From Lads to Lord's: Biographies

From Lads to Lord's

From Lads to Lord's: Introduction Essays

Biographies

Edward Curry Aburrow

Edward Aburrow junior (born 1747 at Slindon, Sussex; died 6 October 1835 at Hambledon, Hampshire) was a right-handed batsman and useful change bowler. He was a mobile outfielder with a strong throw.

He was the son of the Slindon smuggler of the same name. Whereas his father was called Cuddy, Aburrow junior was always known as Curry.

He is known to have played in 44 major cricket matches from 1772 to 1782 but his career with Hambledon began in the 1760s. Aburrow was born in Slindon and died in Hambledon: a classic combination for a cricketer.

Edward Aburrow senior

Edward Aburrow senior (dates of birth and death unknown) was a Sussex man, believed to have been a native of the famous village of Slindon where his son Edward "Curry" Aburrow was born. Aburrow senior was a smuggler and operated under an alias of "Cuddy" to disguise himself. This pseudonym has sometimes been used in cricket reports and scores.

Aburrow first appears in the records as a member of the Slindon team against London Cricket Club in the 1744 season. Later that season, he played for All-England against Kent in the famous match at the Artillery Ground. These two games have the earliest known scorecards.

Aburrow continued to play until at least the 1751 season. He is frequently found in single wicket contests and seems to have been very popular with the gamblers who frequented that form of cricket.

Stephen Amherst

A debutant in 1783 was the well-known amateur and patron Stephen Amherst (1750 - 1814) who was a useful batsman and a great servant of the game in his native Kent.

Amherst made 34 known major cricket appearances until 1795, often leading his own team. He employed the famous bowler Thomas Boxall, whose career began in 1789. Amherst set up an indoor bowling area in a barn so that he and Boxall could practice during the winter.

William Anderson

William Anderson (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted player of the mid-18th century who was principally associated with the famous London Cricket Club. He first appears in the records on 26 June 1745 when he played in a big match at the Artillery Ground for Richard Newland's XI versus Robert Colchin's XI along with nearly all the best players of the day. Anderson was a good single wicket player who made frequent appearances in that type of cricket, often playing for high stakes. His last recorded appearance was in 1752 playing for London in a single wicket match.

A match on 15 August 1753 between two unnamed elevens at the Artillery Ground was reported as a benefit match for Mr Anderson of the Dial in Long Alley, Moorfields. This was presumably William Anderson and if a benefit was held, it is likely that his career had ended and perhaps in unfortunate circumstances. The two elevens were made up of various players from the general London area with the best bowlers to be parted (sic).

Henry Hervey Aston

Captain (later Colonel) Henry Hervey Aston (1759 - 1798) was later a member of both the Hambledon Club and the MCC. He was recorded in 13 major matches up to 1793 when his military duties took precedence.

In December of that year, Aston obtained a Lieutenant-colonelcy in the 12th Foot and afterwards went to Madras where in 1798 he fought a duel with Major Picton. Both fired into the air. Next day, in another duel, he was wounded by a new adversary, Major Allen, and after languishing about a week, he died on 23 December 1798.

Henry Attfield

Henry Attfield (1756 - c.1829) made his first known appearance in 1773. He was a native of Bagshot in Surrey. Aged 17, he must have been a genuine 1773 debutant. He was not a regular player and was still only 26 when his career ended in 1782.

He seems to have been known as Field and this often appeared on old scorecards.

James Aylward

James Aylward (born 1741 at Warnford, near Droxford in Hampshire; died 27 December 1827 at Marylebone) is first recorded in 1773, even though he was by then 32 years of age. As Mr Haygarth says, he must have played several years previously, the records being unfortunately lost. Aylward is known to have played in 111 major cricket matches from 1773 until 1797. He continued playing after that in minor matches.

Aylward is remembered for his remarkable feat on 18, 19 and 20 June 1777, when he scored 167 runs in one innings against the best bowlers and fielders of the day. This score was the world record for the highest individual innings in major cricket, beating the 136 scored by John Small in 1775 and standing for 43 years until it was beaten by William Ward in 1820.

Aylward played for Hambledon until 1779 when he was offered employment as a water bailiff by Sir Horace Mann, whereupon he moved to Bishopsbourne in Kent and played for Sir Horace's teams.

Latterly he resided in London and died in Edward Street, Marylebone. He was buried in St John's Wood Churchyard, close to Lord's.

William Barber

William Barber (1734 - 1805) finished playing in 1777. He is said to have bowled a high delivery on a good length. Originally from Walberton, near Chichester, he came to Hambledon to play after being spotted.

His family and that of Thomas Brett were inter-married. Barber seems to have been a shoemaker but he latterly took over the Bat and Ball Inn from Richard Nyren. He died aged 71 in 1805 and was buried in Catherington.

The Bartholomews

There were three noted Surrey cricketers called Bartholomew in the mid-18th century. It is not known if any of them were related.

ASW records a game in the 1749 English cricket season at White Conduit Fields on 2 August involving 22 members of the London Cricket 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 (died 1766), the Surrey cricketer.

In 1750, we find the same Robert Bartholomew playing for Surrey versus Kent at Dartford Brent, Kent winning by 3 wickets.

In 1766, PVC records the death on Thursday 6 February of Robert Bartholomew. He had played for Surrey in the 1750s and may well have been related to the Bartholomews who played for Chertsey in the 1770s. He was the master of the Angel Inn at Islington (note: well-known to Monopoly enthusiasts) and also of White Conduit House.

The other two Bartholomews are Chertsey Cricket Club players who appear on scorecards in the 1770s. On the cards of three Chertsey matches in the 1775 season, they are recorded as Rev Bartholomew senior and Mr Bartholomew junior. It is believed that the junior was William Bartholomew, who also played for Surrey teams at the time, including matches in 1773 for which scorecards have survived. The senior is believed to be Reverend Charles Bartholomew, a Chertsey Club stalwart who played occasionally in the 1770s but may have been a regular in times past.

Bayton

The player who has variously been called Bayton, Boyton or Boynton was certainly an accomplished batsman but he seems to have been past his best when regular scorecards began in 1772 and, sadly, we know little about him.

Bayton was mentioned a few times between 1768 and 1777. He seems to have been a very good batsman indeed in both 1768 and 1769, but then he becomes an occasional name. It is possible that he was a Sussex man as he was due to play for Sussex against Hampshire in a cancelled match of 1773.

William Bedle

One player who may well have taken part in the 1709 inter-county match was William Bedle (1680 - 1768), of Dartford, who is the earliest great player to have been recorded. He was reckoned to be the most expert player in England and must have been in his prime c.1700 to c.1720 (see GB18).

William Bedster

The Artillery Ground game in September 1777 seems to have been the first match played by William Bedster, who was famously the Earl of Tankerville's butler. He had 62 known major cricket appearances from 1777 to 1794.

He played mainly for Surrey till 1787 but he was frequently used as a given man.

It is true that he was at one time Tankerville's butler at Mount Felix, Walton-on-Thames. He subsequently moved to Chelsea, where he was an innkeeper, and in his later career played mostly for Middlesex teams.

It is believed he died in 1805 but very little is known of his personal details.

William Beldham

The Berkshire v Essex match marks the debut of the famous William Beldham (1766 - 1862), known as Silver Billy and a master batsman whose career spanned the Napoleonic Era.

He scored only 1 and 0 on his debut, but he did get a lot better!

Born in Farnham, Surrey, Beldham made his name playing for Hampshire from 1787. He was remembered as a fine strokemaker and is generally regarded with John Small as one of the two greatest batsmen of the underarm era. He took a lot of wickets too, bowling what seems to have been a lively fast-medium pace.

He continued playing until 1821.

John & Thomas Bell

John Bell (1718 - 1774) was a member of the England side which met Surrey in 1749 and ten years later kept wicket for Dartford against England. He was born at Dartford in 1718, his occupation probably being that of a shoemaker, a trade followed by several of his family. But in 1760 he took over the Eleven Cricketers public house on East Hill in Dartford, remaining there till his death in January 1774 at the age of fifty-five. A few days later the newspaper Bingley's London Journal referred to him as the most noted cricketer in England. See Start of Play by David Underdown.

Thomas Bell, brother of John, also played for Dartford and All-England. In 1762, Thomas Bell was condemned to death at Maidstone Assizes for highway robbery, but was later reprieved.

"Little" and "Tall" Bennett

These were two English cricketers, probably brothers, who played for the famous London Cricket Club in the 1740s and 1750s. They also played for All-England teams and were prominent in the single wicket variety of the sport, which was hugely popular at that time. Unfortunately, very little is known about the Bennetts outside contemporary match reports. Their first names are not recorded anywhere and they are consistently referred to as "Little" Bennett and "Tall" Bennett, so we do know that they were not the same height!

Both the Bennetts were acclaimed as great batsmen. ASW quotes from The Connoisseur (no. 132, dated 1746) an article about Robert Colchin and this includes: "....but his (Colchin's) greatest excellence is cricket-playing, in which he is reckoned as good a bat as either of the Bennetts...."

The Bennetts are first noted in 1744 when both played for London against Slindon. In 1745, we find "Little" Bennett twice playing for Surrey but as a "given man". In 1752, they both played for Westminster against the famous Addington club. In 1753, "Tall" Bennett played against London as a given man for a Marylebone XI.

The last we hear of them is in 1755 when they both took part in a "fives" match playing for London against Windsor & Eton on Kennington Common.

Francis Booker

Francis Booker (born 8 October 1746 at Eynsford, Kent; died 13 November 1806 at Eynsford) was a left-handed batsman who was noted as a fine hitter of the ball and a very good outfielder. He began playing in the 1760s and was active until 1790, making 52 known major cricket appearances from 1773. Booker was a good single wicket player and was yet another cricketing innkeeper. He kept the Soho Inn in his home village.

John Boorman

John Boorman (c.1754 - 1807) was possibly a genuine debutant in 1772, when he is believed to have been 18, although there was a Boorman active in 1768. Most if not all of the others who played in 1772 are believed to have been active in earlier seasons.

