1727 English cricket season

The 1727 English cricket season was the 31st cricket season since the earliest recorded eleven-aside match was played. It is the first season in which matches are known to have been played in accordance with agreed, written rules. Details have survived of four matches.

1727 English cricket season

Recorded matches

Records of the following matches exist:[1][2]

Date Teams Venue Result Source
Unknown 2nd Duke of Richmond's XI v Sir William Gage's XI Unknown Unknown [3]
This match and the next one are listed by McCann without comment from a brief reference in an earlier work, Pre-Victorian Sussex Cricket by H.F. & A.P. Squire (1951). The primary source is the Articles of Agreement drawn up for the Richmond–Brodrick matches (see below). It is an assumption that the matches were played earlier in the 1727 season.
Unknown Sir William Gage's XI v 2nd Duke of Richmond's XI Unknown Unknown [3]
See above.
July Alan Brodrick's XI v 2nd Duke of Richmond's XI Peper Harow Unknown [3][4]
This match and the next one are notable for the surviving Articles of Agreement that were drawn up by the participants. The Articles state: "the first Match shall be played some day of this instant July in the county of Surry". Peper Harow is mentioned: "Mr. Brodrick to choose any Gamesters within three Miles of Pepperhara, provided they actually lived there last Lady Day".[3] Peper Harow is about 4 miles (6.4 km) from Godalming and was the home of the Brodrick family. There is a view that it was the venue of the match in July.[4]
August 2nd Duke of Richmond's XI v Alan Brodrick's XI Godalming Unknown [3]
In the Articles of Agreement: "the second match to be played in August next in the County of Sussex, the Place to be named by the Duke of Richmond".[3] The chosen venue was probably Godalming.[2]

Articles of Agreement

References to the games between the Duke of Richmond and Mr Brodrick mention that they drew up Articles of Agreement between them to determine the rules that must apply in their contests. This are the first instance where a set of written rules for play is known to exist, although rules for play definitely existed. In early times, the rules would be agreed orally and subject to local variations.[3]

The Articles of Agreement specified that "the Duke of Richmond to choose any Gamesters, who have played in either of His Grace's two last Matches with Sir William Gage" which is the basis for the assumption that the first two matches listed above were played in 1727.[3]

Other events

Horace Walpole commented that cricket was already "common" at Eton College. This is the earliest reference to cricket both at Eton and in the county of Berkshire.[5]

Other matches were recorded at Cranbrook in May and at Warehorne Green near Ashford, Kent in June. The first was played to celebrate Oak Apple Day between "14 old men of that town", the oldest, Richard Shefe, was 84.[6][7]

First mentions

Players

Venues

References
  1. ACS, Important Matches, p.19.
  2. Other matches in England 1727, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
  3. McCann, pp.6–7.
  4. Marshall, pp.47–48.
  5. Bowen, p.262.
  6. Maun, pp.34–35.
  7. Buckley, p.3.
  8. Marshall, p.52.

Bibliography
  • ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
  • Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. Eyre & Spottiswoode.
  • Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell.
  • Marshall, John (1961). The Duke who was Cricket. Muller.
  • Maun, Ian (2009). From Commons to Lord's, Volume One: 1700 to 1750. Roger Heavens. ISBN 978 1 900592 52 9.
  • McCann, Tim (2004). Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century. Sussex Record Society.

Further reading
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