1803 English cricket season

1803 was the 17th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Thomas Howard made his debut in important matches.

Honours

• Most runs^[1] – Lord Frederick Beauclerk 284 at 35.50 (HS 74)
• Most wickets^[1] – Lord Frederick Beauclerk 12

Events

• Prime Minister William Pitt referred to cricket when introducing his Defence Bill.^[2]
• With the Napoleonic War continuing, loss of investment and manpower impacted cricket and only three first-class matches have been recorded in 1803:
  • 21–24 June: All-England v Surrey at Lord's Old Ground^[3]
  • 4–6 July: Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire v Hampshire at Lord's Old Ground^[4]
  • 11–12 July: All-England v Surrey at Lord's Old Ground^[4]
• Another match that has sometimes been regarded as important is H. C. Woolridge's XI v W. R. Capel's XI at Clifford's Park, Rickmansworth, on Friday 26 August.

Debutants

1803 debutants included:

• Thomas Howard (Hampshire)
• Goddard (Hampshire)
• John Pointer (Hampshire)
• John Sparks (Surrey)

References

Bibliography

• Haygarth, Arthur (1862). Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Lillywhite.

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.
• Britcher, Samuel, A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played (1790 to 1805), annual series
• Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.

External links

• Leach, John (2008). "Classification of cricket matches from 1697 to 1825". Stumpsite. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
• Collins, A. R. (2016). "Historical Calendar". Dr A. R. Collins.