He apparently came from Sevenoaks and usually represented Kent but he seems to have relocated to Essex c.1790 and played in Essex teams also. He was a very useful bowler and may have been left handed.

John Boorman made 61 known major cricket appearances from 1772 until 1793.

George Boult

Surprisingly little is known about Mr George T Boult who was a Hambledon Club member for some years and was a noted amateur batsman from 1785 till 1797. He seems to have hailed from Maidenhead but, having made his name with Berkshire, was latterly associated with Middlesex.

John Bowra

John Bowra (pronounced Borra) was baptised at Sevenoaks on 3 June 1716 and was buried at Sevenoaks on 22 December 1785. He can surely be identified with the Mr Boarer, one of the three very good gamesters who assisted London in the match against Kingston and Moulsey on 19 July 1739.

Later, in the 1740s, he appeared in several great matches on the Artillery Ground as John Borah and probably represented Kent against Surrey in 1745 when the team was drawn entirely from Bromley, Bexley and Eltham.

Bowra is believed to have been a shepherd employed by the Duke of Dorset and he was probably the Kentish shepherd who headed an eleven against Long Tom (i.e., Tom Faulkner) of Surrey on Kennington Common in 1748.

William Bowra, who was a noted player in the latter part of the 18th century, is believed to have been his son.

William Bowra

William Bowra (1752 - 7 May 1820) played regularly for Kent teams until 1788 and then for Sussex until 1792. He had 47 known major cricket appearances between 1775 and 1792. His name was pronounced Borra. In the Hampshire Chronicle report of this game, his name is spelt Bower. Bowra, probably the son of John Bowra, was a very useful batsman who was employed by the Duke of Dorset as a gamekeeper. He is believed to have been an outstanding fielder in close positions as a great many catches were credited to him.

The Duke of Dorset was a great admirer of his play and it is said, perhaps as an anecdote, that Dorset used to sit on the railing round the Sevenoaks Vine ground to watch him bat, often exclaiming: Bravo, my little Bowra.

Bowra subsequently played for the Brighton team during 1790 - 1792 and once made 60* for Brighton v MCC. At this time he was perhaps employed on one of Dorset's estates in Sussex. He returned to Knole House in 1807, again as gamekeeper, and it is believed he stayed there till his death in 1820.

Thomas Brandon

Thomas Brandon (dates of birth and death unknown) played mainly for Dartford Cricket Club and Kent. He was a good batsman for Kent during the 1750s and regularly took part in single wicket contests. Little is known of him except that he was a shopkeeper in Dartford who also acted as a churchwarden. The earliest reference to Brandon is on 6 July 1750 when he played for Kent against Surrey at Dartford Brent. Kent won by 3 wickets. In 1759, he was a member of the Dartford team that twice defeated All-England.

William Brazier

William Brazier (1755 - 1829) was probably a genuine 1774 debutant, being aged 19 at the time. He was born in Cudham, Kent. He was a noted all rounder who bowled fast and was a powerful hitter.

He played for a left-handed team in 1790 but S&B says he was right-handed. He did not play during the years 1777 to 1781 inclusive, possibly because he was in the armed forces or otherwise employed away from Kent.

Thomas Brett

Thomas Brett (born 1747 in Hampshire; died 1809 in Hampshire) was cricket's first well-known fast bowler and was a star of the legendary Hambledon team of the 1770s. Noted for his accuracy, Brett was a leading wicket taker in the 1770s and was lauded by John Nyren in The Cricketers of my Time.

An unusual feature of Brett's career at a time when players freely swapped sides as given men was that he always played for Hampshire. Indeed, he did not even play for Hambledon per se because he resided at Catherington and so was ineligible to represent Hambledon's Parish XI.

Brett featured in the Monster Bat Incident as the bowler who led the protest; and it is almost certain that he wrote out the formal objection to Thomas White's huge bat.

Thomas Brett was a consistent wicket-taker as the match summaries to follow do clearly reveal. He made 31 known major cricket appearances from 1772 to 1778. Oddly, in those days of given men and All-England elevens, Brett played only for Hampshire.

His last recorded match was in October 1778 when he was still only 31. It seems he went to live in Portsmouth so a change of occupation may have been the reason for his apparently early retirement.

Alan Brodrick, 2nd Viscount Midleton

Alan Brodrick, 2nd Viscount Midleton (born 31 January 1702; died 8 June 1747) succeeded his father, also called Alan Brodrick, as Viscount Midleton on 29 August 1728. He in turn was succeeded by his son George Brodrick. The title is extant and is today (in 2006) held by another Alan Brodrick.

Brodrick was a Commissioner of the Customs and subsequently Joint Comptroller of the army accounts. Before he succeeded his father, Brodrick made his mark as a cricket patron by arranging major matches against his friend Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond.

James & John Bryant

John Bryant (c.1717 - 23 July 1772) of Bromley was another fine player of the period and he excelled in single-wicket contests. His brother James Bryant (died May 1755) was also a leading player. ASW says John was a bricklayer. James and John are both recorded in matches from 1743: James until 1751 and John until 1756.

William Bullen

William Bullen, the outstanding Kent all-rounder, may have been a genuine debutant in 1773 as he played till 1800, though his dates of birth and death are unknown.

He was a fast bowler and a powerful hitter. He made 120 recorded appearances to the end of the 18th century and was one of the period's most prolific players as well as one of the best.

It is a great pity that virtually nothing is known of such an outstanding player.

J T de Burgh

The Hon. John Thomas de Burgh (1744 - 1808) played for Surrey in 1773. He was possibly a guest player as his name only occurs a handful of times in match reports.

He was a Hambledon Club member prior to June 1772 when the club's minutes began; and president of the club in 1784. He had a military career in the 68th Foot, rising from Lieutenant-Colonel in the 1780s to General in 1803.

de Burgh's name echoes Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, written in 1796, in which the aristocratic de Burgh family is related to Mr Darcy.

Sir Peter Burrell

Sir Peter Burrell (1754 - 1820) was the third most influential member of the White Conduit Club and the early MCC, after Winchilsea and Lennox.

Burrell was a well known political figure and, apart from a couple of years in the early 1780s, was an MP from 1776 to 1796. The highlight of his career was his role as Deputy Grand Chamberlain in the famous trial of Warren Hastings. Hastings had been the first Governor-General of India from 1773 to 1786 but in 1787 he was impeached and subsequently tried for corruption; but was acquitted in 1795.

The playing career of Sir Peter Burrell extends to just 9 known major cricket matches from 1785 to 1790. He played for Kent in a couple of matches although he was a Londoner by birth and his family seat was in Sussex.

He was a very useful batsman as indicated by his innings of 97 noted above.

Edmund Chapman

One Surrey player who could well have been involved in the game at Kennington was Edmund Chapman of Chertsey who died on Wed 30 July 1763 aged 68 (see DC). Chapman was an eminent master bricklayer and accounted one of the most dextrous cricket players in England. We have no earlier references to him than his obituary notice but he must have been active c.1715 to c.1740, presumably playing for Chertsey, or perhaps Croydon, and for Surrey as a county.

Childs

Childs was a noted Surrey and All-England cricketer of the 18th century. Personal details of Childs, including his first name and his dates of birth and death, have not been found in surviving records. Childs was active when cricket's statistical record began in the 1772 season and it is believed he had by then been playing for several years and was in the closing phase of his career. Primarily a batsman, he was recorded in nine major cricket matches from 1772 until 1774, playing four times for All-England and five times for Surrey.

Robert Clifford

The noted all-rounder Robert Clifford (1752 - 1811) of Bearsted made his known major cricket debut in 1777. He was a Kent player who remained active until 1792.

He is believed to have bowled right arm slow but he was a left handed bat.

Robert Colchin

Robert Long Robin Colchin was born in 1713 at Chailey in Sussex and died at Bromley in April 1750. Colchin, evidently a very tall man, lived in Bromley for several years and was associated with the local club, which was prominent through the 1740s.

He thrived on the single wicket form of the game, though he did play eleven-a-side very well too and took part in the famous Kent v All-England match in 1744. Colchin had strong associations with the Artillery Ground and is known to have promoted many matches there.

In ASW, F S Ashley-Cooper states that "Long Robin" was probably the finest all-round player of his day and was called Long Robin because he was so tall: And Robin, from his size, surnamed the Long.

ASW quotes from The Connoisseur (no. 132, dated 1746) an article about a young gentleman whose favourite amusement is attending the executions at Tyburn:

"A young fellow of family and fortune, who was born and bred a gentleman, but has taken great pains to degrade himself, and is now as complete a blackguard as those whom he has chosen for his companions. He will drink purl in a morning, smoke his pipe in a night cellar, and eat black puddings at Bartholomew Fair, for the humour of the thing. All the while he is reckoned by his friends to be a mighty good-natured gentleman and without the least bit of pride in him. In order to qualify himself for the society of the vulgar, Bob has studied and practised all the vulgar arts "under the best masters". He has therefore cultivated an intimacy with "Buckhorse" (i.e., John Smith, a noted prizefighter), and is very proud of being sometimes admitted to the honour of conversing with the great (Jack) Broughton himself (Broughton was probably the most famous prizefighter of the 18th century). He is also very well known among the hackney coachmen, as a brother whip ; but his greatest excellence is cricket-playing, in which he is reckoned as good a bat as either of the Bennetts; and is at length arrived at the supreme dignity of being distinguished among his breathren of the wicket by the title of Long Robin".

ASW ends with: "The performances of this player must not be confused (as was done by one of the numerous contributors to the "Jubilee Book of Cricket") with those of "Long Bob" (i.e., Robert Robinson, who commenced to participate in great matches in or about the year 1792). When matches were hastily got up Long Robin was generally left to make all the arrangements, &c., as Fuller Pilch was in his own district about a century later".

Colchin therefore had a taste for low company and it may reasonably be assumed that he was involved in criminal activity. The circumstances of his early death are unknown but his chosen lifestyle may ultimately have brought about an untimely demise.

Samuel Colchin

Samuel (Sam) Colchin (dates of birth and death unknown) was a Kent cricketer in the 1760s and 1770s. He was also selected for All-England in major matches and was often a given man. He was an all-rounder though noted mainly as a bowler, but of unknown type and pace. He was a nephew of Robert Colchin.

