1794 English cricket season

1794 was the eighth season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Berkshire had the strongest county team.

1794 English cricket season

Matches
Date Match Title Venue Source Result
13–14 May (Tu-W) MCC v London Lord's (Dorset Square) SB163 MCC won by 77 runs
21–22 May (W-Th) MCC v London Lord's (Dorset Square) SB163 London won by innings & 30 runs
26–29 May (M-Th) MCC v Middlesex Lord's (Dorset Square) SB164 MCC won by 100 runs
9–11 June (M-W) All-England v Surrey Lord's (Dorset Square) SB165 Surrey won by 197 runs
18–20 June (W-F) R Leigh v E G Morant Oldfield Bray SB165 Leigh's XI won by 89 runs
30 June - 2 July (M-W) R Leigh v G Louch Lord's (Dorset Square) SB166 Leigh's XI won by 132 runs
7–8 July (M-Tu) Berkshire v MCC Oldfield Bray SB167 MCC won by 3 wkts
21–22 July (M-Tu) E G Morant v R Leigh Dartford Brent SB168 Morant's XI won by 33 runs
23–24 July (W-Th) T Walker v D Harris Dartford Brent SB169 Walker's XI won by 53 runs
29–30 July (Tu-W) MCC v Berkshire Lord's (Dorset Square) SB170 MCC won by 56 runs

In S&B and the ACS list, this game is called Earl of Winchilsea's XI v E G Morant's XI but it is clearly an MCC team hosting the Oldfield club of Berkshire, so it is called MCC v Berkshire here. Has been excluded from earlier classifications due to "weak teams". However, both sides consist of recognised players and it is a major fixture.

7-9, 11 Aug (Th-M) MCC v All-England ^ Lord's (Dorset Square) SB172 MCC won by 59 runs
12-13 Aug (Tu-W) MCC v Berkshire Lord's (Dorset Square) SB174 Berkshire won by 7 runs
13-14 Aug (W-Th) MCC v Berkshire Lord's (Dorset Square) SB174 Berkshire won by 6 wkts

This game started as soon as previous one ended

19-20 Aug (Tu-W) Hampshire v All-England ^ Stoke Down SB173 All-England won by 6 wkts
21-23 Aug (Th-S) Hampshire v All-England ^ Stoke Down SB175 Hampshire won by 6 wkts

^ The All-England teams in these three games are variously described as amalgams of counties (e.g., Kent & Surrey) but they are really All-England teams. Sussex are not included in the amalgams but their best player John Hammond was in all three teams. ACS is inconsistent here, stating that one of the teams is All-England but the other two are amalgams.

27-30 Aug (W-S) Berkshire v Kent Lord's (Dorset Square) SB176 Berkshire won by 49 runs
10-13, 15 Sept (W-M) All-England XIII v Surrey Lord's (Dorset Square) SB176 All-England won by 3 runs
16-19 Sept (Tu-F) All-England XIII v Surrey Dartford Brent SB177 All-England won by 150 runs

First mentions

Counties

Clubs and teams

    Players
    • John Lambert
    • Edward Winter
    • Briden (MCC cricketer)
    • James Beeston aka Tom Brown (Middlesex) – played 24 matches to 1808
    • Rice (Middlesex cricketer) aka James or A Smith (Middlesex; amateur) – played 13 matches to 1797
    • George Shepheard (Middlesex) – played ten matches to 1799
    • Wheeler (Middlesex cricketer) (Middlesex) – played ten matches to 1797
    • Gates (Berkshire cricketer) (Berkshire) – played eight matches to 1807
    • Rubegall (Middlesex cricketer) (Middlesex) – played six matches to 1798
    • R. Brandling (MCC; amateur) – played five matches to 1795
    • John Beldham (Surrey) – played three matches to 1795
    • John Burgess (cricketer) (Kent) – played two matches to 1795
    • J. Jackson (London) – played two matches to 1795
    • West (Berkshire cricketer) (Berkshire) – played two matches to 1794

    Venues

      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.

      William Beldham scored 488 runs in 1794 to lead the batsmen

      Other good performances were by Tom Walker with 462 runs; Joey Ring 417; Harry Walker 393; John Wells 379; Thomas Ray 299; Jack Small 282; Henry Tufton 251; John Hammond 230; William Fennex 225; Charles Anguish 215; Andrew Freemantle 193; George Louch 182

      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.

      Thomas Lord was the leading bowler in 1794 with 44 wickets, just ahead of Tom Walker with 42

      Other good performances were by David Harris with 38; Thomas Boxall 31; Hampton 24; John Wells 21; William Fennex 19; William Beldham 17; Gates 17; Timber 17; Richard Purchase 14; John Hammond 13

      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.

      John Hammond took 21 catches and made 8 stumpings to be the leading fielder in 1794, although the most catches were taken by William Beldham with 24, but he had no stumpings.

      George Louch with 16 ct led the rest, including Harry Walker 15 ct; Thomas Ray 12 ct; John Wells 12 ct; and Tom Walker 11 ct

      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.
        • Britcher, Samuel, A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played (1790 to 1805), annual series
        • 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.
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