| bottom | contents | home | From Lads to Lord's |
The History of Cricket: 1741 – 1745 | The History of Cricket: 1751 – 1760 | Biographies | Essays
The History of Cricket: 1746 – 1750
1746 | 1747 | 1748 | 1749 | 1750
The '45 Rebellion was effectively over by the time cricket got under way in 1746. The Battle of Culloden was fought on Wed 16 April. The Jacobites had invaded England as far as Derby during the winter before retreating to Scotland because they believed they were outnumbered by advancing Hanoverian forces. At Culloden, about 9000 government troops faced some 5400 Jacobites. The Jacobites staged their usual Highland Charge but they had chosen a poor site for this battle as the land is marshy and their charge became disjointed, the line being broken before it reached the enemy. Meanwhile, the Hanoverians had improved their bayonet technique and this enabled them to withstand the charge and inflict severe casualties among their attackers. Jacobite losses were already high because of an earlier artillery barrage. About 1250 Jacobites were killed in the actual fighting while the Hanoverians had comparatively light casualty figures with 52 killed.
The real infamy of Culloden was its aftermath. The Duke of Cumberland, son of George II, was commanding the government force and he ordered the execution of all 1500 prisoners, two thirds of whom were already wounded. He then began a campaign to hunt down the rest of the Jacobite force and its sympathisers. Cumberland is known to history as the Butcher but he was his father's son and no better or worse than anyone else in the despised and despicable House of Hanover.
As for Charles Edward Stuart, he wandered the Highlands and Hebrides for some five months before he was able to escape back to France. His adventures in this period, when he was constantly pursued with a bounty of £30,000 on his head, have become the stuff of legend, especially his involvement with Flora Macdonald (1722 – 1790). The famous Skye Boat Song recalls one of his journeys. In fact, he was not a romantic figure at all. It was largely due to his arrogance and incompetence that so many of his followers were killed at Culloden. He became a dissolute, no better than the Hanoverians really, and spent the rest of his life in exile.
Meanwhile, back in the civilised world, the cricket season had begun.
Bromley Common, Bromley, Kent
Mon 12 May 1746
Addington won (CS)
Addington won with great difficulty. On Monday next they play their second match at Mr Smith's, Pyd-Horse.
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 19 May 1746
result unknown (ASW)
This is the return match referred to in CS. The notice is in ASW but no match details were reported. In CS, the date is given as 26 May but that is incorrect.
Addington & Lingfield v Surrey & London
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 9 June 1746
A&L won (GB18)
A Kent man assisted Surrey & London as a given man.
The match was reported in the General London Evening Mercury as Middlesex v Surrey but the above title seems to be more accurate. Addington & Lingfield (aka Middlesex) won by a considerable number of notches.
Kent v Surrey
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 23 June 1746
result unknown (DC)
The Kent team consisted entirely of players from Bromley, Bexley and Eltham.
London v Westminster
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Wed 2 July 1746
result unknown (ASW)
No information is known.
Kent & Surrey v Addington & Bromley
Duppas Hill, Croydon, Surrey
Mon 7 July 1746
Kent & Surrey won by 4 runs (ASW)
The crowd was reported as nearly ten thousand. Kipps of Eltham, the well-known wicketkeeper, played as a given man for Addington & Bromley. The title of the fixture indicates the strength of the Addington and Bromley clubs at this time.
The London Evening Post on Thurs 3 July announced: No person allowed to bring any liquour that don't (sic) live in the parish.
Addington & Bromley v Kent & Surrey
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 14 July 1746
result unknown (ASW)
This was a return fixture. Kipps of Eltham again played as a given man for Addington & Bromley.
Mon 21 July. There was a four-a-side match at the Artillery Ground between Four Millers of Bray Mills in Berkshire and Four Best Players of Addington. It was played for fifty pounds but the result is unknown. Thomas Waymark was by this time employed at Bray Mills and so he was probably involved.