Cricket's statistical record began in the 1772 season, by when Colchin's career was already well advanced. He was recorded in 11 major cricket matches from 1773 to 1778 and also in "fives" contests, the form of cricket in which his famous uncle thrived. He was last mentioned playing in a "fives" match in June 1779.

Reynell Cotton

Then why should we fear either Sackville or Mann,
Or repine at the loss of both Bayton and Land?

Those verses from the Hambledon Club song, written by Reverend Reynell Cotton (1717 - 1779) in about 1771, indicate a certain bravado because there seems little doubt that Bayton was a fine batsman and not the sort the club would wish to lose. The Rev. Cotton was President of the Hambledon Club 1773 to 1774. He was a schoolmaster in Winchester.

Henry Crozoer

Henry Crozoer, whose name is sometimes given as Crosoer, made his debut at Windmill Down on 13 July. Born c.1765, probably at Bridge, he was a Kent stalwart for a few seasons. He seems to have been a wicketkeeper-batsman.

John Cutbush

John Cutbush (dates of birth and death unknown) from Maidstone was a famous Kent player. By profession he was a clockmaker in Maidstone. He must have begun playing in the 1730s, or earlier, when match details are scarce but by 1743, when he is first mentioned in contemporary reports, he is included among the six best players in England. This was when he took part in a "threes" contest at the Artillery Ground alongside his Kent colleagues William Hodsoll and Val Romney against Richard Newland, William Sawyer and John Bryant.

In 1744, Cutbush played for Kent in the famous match at the Artillery Ground which forms the first entry in Scores & Biographies. He was involved in the final partnership with Hodsoll, scoring 7* as Kent won by that one wicket. Cutbush may have been a veteran by then because that is the last we read of him. There seems little doubt that he was a considerable player whose best years were behind him when reports of the matches became more informative.

Stephen Dingate

Stephen Dingate is an interesting player. He is reported in one source to have been a barber. We know he was born at Reigate in Surrey and he was employed by the Duke of Richmond. He was a prominent single wicket player in the 1740s but it is possible his career began a decade or more earlier and he may have been contemporary with Waymark who began in the 1720s. Sadly, very little is known of this leading player. We are not even sure about the spelling of his name which in a few sources is written as Dungate.

The Duke of Dorset

John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (born 24 March 1745; died 19 July 1799) is best remembered for his love and patronage of cricket, upon which he also gambled very heavily. The only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of the 1st Duke of Dorset, he succeeded to the Dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, the 2nd Duke.

He was educated at Westminster, where he first became involved in cricket. He went on to join the Hambledon Club where he befriended Sir Horatio Mann and Charles Bennet, the 4th Earl of Tankerville, who became his keen rivals. Dorset was a good player, as the records clearly reveal, taking many wickets and making a few high scores. He had 23 known appearances in major cricket matches between 1773 and 1783.

Dorset's patronage of cricket was expensive. The Whitehall Evening Post in 1783 noted that the cost to Dorset of maintaining his team, before bets, was £1,000 a year. This was a lot, but less than the amounts some of his contemporaries were spending on racing.

In 1784 Dorset moved to Paris, surprising his critics with newfound public dedication, to serve as ambassador to France. He continued to promote cricket amongst the locals and British expatriates. In 1786,The Times reported on a cricket match played by some English gentlemen in the Champs Elysées: His Grace of Dorset was, as usual, the most distinguished for skill and activity. The French, however, cannot imitate us in such vigorous exertions of the body, so that we seldom see them enter the lists.

In 1789, Dorset planned what would have been the first international cricket tour. His touring side got as far as congregating at Dover on 10 August. But the French Revolution meant that they never got to France, thereby making his tour the first international cricket tour to be cancelled for political reasons. The French Revolution destroyed any footholds the game had in France.

Back in England, Dorset had become one of the first members of the Marylebone Cricket Club. His public life continued in the post of Steward of the Royal Household, in which capacity his main role was to keep an eye on the dissolute Prince of Wales, the future George IV.

In 1790, Dorset married Arabella Diana Cope. They had one son together, George John Frederick Sackville, 4th Duke of Dorset, who was born on 15 November 1793. George John Frederick became the 4th Duke of Dorset on his father's death at the family seat, Knole House, Sevenoaks, Kent in 1799.

Durling

The Surrey and All-England cricketer called Durling (first name, date of birth and date of death unknown) was a noted player although nothing is known of him outside mentions in match reports.

He played for the famous Addington Cricket Club and he is first recorded in the 1748 season when he took part in a "fives" match for high stakes alongside other leading players of the day, his team winning. Earlier the same year, on 6 June, in another "fives" game between Addington and "The Rest of England excluding Kent", Addington's players were Tom Faulkner, Joe Harris, John Harris, George Jackson and the shoemaker that lately came out of Kent! As Durling was himself apparently new that season, it is possible that he was the mysterious shoemaker!

In 1749, when All-England played his native Surrey and were a man short, they picked Durling from their opponents to complete the side. Later that year, when Addington played All-England in a "fives" match, Durling played for a very strong Addington side alongside Faulkner, Jackson and the Harris brothers.

Durling features in big matches through the 1750s, playing against Hambledon in 1756 and for All-England on other occasions including the games against Dartford in 1759. He is last recorded in the 1761 season.

Gilbert East

Mr Gilbert East of Berkshire played in 13 recorded matches up to 1794 and was a useful all-rounder who took quite a lot of wickets. Little has been discovered about his personal life.

John Edmeads

John Edmeads (born ? at Chertsey; died July 1802 at Staines) seems to have begun his career in the 1750s and played until 1779, making 19 major cricket appearances from the beginning of the statistical record in 1772, by when his best years were probably behind him. He was a noted batsman and fielder, playing mainly for Chertsey and Surrey. He kept Simplemarsh Farm in the Chertsey parish; this farm was in the family for over 200 years.

Robert Eures

Robert Eures (dates of birth and death unknown) came from Bexley in Kent and played for Kent county cricket teams as well as for All-England. He is known to have been a good batsman and he was frequently involved in single-wicket tournaments which were very popular during his career and attracted high stakes.

Robert Eures is first recorded in the Daily Advertiser on 31 August 1747 playing for Kent against All-England at the Artillery Ground. In 1749 we find him playing for a very strong All-England team against Surrey, which was the leading county team that season.

In 1752, Eures was named as one of the three principal players when the famous Dartford Cricket Club issued a challenge to "the rest of England". Dartford's challenge was that with William Hodsoll, John Bryant, Robert Eures and "eight players from the parish of Dartford" it could take on and defeat any eleven players from the rest of England! The match was due to be played on 29 July 1752 at Dartford Brent but unfortunately no result has been found and it might have been rained off.

That is the last we hear of Robert Eures as match reports decreased after 1752 and then the sport itself went into decline during the Seven Years War. Given that his earliest reference was in 1747, it seems unlikely that he was a veteran of the 1730s. He was probably born in the early 1720s, made his name in the 1740s and, all being well, retired in the 1760s.

Tom Faulkner

Tom Faulkner, known as Long Tom, was a prominent single wicket player who frequently played in challenge matches at the Artillery Ground. He was a member of the Addington club in Surrey and appears in the records from 1744 until 1761. He was also a well-known prizefighter under his sobriquet of Long Tom. Unfortunately, very little is known of his personal details.

William Fennex

William Fennex (born c.1763 at Gerrards Cross, Bucks; died 4 March 1838 at Stepney, London) was a noted all-rounder and right arm fast bowler. As a batsman, Fennex was reputed to be one of the first to use forward play and was said to be a good driver.

His playing career began with Berkshire in 1785 but he was chiefly associated with Middlesex and was keeper of the ground at Uxbridge. He made 85 known major cricket appearances until 1800 and then played occasionally, making nine more appearances from 1802 to 1816.

Like Beldham, he subsequently provided James Pycroft with his reminiscences.

John Frame

The above references to John Frame (1733 - 11 October 1796) are our first links with the Glory Days of the 1770s as he played until 1774. He was a great fast bowler who played mostly for Dartford, where he lived, though he was born at Warlingham in Surrey. He was described by John Nyren as one of the Hambledon Club's greatest opponents. He was only 16 in June 1749. Nyren says he remembers little of Frame, except that he was an unusually stout man for a cricketer.

Richard Francis

Richard Francis later became a famous Hampshire player although he was a Surrey man by birth. His age and other personal details are unknown but he played until 1793; so 1773 could have been his debut season.

John Freemantle

John Freemantle (born 1758, probably at Bishop Sutton, Hampshire; died 3 August 1831 at Alresford, Hampshire) played for the legendary Hambledon Club. He was the elder brother of the more famous Andrew Freemantle. He had only a short major cricket career from the 1780 season until 1782, playing seven times for Hampshire. It is possible he gave up playing early due to injury. John Freemantle was primarily a bowler and in Scores & Biographies, it is said that he was "tolerably fast". He was a useful batsman but it is said that when fielding he "never flinched from the ball".

James Fuggles

James Fuggles of Kent who played in all three recorded matches in 1772, made his final recorded appearance in 1773. In his four recorded appearances, he played 8 innings and scored 51 runs with a top score of 21. It is believed that he was a regular player before 1772 but little is known of him.

Sir William Gage

Our knowledge of the above two games is based on a humorous letter sent by Sir William Gage (1695 - 1744) to the 2nd Duke of Richmond on Fri 16 July. Sir William bemoans that he was shamefully beaten the previous day in his first match of the year but says nothing of his opponents. He then looks forward to playing the Duke's team next Tuesday and wishes his Grace success in everything except his cricket match! Sir William was the MP for Seaford and he subsequently became Lord Gage. His seat was at Firle in East Sussex. He was one of the greatest of cricket's early patrons.

J Gouldstone

J Gouldstone was a noted Essex and All-England cricketer of the late 18th century. Personal details of Gouldstone, including his first name, have not been found in surviving records. He is known to have sometimes used the pseudonym of Goldswain and this appears on some scorecards. Gouldstone made 11 known major cricket appearances between 1785 and 1793.

