2016). "Historical Calendar". Dr A. R. Collins.