London v Edmonton
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Wed 30 July 1746
result unknown (ASW)
No information is known.
Kent v All-England
Bromley Common, Bromley, Kent
Sat 2 August 1746
result unknown (DC)
Originally scheduled for the previous day but postponed because it was impossible for the noblemen and gentlemen to be present on the Friday.
All-England v Kent
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 4 August 1746
All-England won (DC)
No details known beyond the result.
Wed 6 August. A three-a-side game in the Artillery Ground involving six players esteemed the best in England. The teams were Long Robin's Side including Robert Colchin, John Bryant (both Bromley) and Joseph Harris (Addington) versus Stephen Dingate (Surrey), Val Romney (Sevenoaks) and Richard Newland (Slindon). Stephen Dingate's side won the match (DC). Hundreds of pounds were lost and won over the game (ASW).
London v Edmonton
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 25 August 1746
result unknown (DC)
No information is known. The game was evidently a return to the one on 30 July.
London & Chiselhurst v Addington
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 1 September 1746
result unknown (DC)
Played for fifty pounds and started at one o'clock but no other information is known.
The 1747 parliamentary election resulted in a Whig government under Henry Pelham (1694 – 1754). In those days, voting was limited to landed gentry.
The 1747 season is the first in which we read of matches being disrupted because of a parliamentary election.
Croydon & Addington v Greenwich & Deptford
Duppas Hill, Croydon, Surrey
Wed 13 May 1747
result unknown (PVC)
Pre-announced in the London Evening Post on Sat 9 May but no report of the game was found.
Duppas Hill, Croydon, Surrey
Fri 29 May & Tues 9 June 1747
C&A won (ASW)
Also recorded in DC. Apparently it was unfinished on 29 May and the players agreed to play it out more than a week later.
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 1 & Tues 2 June 1747
London won (ASW)
Also recorded in DC where it says the previous match being incomplete would be played out on Tuesday next at Duppas Hill.
Dartford Brent, Dartford, Kent
Fri 12 June 1747
result unknown (ASW)
No details reported.
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 15 June 1747
result unknown (ASW)
Also recorded in DC which reports that they have played two matches this season, and each won one with great difficulty, being two days playing each match.
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 29 June 1747
result unknown (DC/ASW)
No details known other than that wickets were to be pitched at two o'clock.
DC refers to two intended games between Kent and All-England due to be played at Bromley Common on Mon 29 June and at the Artillery Ground on Wed 1 July. But both matches are deferred on account of the gentlemen subscribers being engaged at several Elections.
Dartford v Hadlow
Dartford Brent, Dartford, Kent
Thurs 2 July 1747
result unknown (PVC)
This was pre-announced in the Penny London Post of Wed 1 July as the deciding match but there is no report of the game and no references to the earlier fixture(s).
Mon 6 July. Five of Slindon versus Five of Dartford at the Artillery Ground (ASW). This was the result of a challenge by Slindon, published in the Daily Advertiser on Mon 29 June, to play five of any parish in England, for their own Sum. The announcement advised interested parties: If it is accepted of by any, they are desir'd to go to Mr Smith, who has Orders to make Stakes for them. The three Newland brothers all played. On Sat 4 July (TJM), Mr Smith announced in the same paper that five of Dartford in Kent, have made Stakes with him, and will play with the above Gentlemen at the Time and Place above mentioned for twenty Pounds.
Wed 8 July. Five of Slindon versus Five of Bromley at the Artillery Ground (GB18). Another game resulting from Slindon's challenge. The Newland brothers played for Slindon again.
Long Robin's XI v W Hodsoll's XI
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Thurs 9 July 1747
result unknown (ASW)
A scratch match arranged by members of the London Club. Most players' names are known but no scores. The exact title is unknown but one team consisted mainly of players from London, Bromley and Slindon, the other mainly of players from Dartford and Hadlow. Teams were:
Long Robin's XI: Robert Colchin, John Bryant, James Bryant, John Bowra, Little Bennett, Thomas Jure, Richard Newland, Adam Newland, John Newland and two others
W Hodsoll's XI: William Hodsoll, Broad, John & Thomas Bell, Allen, J Harris, Tom Faulkner, John Larkin and others from the parish of Hadlow in Kent. We do not know which of John or Joseph Harris was involved.