Stephen Harding

Stephen Harding (dates of birth and death unknown) played for Chertsey, All-England and Surrey. Harding was a hard-hitting batsman and a good bowler, although his style and pace is unknown. He featured in single wicket contests and seems to have been a fine all-rounder.

Harding is first recorded in May 1751 when he played for All-England v Kent at the Artillery Ground. All-England won by 9 runs and Harding made a significant contribution. Although he had been picked as a bowler, we know that he and "A N Other" (an unnamed Chertsey player) opened All-England's second innings and scored 51 for the first wicket, which is like a double century partnership nowadays. Harding apparently made 50 of these himself and had one hit out of the ground and against a house on Bunhill Row opposite. He was given four for this mighty effort. You could only score six if you were actually able to run that many and to do that you would need the help of overthrows.

Soon afterwards, in a return match, Harding played for All-England again and they beat Kent by an innings.

In 1759, Harding was a member of the All-England team beaten twice by Dartford Cricket Club.

He was still making big hits in September 1765, when he played for Chertsey against Richmond on Richmond Green. Helping Chertsey to win by 106 runs, Harding made 24 in four balls with a five, two sixes and a seven! That is the last time he is recorded. The bulk of his career was during the 1750s when cricket reports are scarce and he spanned the Seven Years War which had a disastrous impact on the sport.

David Harris

David Harris (1755 - 1803) was one of the greatest bowlers of the underarm era, ranking alongside Stevens and Brett.

Some line drawings of Harris and other players have survived. Harris is shown in the characteristic pose described by Nyren as he began his action. He stands erect with the ball raised over his head. This gave him complete freedom of arm swing and the ball when delivered was pitched very fast and accurately. Harris seems to have got pace off the pitch and Nyren has recorded that numerous batsmen received nasty injuries to their unprotected hands from balls that trapped their fingers against the bat handle.

Harris lived in the Hampshire village of Crookham, where he was a potter by trade. Like the Walker brothers and Thomas Boxall, he used to practice his bowling in a barn during the winter.

Sadly, he suffered from gout in his later years and the sources have recorded how he would arrive at a game on crutches and then sit on a chair between deliveries.

David Harris made 79 known major cricket appearances from 1782 until 1800.

John and Joseph Harris

The brothers John Harris (dates of birth and death unknown) and Joseph Harris (dates of birth and death unknown) were famous players in the 1740s and 1750s. They both played for the Addington Cricket Club which had one of the strongest teams in England at the time. With the Harris brothers playing, the Addington club first came to prominence on 25 July 1743 when its team defeated London Cricket Club at the Artillery Ground by an innings & 4 runs (see ASW). London made 32 & 74; Addington 110.

Addington is in Surrey, about 3 miles south-east of Croydon, and that was the club's first game in London. They had a very strong eleven for some years at this time and the club immediately accepted the Slindon challenge, in 1744, to play against "any parish in England".

John Harris top scored with 47 for Slindon against London in the famous 1744 match from which the earliest known scorecard has survived. Later that season, the Harrises played for All-England against Kent in the second match that has a surviving scorecard (see S&B, page1).

The single wicket form of the game was very popular in the 1740s and the Harris brothers were frequently involved in matches that attracted high stakes, which underlines what good players they were. They continued playing into the 1750s but unfortunately very little is known about them outside contemporary match reports.

William Hodsoll

William Hodsoll was born in 1718 and baptised at Ash Parish Church in Kent on Tues 28 October 1718. Hodsoll lived at Dartford from 1742 to 1748 and was a tanner. According to the description of him in James Love's poem of 1744, Hodsoll was a fast bowler and also a useful batsman. His last recorded appearance was for Dartford v All-England on Dartford Brent in 1752. He died on Sat 30 November 1776, aged 58, and is buried in the chancel of Ash church.

William Hogsflesh

William Hogsflesh (1744 - 1818), whose career ended in 1775, was a well known Georgian bowler but his best years were in the 1760s and so the records are lost.

He was noted in The Cricketers of My Time as one of the corps de reserve or change bowlers to Brett and Nyren. He is said to have had a high delivery with a generally good length.

Richard Hosmer

Mr Richard Hosmer (1757 - 1820) was a resident of Mereworth in Kent.

He made 23 known appearances between 1777 and 1791 for various Kent and Gentlemen's XIs. He was a very useful batsman.

Edward Hussey

Mr Edward Hussey (c.1748 - 4 July 1816) was educated at Westminster and lived at Ashford. He had a long but infrequent career and seems to have been a stalwart of Kent cricket, sometimes perhaps as a patron. His first known game was in 1773 and his last in 1797.

George Jackson

George Jackson (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted player for the famous Addington Cricket Club and for Surrey. Known to have been a good batsman, he also featured in single wicket matches and for All-England. Jackson is first recorded on 2 June 1744 when he played for Slindon against London Cricket Club in the famous match from which the earliest known scorecard has survived.

Jackson's name occurs in numerous teamsheets until the 1752 season when his last known appearance was for Addington against a Westminster XI. After 1752, the number of match reports decreased and cricket was badly affected by the Seven Years War, so it can only be guessed when Jackson and other players of that time ended their playing careers.

Thomas Jure

Thomas Jure (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted player for London Cricket Club and All-England. Known to have been a good batsman, Jure is first recorded on 9 July 1747 playing for Robert Colchin's XI versus William Hodsoll's XI at the Artillery Ground.

Jure was a noted single wicket competitor and, later in the 1747 season we find him in a high stakes "threes" tournament that also included Robert Colchin, John Harris, Val Romney, Stephen Dingate and Richard Newland.

Jure is last noted in a major match in June 1749. His career therefore seems to have been short but there is no doubt he was deemed good enough to play at the highest level and must have been a leading player, if only for a few seasons.

Kipps

Kipps aka Kips was the earliest noted wicketkeeper in Georgian cricket. He was from Eltham in Kent but other personal information about him, including his first name, is unknown. Kipps played for Kent county cricket teams and also for All-England. He is first recorded in the famous Kent v All-England match at the Artillery Ground on 18 June 1744, though it is believed he had already had a long career before that. This match is the opening entry in Scores & Biographies. Kipps was top scorer in both innings for Kent, who won by 1 wicket, and he completed one stumping and took a catch. He continued to play in major matches until 1747 when he is last recorded.

Lamborn

The 1777 season marked the known major cricket debut of the enigmatic Lamborn, who was apparently the original unorthodox spinner.

He was a right-handed bowler with a low delivery and a twist from off to leg! He was no batter. His nickname was The Little Farmer, which at least tells us what his occupation was, but then most people worked on the land in those pre-industrial times. It is possible he was called William but this may be a case of John Nyren compounding an error in that he had originally confused Lamborn with William Lambert (whose career was much later). Lamborn began with Surrey in 1777 but then played a number of games for Hampshire from 1780. He had a short career and few personal details are known. He is the subject of a famous anecdote in which he informed the Duke of Dorset re one near miss that: It was tedious near your Grace!

As for why Lamborn had a short career, he was probably transported to Australia where his daughter married someone called Warne!

Squire Land

Squire Thomas Land (1714 - 1791) was apparently the leading light in Hambledon cricket until about 1764 when he seems to have withdrawn from the scene. It is believed the Hambledon Club proper was formed not long afterwards. Squire Land was evidently more interested in hunting and maintained a pack of hounds that earned him recognition as one of the most celebrated foxhunters in Great Britain. He would not have thought much of New Labour, then - and who could blame him for that?

John Larkin

John Larkin (1726 - 1782) was of the most famed parish of Hadlow, as it was called in 1747 when he must have been one of its best players. He seems to have had a lengthy career and was still playing in the 1770s.

Robert Lascoe

Robert Lascoe (1715 - 1771) was a native of Bromley in Kent. He was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for the Bromley club and for Kent. He also represented All-England. Lascoe is known to have made horse collars for a living. He is first recorded in June 1745 when he played for Robert Colchin's XI versus Richard Newland's XI at the Artillery Ground, his team winning by "over 70 runs". He is last heard of in 1748 when he was part of a Bromley team taking part in a "fives" tournament at the Artillery Ground.

George Leer

George Leer (born 1748 at Hambledon, Hampshire; died 1 February 1812 at Petersfield, Hampshire) began playing in the 1760s and was a native of Hambledon, one of the few who played for the famous club. According to Haygarth, Leer was a good and successful bat, but was mostly famous as long-stop to Brett's tremendous bowling in the Hambledon matches. He was always called Little George, and was a fine singer, having a sweet counter-tenor voice. In Nyren's book, he is stated to have been a native of Hambledon, but latterly he was a brewer, residing at Petersfield, where he died.

George Leer was a small man who made 44 known major cricket appearances from 1772 to 1782.

Colonel Charles Lennox

The Hon. Colonel Charles Lennox (1764 - 1819) later became the 4th Duke of Richmond.

Lennox was indeed a very accomplished batsman and quite a good wicketkeeper too. He had 55 recorded appearances to 1800 and played a few more games after that.

He ultimately became Governor-General of Canada and he died of rabies after being bitten by a fox; his last wish was to be buried in the ramparts at Quebec.

Thomas Lord

Thomas Lord (1755 - 1832) was the founder of Lord's Cricket Ground. His known playing career commences after the 1787 season but he was a professional bowler employed by the White Conduit Club and then by MCC.

The Ubiquitous Mr Louch

Mr George Louch (1746 - 1811) deserves a piece to himself. He was a native of Chatham and was evidently educated at Westminster. He was playing quite regularly for the Chatham club up to 1773 when, for some unknown reason, his career went into sabbatical, as it were, because he does not reappear in the records until 1783. There is an entry in a 1778 diary re the Chatham club saying the reason it lost a game at Meopham was that:

Ye club is many of them gone to sea. No wonder they was beat.

So perhaps Mr Louch joined the Royal Navy, always likely given his home town? Or he might have been in the Army during the American Revolutionary War (as was the Earl of Winchilsea and, possibly, Richard Purchase). Or he might have gone to India to make his fortune, for he does seem to have been quite well off during his later career, despite having had an apparently modest upbringing.

