1846 English cricket season
1846 was the 60th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). William Clarke founded his All-England Eleven (the AEE) which, taking advantage of the railways, travelled throughout Great Britain and was a significant factor in the spread of cricket throughout the country.
Important matches
Events
The earliest first-class match at the Oval was Surrey Club v. MCC on 25 & 26 May. Only 194 runs were scored in the match with a top score of 13. William Hillyer took 14 wickets to help MCC win by 48 runs.
The new Surrey County Cricket Club played its first important match against Kent at the Oval on 25 & 26 June, winning by 10 wickets.
Social conditions, including the railways, were a major factor in the debut of the travelling All England Eleven (AEE). The team was founded in Nottingham by William Clarke, who also opened the Trent Bridge cricket ground. The first AEE match was at Sheffield in September and they played others in Manchester and Leeds.
The All England Eleven played its inaugural fixture against a Sheffield XX in September. The AEE team was: W Clarke, J Dean, W Dorrinton, F Pilch, A Mynn, J Guy, W Martingell, T Sewell, G Butler, VC Smith and W Hillyer. Other players who represented the AEE in its early days included G Parr, FW Lillywhite, N Felix, W Denison, T Box and OC Pell.
Leading batsmen
T Box was the leading runscorer with 413 @ 20.65
Other leading batsmen were: N Felix, CG Taylor, A Mynn, WR Hillyer, J Dean, RP Long, TM Adams, G Parr
Leading bowlers
WR Hillyer was the leading wicket-taker with 152
Other leading bowlers were: A Mynn, FW Lillywhite, J Dean, W Martingell, W Clarke, J Wisden
References
Annual reviews
- Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 3 (1841-1848), Lillywhite, 1862
Further reading
- Derek Birley, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999