Fri 10 July. Five of Slindon versus Five of Hadlow at the Artillery Ground (TJM). Another game resulting from Slindon's five-a-side challenge. Details unknown.
Wed 15 July. Five of Slindon versus Five of Hadlow at the Artillery Ground (TJM). A return game which suggests Hadlow might have won the first as Slindon, having issued the initial challenge, might wish to try for honours even. Details unknown.
T Faulkner's XI v John Bowra's XI
Kennington Common, Kennington, Surrey
Tues 28 July 1747
result unknown (GB18)
This was billed as Long Tom versus the Kentish Shepherd, those being the nicknames of Faulkner, who was also a prizefighter, and Bowra.
In early August, there were two single wicket matches (TJM) at the Artillery Ground which were organised by the Duke of Richmond. In the first, three of his employees Stephen Dingate, Joseph Budd and Pye defeated the two Bennetts and William Anderson. In the second, the same threes were to play again but in a fives match with the two Bryants added to the Duke's team and with Tom Faulkner and one of the Harrises to their opponents. The result of the second game is unknown.
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 17 August 1747
result unknown (ASW)
A statement by Mr George Smith, the Keeper of the Artillery Ground: These matches being attended with great Charge the Door, for the Future, will be Six-pence; Two-pence not being sufficient to defray the Expence.
The match was to be played for fifty guineas per side.
Ripley Green, Ripley, Surrey
Thurs 20 August 1747
result unknown (ASW)
No details reported.
London v Hadlow
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 24 August 1747
result unknown (ASW)
Hadlow, near Tonbridge in Kent, was stated to be a famous parish for cricket.
All-England v Kent
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 31 August 1747
result unknown (ASW)
This game and the next one were the two postponed earlier in the season because of the Parliamentary Election.
Another statement from George Smith: The Town may be certain that the taking Six-pence Admittance is out of no avaricious Temper. Two-pence being greatly insufficient to the Charge that attends the Matches, which Mr Smith is ready and willing to make appear to any Gentleman.
The advertised teams (in the Daily Advertiser on Mon 31 August) were:
Kent: Robert Colchin, John Bryant, James Bryant (all Bromley), Val Romney, — Kipps, J Mansfield (all Sevenoaks), John & Thomas Bell (both Dartford), — Jones, John Larkin (both Hadlow), Robert Eures (Bexley).
All-England: Richard Newland (Slindon), — Green (Amberley, Sussex), Stephen Dingate, Little Bennett, Thomas Jure (all London), Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, — Broad, G Jackson (all Addington), William Sawyer (Richmond), — Maynard (Surrey).
Kent v All-England
Bromley Common, Bromley, Kent
Wed 2 September 1747
result unknown (ASW)
No details reported. This match was advertised at the same time as the first one and not subsequently.
Sat 5 September. Three-a-side game at the Artillery Ground: Long Robin's Side versus Stephen Dingate's Side. The teams were Robert Colchin, John Harris and Val Romney against Stephen Dingate, Richard Newland and Thomas Jure. It was played for sixty guineas per side and the players were specially chosen from those who had played in the Kent v All-England games above, so presumably they must have been the best performers in those matches.
It was ruled that all Strokes behind as well as before Wickets counted and in this respect the contest differs from any Three Match ever play'd.
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle formally ended each of the War of the Austrian Succession in Europe; King George's War in North America; and the First Carnatic War in India. It was only a respite because Britain and France went to war again in 1751 with a fresh outbreak of hostilities in India.
In cricket, single-wicket games, threes and fives were the vogue and have perhaps never been so popular before or since.