Whatever the reason for his absence, Louch's career went into overdrive on his return and he deserves to be described as ubiquitous for the sheer volume of his appearances at every venue imaginable from 1787 until his final retirement at the end of the 1797 season. In all, he has 134 recorded appearances in major matches. Only the Earl of Winchilsea (128) and William Bullen (119) were anywhere near his total when he retired.

In August 1789, it was reported in the press that Louch had been killed on the field by a ball from the point of the bat, struck with such force that it lodged in his body! Fortunately, he survived the injury and was back in action next season. It is interesting that Louch was noted for his fielding in his early days and it is reasonable to assume he was an outstanding fielder in positions that were not so much catching or silly as suicidal. An early Brian Close, he must have been!

When Mr Louch eventually did pass on, the Kentish Gazette of 7 May 1811 carried this notice: Died April 29 at Ramsgate after a short illness, George Louch Esq, deeply regretted by all who knew him.

Sir Horatio Mann

Sir Horatio (Horace) Mann (1744 - 1814) made his final recorded appearance as a player in 1773 though he was still only 29. He was a famous patron of the game in Kent and staged several matches on his own estate at Bourne House near Canterbury, where his ground was called Bishopsbourne Paddock (an interestingly Australian term given that Captain James Cook first reached Botany Bay in 1770!).

Mann became MP for Sandwich from 1774 to 1807, which could have been the reason for curtailing his playing career. He was no businessman and became bankrupt in later life.

He is believed to have played frequently before he entered Parliament and is said to have been a batter of great might.

Noah Mann

The famous Hambledon all-rounder Noah Mann made his major cricket debut in 1777. He was born on 15 November 1756 at Northchapel, Sussex; and died tragically in December 1789 at the Half Moon Inn in Northchapel.

Noah Mann made 55 known major cricket appearances from 1777 to 1789. He was a left-handed batsman and bowler. Said to be a powerful hitter as a batsman, he could also swing the ball and seems to have been a medium fast seamer. Mann was extremely athletic and Haygarth recounts how he could cover an immense deal of ground, darting about like lightning. He could also perform extraordinary feats of agility on horseback, being able to pick up from the ground handkerchiefs while going at full speed.

His son, Noah, was afterwards engaged by MCC as a bowler for about sixteen years and he frequently appeared in MCC matches, mainly at Lord's.

Noah Mann's early death was through a bizarre accident. Haygarth recounts that: he had been out shooting, and on his return to the Half Moon Inn, at Northchapel, wet and tired, he had a free carouse with his companions; refusing to go to bed, he persisted in sleeping all night in his chair in front of the fire. It was and still is the custom in that part of the country to heap together all the ashes on the hearth, for the purpose of keeping the fire in till the next day. During the night, having fallen asleep, the sparks ignited his clothes (or, as stated in Nyren's book, he fell upon the embers), and he was so severely burnt that he died the next day, not surviving twenty-four hours. His death took place at the early age of 33, in December, 1789. A verdict of accidental death was returned at the inquest.

J Mansfield

J Mansfield (first name and dates of birth and death unknown) played for Kent. He was a good batsman who played for the same Sevenoaks club as Val Romney. Mansfield was adept at the single wicket form of the game which was very popular during his career. He is first mentioned as a member of the strong Kent team that played against All-England at the Artillery Ground on 31 August 1747.

In the 1749 season, we find Mansfield playing for All-England himself, against Surrey. He appears in a number of teams after this as a given man or as a member of a "best eleven", as well as in single wicket. He is last recorded playing as a given man for Addington Cricket Club against Westminster in July 1752.

Martin (Essex)

Martin was an Essex cricketer of the late 18th century. His dates of birth and death and his first name are unknown. He was principally a bowler but we do not know his pace or type. Martin was active from at least the 1781 season until he is last recorded in 1793. His known major cricket record covers 12 matches. He seems to have been involved with the White Conduit Club and then with Marylebone Cricket Club, so he was probably a professional ground staff bowler at both clubs.

Richard & Thomas May

There were two players called May at this time, probably brothers, who were called Richard and Thomas but, owing to the initials being frequently omitted in the old scores, it is impossible to distinguish one from the other in many matches. However, there is a verse that tells us:

Tom was for batting, Dick for bowling famed

Of Thomas May, nothing is known at all

Of Richard May, we know he was a gamekeeper on Sir Horace Mann's estate at Bishopsbourne and that he died in a drunken fit about 1796, when he was aged about 46. His dying request to his friend George Ring was that Ring should kill his favourite dog and bury it with him! Apparently, this was done despite the remonstrances of the officiating clergyman who said it was sacrilege.

Joseph Miller

The outstanding Kent batsman Joseph Miller (? - 1784) is first recorded in 1768. Little is known about him personally except that he seems to have been a gamekeeper employed by the Duke of Dorset and his burial took place at Bridge in Kent on 31 October 1784. Even his name is subject to question for he is called Richard in John Major's book, but S&B, GDC, TJM and others call him Joseph. There was a Richard Miller who played occasionally and took part in one first-class game for Surrey in 1774. He may have been Joseph's brother.

Joseph Miller is known to have made 55 major cricket appearances from 1772 to 1783. He was unquestionably an outstanding batsman and probably second only to John Small. He made numerous good scores as the match details will show. His best known performance was for Kent v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine in August 1774 when he made 95 out of 240 and enabled Kent to win by an innings and 35 runs. This score was briefly the highest individual score recorded in major cricket since the statistical record began in 1772, beating the 88 scored by William Yalden in 1773. Miller's world record lasted only a year until Small's century beat it.

John Mills

John Mills (dates of birth and death unknown) was referred to in the sources as the "famous Kent bowler". He is known to have been a gamekeeper and he came from Horsmonden, where he played for the local cricket club. John Mills is first mentioned as a member of the Kent team that played against All-England in the famous match at the Artillery Ground on 18 June 1744 which became the first entry in Scores & Biographies. His brother, whose first name is unknown, also played.

Mills was selected to take part in a major "threes" contest at the Artillery Ground on 17 September 1744 along with Robert Colchin, Val Romney, John Bryant, Richard Newland and Joseph Harris. The stake was two hundred guineas and the players involved were stated to be the best in England. Unfortunately, Mills could not play due to injury and this is the last mention of him.

Mills (Surrey)

Mills was a noted player for the famous Chertsey Cricket Club and for Surrey. His dates of birth and death and his first name are unknown. He was principally a bowler but we do not know his pace or type. Mills' career probably began in the aftermath of the Seven Years War and he was certainly active until the 1781 season. He was recorded in 10 major cricket matches after cricket's statistical record began in 1772 but by then it is believed he had already been playing for several seasons. Mills played for All-England teams as well as for Surrey.

John Minshull

John Minshull was a famous Kent batsman during the 1770s. He was last recorded in June 1780.

According to John Nyren, Minshull was a capital hitter, and a sure guard of his wicket but not an elegant player, his position and general style were both awkward and uncouth. He is described as a thick-set man, about 5 foot 9 in height and "not very active" (presumably a slow mover in the field). Minshull evidently had a high opinion of his own ability and was said to have been as conceited as a wagtail and from his constantly aping what he had no pretensions to, was, on that account only, not estimated according to the price at which he had rated his own merits. So there!

As S&B points out, Minshull is sometimes known as Minchin. Little about him is certain except that held the post of gardener at Knole House (the Duke of Dorset's residence near Sevenoaks).

The Monsons

The Hon. George Henry Monson (1755 - 1823) of Essex was a useful batsman who played fairly often until 1792.

He was almost certainly the brother of the enigmatic Captain Monson who made a single known appearance for the White Conduit Club in the 1785 season. Captain Monson did very well with his bowling in that match but apparently never appeared again. It is safe to assume that he was in either the military or the navy.

Muggeridge

Muggeridge was to a noted player for the famous Chertsey Cricket Club and for Surrey. His dates of birth and death and his first name are unknown. He was principally a bowler but we do not know his pace or type. Muggeridge's career probably began in the aftermath of the Seven Years War and he was certainly active until the 1784 season. He was recorded in five major cricket matches after cricket's statistical record began in 1772 but by then he had already been playing for several seasons. He is first definitely recorded when playing for Surrey v Hampshire at Guildford Bason on 28 July 1774. His last recorded appearance was Chertsey v Coulsdon at Laleham Burway on 23 June 1784.

Richard Newland

The Newlands of Slindon and Sussex were very famous players through the 1740s. Adam was born in 1714 and John in 1717 but little more is known of them except where their names appear in match reports. By far the most famous of the clan was Richard (born in 1718 and christened on 2 March 1718 in Slindon; died 29 May 1791 in Bath). Note that TJM gives Richard's dates as 1713-1778 but I think these are incorrect.

Richard Newland was an all-rounder who batted left-handed. He was the greatest player in England during the 1740s and the main reason for the fame of Slindon. He also played for various All-England teams, including the famous match versus Kent in 1744, and was a fine single-wicket performer.

The Newland brothers were uncles of the future Hambledon captain Richard Nyren. Their sister Susan married Richard Nyren senior of Eartham, which is near Slindon.

Richard Newman

Richard Newman (dates unknown) played for Essex, Kent and All-England from the 1773 season to 1793. He was a leading amateur player and an early member of MCC. Surprisingly little is known of Newman personally. He made 22 known major cricket appearances.

John Nyren

John Nyren (born 15 December 1764 at Hambledon, Hampshire; died 30 June 1837 in Bromley-by-Bow, London) was an English cricketer turned author. He was the son of Richard Nyren, the captain of the Hambledon Club in its "Glory Days", and was brought up in the legendary Bat and Ball Inn, where his father was the landlord, immediately opposite Broadhalfpenny Down.

John Nyren, who was left-handed, is believed to have begun playing major cricket in about 1787, around the time his father retired, and he played occasionally until 1805. His playing career was not distinguished and he would now be remembered only as the son of a famous father if he had not turned his hand to literature in his old age.

1n 1832, Nyren was living in London and he began a collaboration with Charles Cowden Clarke, who recorded Nyren's reminiscences of the Hambledon era and published them serially in a periodical called The Town. The following year, the series of articles appeared in book form as The Cricketers of My Time, which became a major source for the history and personalities of Georgian cricket and also came to be regarded as the first classic in cricket's now rich literary history.

Richard Nyren

Richard Nyren, William Hogsflesh and William Barber were all noted bowlers who as a group were later augmented by the addition of the great fast bowler Thomas Brett.

Richard Nyren was born c.1734 at Eartham in Sussex. He died in Kent on 25 April 1797. A genuine all-rounder and the earliest known lefthander of note, Nyren was the captain of the Hambledon Club during its heyday in the 1760s and 1770s. Indeed, he was known as the club's general.

Richard Nyren was a nephew of the great Slindon player Richard Newland. He moved to Hambledon from Sussex sometime before 1770 and was mine host of the famous Bat & Ball Inn at Clanfield, which is still open for business immediately next to the Hambledon Club's old ground at Broadhalfpenny Down.

His son, John Nyren, was the author of The Cricketers of My Time.

William Palmer

William Palmer (1737 - 1790) was active in the 1760s and so very little is known of him. He played in major matches until the 1776 season. He was a noted batsman in his day and had some fine innings in 1773 especially.

Palmer seems to have been a member of the Coulsdon club in Surrey but he also played a number of times for Kent. In recorded matches from 1772, he made 20 appearances and took 2 catches but no wickets. He scored 478 runs in 37 innings with a top score of 68, which is a very good record considering the prevailing conditions that were entirely in the favour of the bowlers. He made 2 known scores of 50-plus and 4 more that were 25-plus.

Thomas Pattenden

Thomas Pattenden (born c.December 1741 at East Peckham, Kent; died November 1791 at East Peckham) was a very good Kent batsman of the 1760s and 1770s.

He was probably the Pattenden playing for the Duke of Dorset's XI against Wrotham in 1769 when Minshull scored his century. Probably is because there are often doubts about the name Pattenden in the old sources. Thomas had a brother, William Pattenden, born at East Peckham in October 1747 (details of death unknown). William played with his brother in a number of Kent teams from 1777 to 1781. He may also have played for Kent v Surrey in 1773 for in one account the Pattenden was William and in another it was Thomas. A good example of the confusion caused when initials or first names are left out of the scorecards. The same applies to various Woods, Mays, Rimmingtons, Whites, etc.

Thomas Pattenden was clearly the better player of the two. His highest score was 72 for Kent v Hampshire in 1775, when he so upset the odds that more money was won and lost than ever known. He made a number of other good scores including 52 against the bowling of Lumpy and David Harris in 1783.

Thomas Pattenden is believed to have been an innkeeper in his native village of East Peckham, perhaps at the Rose & Crown adjoining the cricket ground.

John Peachey

Mr John Peachey (1752 - 1831) of Chichester was an erstwhile associate of the diarist John Baker and, like him, he became a lawyer. He is known to have been a member of the Star & Garter Club and played in a handful of recorded matches in White Conduit days.

Tom Peake

Tom Peake (died 1767, probably at Orpington in Kent) was a noted player of the mid-18th century. He is believed to have come from Chelsfield in Kent and is known to have lived there and at nearby Orpington. It is possible that he played for Dartford, which was a leading club at the time, as well as for Kent county cricket teams and All-England.

Peake was first recorded as a given man playing for Addington against the London Cricket Club in 1743, a game that Addington won by an innings. His last documented mention is six years later in June 1749 when he played for Stephen Dingate's XI in a major challenge match against Robert Colchin's XI at the Artillery Ground.

Richard Purchase

Richard Purchase (1757 - 1837) was only 16 and must have been a genuine 1773 debutant.

Born in Liss, Hampshire, he played for his county in 1773 and 1774 but then did not appear again until 1781! He was possibly in the armed forces at the time or otherwise working away from Hampshire.

He was an all-rounder noted as a slow bowler who maintained good line & length and a fair hitter. He played regularly from 1781 till the end of his career in 1803.

Thomas Quiddington

Thomas Quiddington (christened 21 January 1743 at Coulsdon, Surrey; buried 6 December 1804 at Coulsdon) was a noted Surrey cricketer. He was a member of the famous Chertsey Cricket Club. His name has the alternative spelling of Quiddenden. He was primarily a bowler but we do not know what his pace was. He was a long stop fielder and described as a "steady batter"

Quiddington's career probably began in the aftermath of the Seven Years War and he was certainly active between the 1769 and 1784 seasons. He is first recorded playing for Caterham v Hambledon at Guildford Bason on 31 July and 1 August 1769, a game that Hambledon won by 4 wickets. His last recorded appearance was for Chertsey v Coulsdon in June 1784.

Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond

Charles Lennox (1701 - 1750), the 2nd Duke of Richmond, was perhaps the sport's greatest patron. He is forever associated with Sussex; he was born at Goodwood, where he also lived and is buried in Chichester Cathedral. He died at Godalming in Surrey, where he kept a second home to break his frequent journeys between Goodwood and London.

He married Lady Sarah Cadogan (1706 - 1751), daughter of William Cadogan, the 1st Earl Cadogan, on 4 December 1719 at The Hague. They had twelve children, several of whom died in infancy. Their marriage was a great success, especially by Georgian standards and, as we shall see, Sarah was intensely supportive of her husband in cricket matters. Their grandson who became the 4th Duke is known to cricket history as the Hon. Col. Charles Lennox, a noted amateur player of the late 18th century who was one of Thomas Lord's main guarantors when he established his new ground in Marylebone.

Thomas Ridge

Thomas Ridge (c.1737 - 3 February 1801) was a Hampshire squire who was a prominent member of the Hambledon Club and played in a number of its matches, including 6 known major cricket appearances between 1768 and 1775. Ridge, who lived at Kilmiston, was famous among the hunting set and was very keen on racing.

Ridgeway

Ridgeway (first name and dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted player for Sussex and All-England. He is first recorded in 1743 when he was reported to be one of the six best players in England. This was when he was due to play in a big "threes" match at the Artillery Ground that attracted high stakes and a crowd in excess of 10,000 (according to the London Evening Post). Ridgeway did not play in the match, however, probably due to injury, and he was replaced by John Cutbush.

In 1744, Ridgeway played for Slindon against London Cricket Club in the match from which the earliest known scorecard has survived.

In 1745, after Sussex lost to Surrey at Arundel, Lord John Philip Sackville in a letter dated 14 September to the Duke of Richmond, Sussex's patron, said: I wish you had let Ridgeway play instead of your stopper behind it might have turned the match in our favour. That is the last we hear of this considerable player, whose career probably began in the 1720s or 1730s when match reports did not include much detail.

The Rimmingtons

The Rimmingtons were three brothers who played major cricket cricket for Essex, Kent and All-England teams between the 1777 and 1791 seasons. Personal details of them are unknown apart from their initials which were B, T and M. Their known appearances were 6, 5 and 1 respectively. But, as often happened at the time with other brothers and namesakes, when just one of them played only the surname was recorded and there are another 15 matches in which an unidentified Rimmington took part.

In 1780, B Rimmington was one of the most successful batsmen of the season, scoring 130 runs in only 3 matches.

It is believed the Rimmingtons were from Kent and they were originally involved with Kent cricket, but references to them from 1785 indicate that they joined the prominent Hornchurch Club and played for Essex.

Little Joey

John Little Joey Ring (1758 - 1800) was one of Kent's best batsmen in the late 18th century and was employed by Sir Horace Mann at Bourne as a huntsman. He originally came from the Dartford area.

He was noted for his play to leg and was a good single wicket player.

Ring is believed to have been a cricketing fatality. It seems that his nose was broken in the summer of 1800 by a practice ball bowled by his brother George. Ring became ill and and was bedridden for several weeks before dying on 25 October, evidently of a fever that developed as a result of his accident.

Joey Ring made 90 known major cricket appearances from 1782 until 1796 when he seems to have withdrawn from major matches.

Val Romney

Valentine (Val) Romney was born c.1718 and died in 1773. He was lauded by James Love as a mighty play'r and was captain of the Kent XI that played All-England in the great match of 1744. He lived mostly at Sevenoaks and was employed by the 1st Duke of Dorset as gardener at Knole, a post later occupied by John Minshull. He was last recorded as playing for Kent in 1751.

Lord John Sackville

Lord John Philip Sackville (1713 - 1765) was a great patron of the sport and no mean player either. He is most famous for having organised the great match at the Artillery Ground in 1744 when Kent beat All-England. Born on 22 June 1713, Sackville was the second son of the 1st Duke of Dorset and should have succeeded his brother (i.e., Lord Middlesex above) but he predeceased him by four years and the title passed to his famous son John Frederick Sackville, as we have seen. Lord John Sackville died on 3 December 1765 at Tour du Pain, by Lake Geneva in Switzerland.

William Sawyer

William Sawyer was Richmond from beginning to end. He was born there on 3 December 1712; played his cricket there; was an innkeeper there; and died there on 2 April 1761. His best years were probably in the 1730s but unfortunately there are no contemporary mentions of him during that time.

Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons (1737 - 1802), of Bridge, was a noted wicket-keeper and useful batsman. He probably began playing in the late 1750s and was active until 1779, so the statistical record has caught the tail-end of his career. He is recorded in 13 major cricket matches from 1772.

Jack Small

Jack Small(1765 - 1836) made his debut in 1784, his career continuing until 1811. He was noted as a sound batsman but should not be compared with his father John Small, who was still playing when Jack started.

Jack Small had over 100 recorded appearances by the end of the 1800 season. His two highest recorded scores were 95 for R Leigh's XI v Sir Horace Mann's XI at Margate in 1795 and 88 for Lord Yarmouth's XI v R Whitehead's XI at Lord's in 1799.

He and John Nyren were close friends and Nyren always refers to Small junior as Jack Small.

John Small

The 1764 season provides the first mentions we have of some of the great Hambledon players, including the master batsman John Small (1737 - 1826), who was recently included in an All-Time All-England Eleven. He was probably the greatest batsman of the entire underarm era and arguably the greatest of all time until W G Grace came along. John Small will loom large in this work.