George Smith, keeper of the Artillery Ground and landlord of the adjoining Pyed Horse in Chiswell Street, declared bankruptcy. Evidently his pricing problems of recent years did have some basis in needing to balance the books after all. A number of notices appeared in the press during the first six months of 1748 but Smith eventually resolved his problems, perhaps through the sale of other property, and was able to retain control of the Artillery Ground until 1752. (GB18)
In 1748, an action of Jeffreys v Parsons was heard before the King's Bench. The case concerned wagers that were almost certainly made on the above two Kent v All-England games, with Jeffreys claiming 25 guineas won from Parsons on each game. The parties came to an out of court agreement after the case was held over. (ASW)
Monday 6 June. A fives game between Addington and The Rest, excluding Kent. Addington's players were Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Harris, George Jackson and the shoemaker that lately came out of Kent (i.e., Durling)! Their opponents were Stephen Dingate, Little Bennett, Maynard, Collins and Thomas Waymark.
Kent v All-England
Dartford Brent, Dartford, Kent
Fri 10 June 1748
Kent won by 11 runs (ASW)
It was esteemed all of a curious match, the odds being two to one on each side playing.
All-England v Kent
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 13 June 1748
Kent won (ASW/DC)
No details are known other than that Kent won and play commenced at two o'clock.
Lambeth v London
Peckham Rye Common, south London
Tues 14 June 1748
London won (GB18)
There was a brief report in the Whitehall Evening Post on Thurs 16 June.
June (date unknown). Tom Faulkner beat Robert Colchin at single wicket by one wicket. Colchin scored 40 and 5; Faulkner scored 45 and 1*. It was played sometime in June on Bromley Common (ASW).
Fri 24 June. "Three servants of the Duke of Richmond" played "Three of London" at the Artillery Ground. The result is unknown but the match started quite late at four o'clock. Richmond's team was Stephen Dingate, Joseph Budd and Pye; London's three were Little Bennett, Tall Bennett and William Anderson. Reported in the London Evening Post on Sat 25 June.
Sat 25 June. A return single-wicket match between Robert Colchin and Tom Faulkner on Addington Hill. This time Colchin won by 2 runs. He made 7 and 12; Faulkner replied with 11 and 6.
Mon 4 July. A third game between Colchin and Faulkner, each having previously won one, on the Artillery Ground. Unfortunately, there are no match details this time.
Mon 4 July. Also on the Artillery Ground, Thomas Waymark and Darville played as Two of Berkshire against Little Bennett and George Smith of London. George Smith was allowed an unnamed substitute in the field. Waymark and Darville won. Darville was the owner of Bray Mills, where Waymark worked at this time. George Smith, evidently having resolved his financial problems, was still the landlord of the famous Py'd Horse and keeper of the Artillery Ground.
Wed 6 July. A fives match on the Artillery Ground: Tom Faulkner's Side beat Stephen Dingate's Side by one wicket. Two runs were required when the last man went in. The teams were: Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, William Anderson, Little Bennett and Tall Bennett versus Stephen Dingate, Joseph Budd, Pye, James Bryant and John Bryant.
Wed 13 July & Fri 15 July. The same two teams of fives met again on the Artillery Ground. Play was interrupted by rain on the Wednesday after one side had completed its first innings, scoring 13. The match continued on the Friday. No further details are known but, as an apparent decider was played on Wed 27 July, perhaps Dingate's team won this one.
London v Croydon
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 18 July 1748
result unknown (DC)
Wickets to be pitched at 2 o'clock.
Wed 27 July. Another fives game between Tom Faulkner and Stephen Dingate on the Artillery Ground. Faulkner won. This match may have been a decider; in which case Dingate must have won the second match on Fri 15 July. The teams were not the same as before: Stephen Dingate, Richard Newland, Joseph Budd, Maynard (of Surrey) and Little Bennett versus Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, Durling (of Addington), James and John Bryant.