John Small was born in 1737 at Empshott in Hampshire; he died on 31 December 1826 at Petersfield, where he lived and which he made famous. He was originally a cobbler but he later expanded his business to the manufacture of cricket bats and balls. It is sometimes said that he introduced the straight bat, instead of the old curved bat, after bowlers started pitching the ball instead of skimming or trundling it. It is more likely that he was simply the first batsman to master the use of the straight bat and that he subsequently made them.

Small was a playing member of the legendary Hambledon Club during its years of greatness. Indeed, it was largely because of him that Hambledon was such a famous club. Although our knowledge of the early years of his career are sketchy due to the lack of detailed records before scorecards became common from 1772, it is believed he began playing in top-class cricket during the 1750s and may well have taken part in the earliest known Hambledon matches, the tri-series against Dartford Cricket Club in 1756. Small was definitely playing for Hambledon in 1768, when he is known to have scored 140-plus runs in a single match (a feat almost unheard of in those days) and his name is found in the club's scorecards right up to 1798 when he was over 60.

Small's most famous feat was to score the first-ever known century in a major cricket match. He made 136* for Hambledon against Surrey at Broadhalfpenny Down on 13 July 1775.

Like so many of his contemporaries, Small's fame is based largely on the testimony paid to him by John Nyren in The Cricketers of My Time. Small received high praise indeed for Nyren declared him to have been a star of the first magnitude (i.e., a superstar).

John Small is often referred to as John Small senior to differentiate him from his son Jack who is formally referred to in the records as John Small junior. Instead of messing about with seniors and juniors, I have called the father John Small throughout this work and the son Jack Small (he makes his debut right at the end of this, though the bulk of his career was post-Lord's). Jack Small was a close friend of John Nyren and Nyren in his book repeatedly calls him Jack, obviously because that was the name everybody used. The same applies to the Aburrows but with them the time difference and the context always make it clear who is who. Cuddy the smuggler played in the 1740s for Slindon and other contemporary teams; Curry the son of Cuddy was a Hampshire player in the Hambledon era and the first mention of him is in 1767, long after Cuddy packed up.

George Smith

George Smith (died Monday 29 June 1761 at The Castle in Marlborough) will occur frequently for some years as he was a most significant individual. He was both the keeper (i.e., strictly speaking a leaseholder) of the Artillery Ground and he was the landlord of the neighbouring Pyed Horse Inn, through which admittance to the ground was compulsory. He was an occasional player in major matches but he seems to have been one who made the numbers up.

Richard Stanford

Richard Stanford (born 21 June 1754 at East Peckham, Kent; died 16 July 1792) was a Kent cricketer who was one of the leading amateur batsmen of his time. He made 12 known major cricket appearances between 1777 and 1787 for various Kent and All-England teams. He was a very useful batsman.

Edward Stead

Mr Edward Stead (aka Edwin Steed) (born 1701 in Maidstone, Kent; died 28 August 1735 in central London) was a famous patron of Kent cricket.

Stead was something of a compulsive gambler and he sought to make money out of cricket by underwriting select XIs usually made up of players from several Kent parish teams. The Dartford Cricket Club had arguably the best parish team in the game at the time and it is almost certain that Stead used several Dartford players. It is not clear if Stead played himself but, given that his rival patrons all did, it is reasonable to assume that he was the captain of his own team as well as its patron.

Stead's teams are known to have performed in Great Matches for several years from 1724. He was very successful in 1728 when the report of a game in August said of his latest victory: the third time this summer that the Kent men have been too expert for those of Sussex.

But Stead was not always successful and his gambling habit eventually got the better of him. We know that he died in reduced circumstances while still only 34.

His death on 28 August 1735 was reported in the Grub Street Journal (see G B Buckley's Fresh Light on Eighteenth century Cricket, p.12) on Thursday 4 September 1735. The report says there were two accounts of his death, one that he died near Charing Cross; the other that he died in Scotland Yard.

Edward Lumpy Stevens

Although he has been mentioned previously, the Caterham v Hambledon match in 1769 is the first in which the greatest bowler of the 18th century is definitely known to have played.

Edward Lumpy Stevens (born 1735 at Send, Surrey; died 7 September 1819 at Walton-on-Thames, Surrey) is generally regarded as the first great bowler in the game's history.

How he came by his legendary nickname is uncertain but it may have been because he was adept at choosing a pitch to suit his very subtle variations of pace, length and direction. In those days, it was the leading bowler on each side who chose the place where wickets would be pitched and according to the famous verse:

For honest Lumpy did allow
He ne'er would pitch but o'er a brow

Lumpy was a gardener by trade and his bowling prowess earned him a job on the Walton-on-Thames estate of the Earl of Tankerville, a noted patron of the game.

The beginning of Lumpy's career is lost in the mists of time before scorecards began to kept on a regular basis from 1772. He may have come from a line of cricketers as two Surrey players called Stevens are mentioned in connection with the London v Slindon match in 1744. Lumpy probably began playing in great matches around the mid-1750s at a time when bowlers still bowled (i.e., trundled) the ball all along the ground, as in crown green bowls. It is not known if Lumpy was the first to give the ball air but he was certainly around when that particular revolution occurred, probably well before 1770. What is known is that Lumpy was the bowler who made the most careful study of flight and worked out all the implications of variations in pace, length and direction mentioned above. He became a master of his craft.

It is known that in a single-wicket match on 22 - 23 May 1775, Lumpy beat the great John Small three times with the ball going through the two stump wicket of the day. As a result of his protests, the patrons agreed that a third stump should be added.

Indeed, any history of bat versus ball rivalries in cricket must start with these two Georgian giants; not only for the keen competition between them over many years at the highest level, but also because their rivalry actually brought about a significant change in the Laws and the structure of the game.

Unlike the Hambledon players who tended to represent their club only, Lumpy made appearances for just about every team under the sun, including Hambledon. He is normally associated with Surrey teams in general and with the famous Chertsey club in particular. He continued as a player until he was over 50 and played his last match on 2-5 September 1789 for All-England v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine.

Peter Stewart

Peter Buck Stewart (1730 - 1796), known to have been a natty dresser, was a considerable player but one of many whose best years were before 1772 and whose records are lost. He seems to have had several trades. We know he was variously a carpenter, a shoemaker and an innkeeper. He is said to have been one of the team's characters and a noted humorist. He was a good batsman in his prime and strong in his offside strokes.

Stewart was also a tough and courageous player for in the above game at Chertsey he played on with a knee strain and a broken finger. We know another Hambledon player was injured and so were three Chertsey players. Mr Waghorn's source says they were all much hurt.

Tom Sueter

Tom Sueter (born 17 April 1750 at Hambledon, Hampshire; died 17 February 1827 at Hambledon) was a left-handed batsman and, with William Yalden, one of the two most famous wicket-keepers of the 18th century. He played mainly for Hambledon but in his closing seasons he represented Surrey, probably because of temporary residence in the county, though he evidently returned to Hambledon after he finished playing.

Sueter was a carpenter and builder by trade and Arthur Haygarth recorded that above the Hambledon church door in the 1860s was affixed a plaque saying: Thomas Sueter and Richard Flood, builders, 1788.

Sueter began playing in the 1760s and made 67 known major cricket appearances from 1772 to 1790. Haygarth records that Sueter is said to have been the first (or one of the first) who departed from the custom of the old players, who deemed it a heresy to leave the crease for the ball; but he would get in at it, hit it straight off and straight on, and egad it went as if it had been fired (sic).

Sueter was also considered to be an excellent judge of the short run:

O my Sueter and my Aburrow
Long ago, long ago!

Like George Leer, he was a fine singer and he belonged to the choir at his parish church. When he died, according to Haygarth, he left behind him a sovereign in order that an anthem should be sung in the church over his coffin; and this was done. Haygarth records that Sueter's tombstone was still standing in Hambledon churchyard in 1858 with the following inscription:

Sacred to the memory of THOMAS SUETER
who departed this life the 17th day of February, 1827, aged 77 years

George Talbot

Mr George Talbot (1761 - 1850) was an early MCC member who had previously been elected a Hambledon Club member in 1788. He played in 23 recorded matches from 1785 to 1791 and was a useful batsman.

In HCC, he is mentioned in connection with some quaint wagers in the betting book at White's Club. A member of the military, he eventually succeeded to his family title as 3rd Baronet.

Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville

Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville (born 15 November 1743; died 10 December 1822) was a famous patron of Surrey cricket in the 1770s. Tankerville often played and seems to have been a very good fielder, though he was not especially noted for batting or bowling. He was the employer of Edward "Lumpy" Stevens, who was a gardener at Tankerville's Walton-on-Thames estate; and William Bedster, who was his butler. Tankerville succeeded to his title on the death of his father on 27 October 1767.

Thomas Taylor

Thomas Taylor (born 18 October 1753 at Ropley, Hampshire; died April 1806 at Alresford, Hampshire) was one of the greatest players of the late 18th century.

A famous all-rounder, he made his debut in 1775 and played till 1798. He played mainly for Hampshire but also made a number of appearances for Berkshire.

It was said of him that he was an admirable cover field and a strong thrower. As a batsman, he was a great hitter but didn't guard his wicket well enough and had a tendency to cut at straight balls like Beauclerk later. He was also an effective bowler and took many wickets, though we don't know what pace he bowled at. Nyren commends Taylor on his fielding and says he was one of the best ever seen.

In August 1786, Taylor and Tom Walker scored the third and fourth known major cricket centuries in the same innings for White Conduit Club v Kent at Bishopsbourne Paddock. Taylor made 117, his highest known career score.

Taylor was another cricketing innkeeper. He had the Globe Inn at Alresford.

Richard Aubrey Veck

Richard Aubrey Veck (1756 - 1823) made his major match debut in 1776. He came from Alresford in Hampshire. He was a successful batsman but was strangely overlooked by John Nyren in The Cricketers of my Time.

Veck was a regular Hampshire player for nine seasons until 1784, but then left the game at age 28, apparently because he set up a business interest at Bishops Waltham, where he died in 1823.