Thurs 4 August. There was a game somewhere in Kent between teams representing the Hills and the Dales of the county. This sounds like a similar idea to the early match at Chevening in the year 1610; and may have been commemorative.
Mon 8 August. Tom Faulkner and Joseph Harris played Robert Colchin and Val Romney at twos in the Artillery Ground for twenty guineas a side. Result unknown. Immediately afterwards, there was return of the Waymark/Darville versus Bennett/Smith game, with Smith again allowed a substitute fielder.
London v Deptford & Greenwich
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 15 August 1748
result unknown (DC)
Robert Colchin played as a given man for London; Tom Faulkner as a given man for Deptford & Greenwich.
Sat 20 August. A fives game in the Artillery Ground. The teams were: Robert Colchin, John Colchin, James and John Bryant and Robert Lascoe versus Joseph Harris, Maynard, John Capon, William Anderson and Walker.
Mon 22 August. A fives game in the Artillery Ground for 20 guineas a side: Five of Berkshire (Thomas Waymark, Darville and three others) versus Five of London (William Anderson, Little and Tall Bennett, John Capon and George Carter). London won (GB18).
Deptford & Greenwich v London
Siddle's Ground, Deptford, Kent
Tues 23 August 1748
result unknown (DC)
The venue was reported as Mr Siddle's new cricket-ground at Deptford.
Mon 29 August. A fives game at the Artillery Ground in which Tom Faulkner's Side defeated Long Robin's Side by four runs. The prize was 200 pounds. Val Romney was badly injured and could not run but, the rules being play or pay, he was obliged to play as well as he could. Teams were Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, James Bryant, John Bryant and Durling versus Robert Colchin, Val Romney, John Larkin, Jones and Maynard.
Mon 5 September. Three of England versus Five of Berkshire played for 20 guineas in the Artillery Ground. The teams were Robert Colchin, Tom Faulkner and George Smith versus Thomas Waymark and four others of Berkshire. George Smith was not allowed a substitute as in previous games and had to do his share of the fielding. Result unknown.
Fri 16 September. Robert Colchin and Thomas Waymark defeated Tom Faulkner and Joseph Harris in the Artillery Ground. It was announced beforehand that in case of rain, there is good shelter for the spectators. Apparently the match gave such great satisfaction that an immediate return was arranged. Colchin & Waymark scored 10 and 17 against 0 and 15. In their first innings, Faulkner and Harris were both bowled second ball. Details were reported in the London Evening Post on Sat 17 September.
Sat 17 September. In the return of the previous day's twos match, Colchin and Waymark again defeated Tom Faulkner and Joe Harris. The prize was fifty guineas.
Fri 23 September. A threes game played in the Artillery Ground for a considerable sum: Robert Colchin, Thomas Waymark and Maynard versus Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris and John Bryant. Result unknown.
1749 was an unusual year because Great Britain was at peace! Music and literature flourished and the highlights of the year were Handel's Royal Fireworks Music, which was premiered in London on Thursday 27 April; and Henry Fielding's classic novel The History of Tom Jones.
The popularity of single-wicket may have waned as there is a greater proportion of eleven a side games in the year's reports.
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 29 May 1749
result unknown (ASW/DC)
No details reported.
Hastings v Pevensey
venue unknown
? June 1749
result unknown (ASW)
Hardly any details are known but it was apparently played for a hundred guineas.
All-England v Surrey
Dartford Brent, Dartford, Kent
Fri 2 & Sat 3 June 1749
Surrey won by 2 wickets (ASW/CS)
All-England scored 89 and 42; Surrey replied with 73 and 59-8. No individual performances are known.
All-England had Durling of Addington (in Surrey) as a given man; Surrey had James and John Bryant as given men. The Bryants were natives of Bromley in Kent. John Frame was associated with Dartford but was actually born in Surrey, at Warlingham in 1733.
All-England: Robert Colchin, William Hodsoll, Robert Eures, Val Romney, John Larkin, Jones, John Bell, J Mansfield, Richard Newland, Joseph Budd, Durling.
Surrey: Stephen Dingate, Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, John Harris, George Jackson, Maynard, ? Bennett, John Bryant, James Bryant, Humphreys, John Frame.
We do not know which of Little or Tall Bennett played for Surrey.
All-England v Surrey
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 5 June 1749
drawn (ASW/CS)
All-England scored 71 and 47. Surrey scored 89 in their first innings but bad light prevented them chasing their target of 30. Presumably the match had to be finished (or left unfinished) on the one day. No individual performances are known.
The two teams were unchanged from the match on 2 & 3 June.
London v Richmond & Ripley
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Wed 21 June 1749
result unknown (ASW/DC)
No details reported.
Long Robin's XI v S Dingate's XI
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 26 June 1749
result unknown (ASW/DC)
The game was arranged by the members of the London Cricket Club and played for a hundred guineas a side.
William Hodsoll was due to play for one side or the other but had to withdraw. We do not know who replaced him.
Long Robin's XI: Robert Colchin, John Bryant, J Mansfield, James Bryant, John Bell, Robert Eures, Val Romney, Durling, John Colchin, John Bowra, John Larkin.
S Dingate's XI: Stephen Dingate, Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, John Harris, George Jackson, John Frame, Humphreys, Little Bennett, Tom Peake, John Capon, Thomas Jure.
Mon 10 July. Five of All-England defeated Five of Addington at the Artillery Ground. The match was played for fifty guineas a side and was the result of a challenge by the Addington players to meet any other five in England. Betting was 8-1 in favour of Addington.
Addington: Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, John Harris, George Jackson, Durling.
All-England: Robert Colchin, John Bryant, Robert Eures, John Bell, Thomas Waymark.
Mon 17 July. In a return match, the same Addington five beat the same All-England five for fifty guineas.
Wed 26 July. In a deciding match, All-England won by 2 runs. They scored 11 and 12; Addington replied with 16 and 5. The prize this time was 100 guineas. All-England made two changes to their team with James Bryant and Val Romney replacing John Bell and Thomas Waymark. Addington's five were unchanged.
ASW reports a game at White Conduit Fields on Wed 2 August involving 22 members of the London Club. The report states that the venue was in use before 1720 but that the White Conduit Club was not established until 1780. On the site was the White Conduit Tavern, erected in about 1648, and this was a favourite halting-place for those who had walked out a short distance from London. In 1749, the Tavern was owned by William Curnock and shortly afterwards by Robert Bartholomew, the Surrey cricketer.
London v Bearsted (Kent)
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 14 August 1749
London won with great ease (GB18)
It was stated that Bearsted was the best team in Kent, having beaten all other parishes in their neighbourhood.
Mon 28 August. ASW records Long Robin's XI v T Faulkner's XI at the Artillery Ground for sixty guineas a side but the teams were not top-class and had several players making up the numbers.
Tues 29 August. Portsmouth versus Fareham & Titchfield on Portsmouth Common was until quite recently believed to be the earliest reference to an actual match being played in Hampshire, but we now have information about two games played in 1733, one of which was at Titchfield. Cricket was first recorded in Hampshire in 1647. The Portsmouth team, which was described as those living on the Common, won by great odds. (GB18)
28 July. Death of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750), the great German composer
In ASW, Mr Ashley-Cooper gives the opinion that the famous Hambledon Club was founded in or about 1750, but there is no evidence to support this view and the fact is that we do not know when the club started. As the team was playing top-class cricket in 1756 (i.e., the earliest matches we know of), it seems likely that a local club of some kind was founded much earlier than 1750 as it must have risen to a position of prominence in Hampshire before being able to take on the likes of Dartford from 1756.
It is possible, as with many later county clubs, that a parish club was in existence for a long time and was then subject to substantial reorganisation after its team became famous. This might explain the many origins of the Hambledon Club up to about 1767!