The Walkers

One of the greatest players of the underarm era, Tom Walker (1762 - 1831), made his known top-class debut in 1786, playing for WCC.

He was famously known as Old Everlasting for his dogged and stubborn batting style. His career continued till 1810 and he was the probable inventor of roundarm bowling, although he was never allowed to use it in matches.

The season also marked the known debut of his brother Harry Walker (1760 - 1805), whose career continued into the 19th century. He was a left-handed batsman said to have been a strong hitter of the ball and reputedly the first to master the cut shot.

The Walkers came from Surrey but played for Hampshire in the later Hambledon years. Later, they played mainly for their home county.

Frederick, Prince of Wales

Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales (born 1 February 1707 in Hanover; died 31 March 1751 in London) was the eldest son of King George II and the father of King George III. He lived in Hanover until 1727 when his father succeeded to the throne.

By the time Frederick Louis arrived in England, cricket had developed into the country's most popular team sport and it thrived on gambling. Perhaps because he wished to "anglicise" and so fit in with his new society, Frederick developed an academic interest in cricket that soon became a genuine enthusiasm. He began to make wagers and then to patronise and play the sport, even forming his own team on several occasions.

The earliest mention of Frederick in cricket annals is in a contemporary report reproduced by H T Waghorn in his The Dawn of Cricket. This concerns a major match on Tuesday 28 September 1731 between Surrey and London, played on Kennington Common. No post-match report was found despite advance promotion as "likely to be the best performance of this kind that has been seen for some time". It is interesting that "for the convenience of the gamesters, the ground is to be staked and roped out" which was a new practice in 1731 and could have been done partly for the benefit of a royal visitor. The advertisement refers to "the whole county of Surrey" as London's opponents and states that the Prince of Wales is "expected to attend".

In August 1732, the Whitehall Evening Post reported that Frederick attended "a great cricket match" at Kew on Thursday 27 July.

By the 1733 season, he was really getting involved. We read of him giving a guinea to each player in a Surrey v Middlesex game at Moulsey Hurst. Then he awarded a silver cup to a combined Surrey & Middlesex team which had just beaten Kent, arguably the best county team at the time, at Moulsey Hurst on Wed 1 August. This is the first reference in cricket history to any kind of trophy (other than hard cash) being contested. On Friday 31 August, the Prince of Wales' XI played Sir William Gage's XI on Moulsey Hurst. The result is unknown but the teams were said to be of county standard, so presumably it was in effect a Surrey v Sussex match.

In the years following 1733, there are frequent references to the Prince of Wales as a patron of cricket and as an occasional player, though it is doubtful if he was actually any good as a player.

When he died on 31 March 1751, cricket suffered a double impact for his death closely followed that of Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, who was the game's greatest patron. The loss of these patrons had an adverse impact on the game's finances and the number of top-class matches reduced for some years to come, although economic difficulties arising from the wars of the period certainly inhibited many potential investors.

Indeed, it has frequently been said that the Prince of Wales died as a result of being struck on the head by a cricket ball. He may well have been hit on the head but that did not kill him; the cause of death was a burst abscess in a lung. Cricket has had its share of fatalities in its time, but Prince Frederick Louis was not one of them.

Thomas Waymark

Thomas Waymark (born 17 June 1705 at Mitcham, Surrey) was probably the most famous player in the first half of the 18th century. His career began in the 1720s and we have a mention of him in 1727. He was still playing in the 1740s and he was in the All-England team in the famous match at the Artillery Ground on 18 June 1744, for which the scorecard has survived.

Waymark was a groom by trade and was employed as such by his patron the Duke of Richmond. There was probably no shortage of capable grooms and it is fair to assume that Richmond employed Waymark because of his outstanding ability with bat and ball, Richmond being the foremost investor in cricket at the time. Richmond's teams were representative of Sussex as a county and the few reports in which Waymark is mentioned make clear that he was a star all-rounder, perhaps the first great all-rounder in the game's history.

By the 1740s, Waymark was apparently no longer in the Duke's employ for we find him apparently working at Bray Mills in Berkshire; and he is given as a Berkshire resident and playing for the Berkshire XI or the London XI. Waymark seems to have ceased playing by 1750. Nothing is known of his final years and we do not know when he died.

James and John Wells

James Wells was an occasional player for Surrey towards the end of the 18th century. He is best known as the elder brother of the famous John Wells, whose major cricket career began in 1787 and is marginally out of scope here! The Wells brothers had a famous brother-in-law too as their sister married William Beldham.

"Shock" White

The enigmatic "Shock" White (dates of birth and death unknown) was a noted cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Middlesex. He has famously been mistaken for Thomas "Daddy" White but there is no doubt at all that he was a different player altogether. His first name and the source of his nickname are unknown. He lived in Brentford and was a member of the local club

Shock White is first mentioned in the Whitehall Evening Post on Sat 26 September 1761. In the Chertsey v Hampton game at Laleham Burway on the following Monday, Hampton were to have Charles Sears, John Haynes and "Shock" White as given men

Shock White has often been described as the culprit in the Monster Bat Incident of 1771 but it has been conclusively proved that the wide bat was used by his namesake "Daddy" White of Reigate. He was twice mentioned by the Daily Advertiser in 1773 as "Shock White of Brentford". Furthermore, while Shock played at Tothill Fields for Westminster versus London on Wednesday 18 August 1773, Daddy was simultaneously playing for Surrey v Kent at Sevenoaks Vine!

There are no statistics for Shock White's career and all we definitely know of him is that he was active between 1761 and 1773.

Thomas White

Thomas Brett's great adversary was Thomas Daddy White (born c.1740, probably in Surrey; died 28 July 1831 in Reigate). White played in the 1760s and 1770s; details of his early career are largely unknown but he retired in 1779 having appeared frequently for Surrey and All-England teams from 1772, when recorded scorecards first became commonplace. He made 34 known appearnaces in major cricket matches. White was successful as both a batsman and a change bowler.

While playing he lived Reigate in Surrey; there has been some confusion in various accounts between him and the similarly named Shock White of Brentford in Middlesex.

One such example of this confusion concerned the Monster Bat Incident when ...one White of Reigate tried to use a bat that was fully as wide as the wicket itself......

R Whitehead

Mr R Whitehead played in a number of matches during the first few years of cricket at Lord's and even ran his own team in some of them, but very little is known of him and several other early MCC stalwarts.

The Earl of Winchilsea

One of cricket's most significant figures was George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea (1752 - 1826). Whereas Lennox was a fine all-round sportsman, it has to be said that Winchilsea on the field was something of a liability, despite using a bat that weighed 4lb 2oz.

Winchilsea is the winner of the title of Most Recorded Player of the 18th century, though he was far from the best. He has 138 recorded major cricket appearances from 1785 to 1800, which just beats George Louch (134), Tom Walker (131), William Bullen (120) and Billy Beldham (117). This is remarkable given that Winchilsea was already 32 before he even played in a major match.

He too was a military man and in his younger days he served with the 87th Foot in the American Revolutionary War from 1776 to 1780, finishing as a lieutenant-colonel. His title dates back to 1628 and still exists with a 17th Earl in situ at the time of writing.

The Two Woods

We have John Wood of Seal in Kent and John Wood of Chertsey in Surrey.

The two Woods and a few more like them cause real headaches to researchers on account of the scorers not differentiating between them. Other difficult pairs include the Mays, the Pattendens, various Whites, the Rimmingtons, the Boults and even the Beldham, Walker and Wells brothers.

The two Woods were active in the 1760s and 1770s. Although the Surrey one has been called Thomas, especially in S&B, it is now thought that they were both called John.

The Kent one, the change bowler who came from Seal, was definitely John Wood. His namesake was a Chertsey all-rounder.

William Yalden

William The Yold Yalden (born 1740 at Chertsey; died January 1824 at Chertsey) was a very good batsman but was primarily known as a wicket keeper.

He and Tom Sueter of Hampshire were the two foremost 18th century keepers. Yalden played mainly for Chertsey and Surrey though he was also an All-England regular, particularly in matches against Hampshire. His career began in the 1760s and he played until 1785.

Fielding records are incomplete during his career but there is no doubt he took his fair share of catches. Stumpings are more difficult to find because they were often recorded as run outs, though there is one scorecard in which dismissals are recorded as put out behind The Yold: i.e., st Yalden!

Yalden's best performance with the bat was probably in September 1773 when he played for Surrey v Hampshire at Broadhalfpenny Down. He scored 88 out of 225 and enabled Surrey to win the game by an innings and 60 runs. This innings was the world record for the highest individual score in major cricket matches since the statistical record began in 1772. The previous highest was 78 by John Small in the first match of the 1772 season. Yalden's score was beaten by Joseph Miller, who made 95 at Sevenoaks Vine in August 1774.

Yalden is mentioned somewhat unfavourably by the unreliable John Nyren. Nyren makes certain uncomplimentary remarks about Yalden which may have some substance but, on the other hand, it is difficult to believe that the Hambledon players were all as perfect as Nyren would have us believe. They were a very competitive team and so, evidently, were their opponents, among whom Yalden was a prominent member. Nyren describes Yalden as he who would resort to trick (!) and the inference is that the Hambledon players would never dream of doing such a thing. And of course we all believe him, don't we?

According to Haygarth, Yalden gave up cricket for one season because he thought his eyesight was failing, but the Earl of Tankerville said to him: Try again, Yalden. So he resumed his career with continued success. The story may be apocryphal as Yalden certainly played continuously from 1772, though the incident could have occurred before then. Haygarth also reports that once, when fielding, Yalden had to jump over a fence and ended up on his back, but still caught the ball!

Yalden was a licensed victualler in Chertsey and, like Lumpy, was a long-time member of the local club. Indeed, he managed the club's famous Laleham Burway ground situated close to the town, supplying refreshments during the great matches.

William Yalden is one player whose reputation has suffered because of the bad press he received from Nyren. But closer examination of the factual records reveal that he was a considerable player, not least his efforts for Hampshire when he played for them in the 1772 season. Yalden and Tom Sueter were both great wicket-keepers and both should be recognised as such.

From Lads to Lord's: Introduction Essays

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