Two Elevens
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 18 June 1750
result unknown (ASW/DC)
The teams played for 50 guineas and were composed entirely of players from Kent, London, Middlesex and Surrey.
Kent v Surrey
Dartford Brent, Dartford, Kent
Fri 6 July 1750
Kent won by 3 wickets (ASW/CS)
Surrey scored 57 and 36; Kent replied with 54 and 40-7. No individual scores are known but the teams are.
Kent: William Hodsoll, Rawlins, John Bryant, James Bryant, Garrett, John & Thomas Bell, Broad, Val Romney, Thomas Brandon, Howard.
Surrey: Stephen Dingate, Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, John Harris, George Jackson, Robert Bartholomew, John Frame, ? Frame, Maynard, John Capon, Perry.
Perry was possibly related to the player who took part with Piper of Hampton in the 1726 single-wicket contest. We do not know the name of John Frame's brother.
Kent was without Robert Colchin, who had died in April aged 36.
Kent v Surrey
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Mon 9 July 1750
Surrey won by 9 wickets (ASW/CS)
A return match. Kent scored 53 and 55; Surrey replied with 80 and 29-1 to win with some ease. The teams were unchanged from the first match but again no individual scores are known.
Dartford Brent, Dartford, Kent
Tues 17 July 1750
Dartford won by 6 runs (ASW/GB18)
Dartford scored 46 and 34; Addington replied with 39 and 35. We know that William Hodsoll and the two Bryants all played for Dartford as given men. According to the London Evening Post on Thursday 19 July, Dartford lost their last five second innings wickets in five successive deliveries by a mixture of caught and bowled. But they still made enough to win.
Kent v Surrey
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Fri 20 July 1750
Kent won by 1 wicket (ASW/DC)
Surrey scored 55 and 42; Kent replied with 63 and 35-9 to win a very tight contest.
A deciding match and again it was won by the team batting second. We know that five runs were still needed when the penultimate wicket fell. The teams were unchanged from the two previous matches but again we do not have individual scores.
The London Club ruled beforehand that players must reside in the county they play for. The Frames still lived at Warlingham in 1750, though John Frame was latterly associated with Dartford.
Thurs 26 July. Five of Richmond played Five of London for a guinea a man on the Artillery Ground. No details are known. (ASW)
London v Hampton
Artillery Ground, Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London
Wed 8 August 1750
unknown (ASW)
No details reported.
Wed 8 August. Death of Charles Lennox (1701 – 1750), the 2nd Duke of Richmond, who was arguably the greatest of the game's early patrons, particularly of the Slindon Club and of Sussex cricket in general. His death was followed by an immediate slump in Sussex cricket and it is not until 1766 that a recovery can be discerned.
Mon 10 September. The first of three fives between Stephen Dingate and Tom Faulkner at the Artillery Ground. Faulkner won this one, which was played for fifty guineas. Teams were: Stephen Dingate, John Bryant, James Bryant, John & Thomas Bell versus Tom Faulkner, Joseph Harris, John Harris, Durling and Perry.
Fri 14 September. The second match ended in a tie, both sides totalling nine. As single-wicket rules applied, all batsmen were out. We know they were all bowled (but not who by) except for Dingate who was caught in the 2nd innings, Thomas Bell who was run out in the 2nd innings and Joe Harris who was caught in the 2nd innings (apparently while trying to hit the winning run).
Mon 17 September. The third and deciding game of fives was won by Tom Faulkner's side by an innings and one run. Dingate's team scored 10 & 18 but Faulkner's scored 29. Interestingly, the individual figures in the recorded score of Dingate's second innings add up to 20 but 18 was definitely the correct total so one or more of the individual scores was wrong.
| The History of Cricket: 1741 – 1745 | The History of Cricket: 1751 – 1760 | Biographies | Essays |
| Date last modified: |
|
All rights reserved. Information on this site may be used in other published material on condition that the source is clearly acknowledged. |
| top | contents | home |