1771 English cricket season - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 1771 English cricket season is notable for the infamous wide bat

Monster Bat Incident 1771

The Monster Bat Incident 1771 concerns an attempt to use a bat that was as wide as the wicket, during a cricket match between Chertsey and Hambledon at Laleham Burway that lasted from 23 September to 24 September 1771. Controversy arose when Chertsey's Thomas White attempted to use the bat, while...

affair which resulted in a rule being established within the Laws of Cricket

Laws of cricket

The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...

whereby the maximum width of the bat has ever since been four and a quarter inches.

Also of great historical significance is the Nottingham v Sheffield match in August.

Matches

Date	Match Title	Venue	Result
3 & 4 July (W-Th)	Gents of Kent v Gents of Sussex	Tenterden Tenterden Tenterden is a Cinque Port town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother....	Kent won
Reported in the Kent Weekly Post aka Canterbury Journal on Tues 2 July and again on Tues 16 July. This match was the first of a series of games this year between teams that were apparently "gentlemen only". The games were also titled Tenterden & Benenden versus Northiam & Peasmarsh.
8 July (M)	Chertsey Chertsey Cricket Club Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest in England. Its own website dates its founding as 1737 but in fact matches involving a Chertsey team date from 1736.... v Richmond, Hampton & Brentford	Laleham Burway Laleham Burway Laleham Burway is a tract of meadow land on the River Thames near Chertsey in Surrey. Part of it was a famous major cricket venue in the 18th century and the home of Chertsey Cricket Club.-Earliest known matches:...	result unknown
15 July (M)	Richmond, Hampton & Brentford v Chertsey Chertsey Cricket Club Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest in England. Its own website dates its founding as 1737 but in fact matches involving a Chertsey team date from 1736....	Richmond Green Richmond Green Richmond Green is a recreation area located near the centre of Richmond, which is a town of about twenty thousand inhabitants situated in south west London. The green is essentially square in shape and its open grassland, framed with broadleaf trees, extends to roughly twelve acres...	result unknown
The Gazzetteer advertised both games on Mon 8 July but no post-match reports were found.
30 July (Tu)	Gents of Kent v Gents of Sussex	Tenterden Tenterden Tenterden is a Cinque Port town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother....	result unknown
Second in the series of gentlemen’s matches (see 3 July above). Two other matches were played possibly in August at Sevenoaks Vine and Laleham Burway Laleham Burway Laleham Burway is a tract of meadow land on the River Thames near Chertsey in Surrey. Part of it was a famous major cricket venue in the 18th century and the home of Chertsey Cricket Club.-Earliest known matches:... , but there are no details and they may again be "gentlemen only" games.
5 & 6 August (M-Tu)	Middlesex, Kent & Surrey v Coulsdon	Artillery Ground Artillery Ground The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London...	MK&S won by 45 runs
Reported in the St James Chronicle on Thurs 8 August.
5 August (M)	Gents of Kent v Gents of Sussex	New Romney New Romney New Romney is a small town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to be silted up. New Romney was once a sea port, with the harbour adjacent to the church, but is now more than a mile from the sea...	result unknown
Third in the series of gentlemen’s matches (see 3 & 30 July above).
12 & 13 August (M-Tu)	All-England All-England Eleven In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team... v Hambledon Hambledon Club The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...	Guildford Bason Guildford Bason Guildford Bason is an English former cricket ground on Merrow Down, on the outskirts of Guildford, Surrey. Guildford is the location for the earliest definite reference to cricket in English history...	All-England won by 10 wkts
Hambledon scored 65 and 90; All-England took a sizeable first innings lead with 146 and needed only 10-0 to win the game convincingly. The game was reported in the London Gazetteer Daily Gazetteer The Daily Gazetteer was an English newspaper which was published from June 30, 1735-1746. The paper was printed for T. Cooper, at the Globe in Pater-Noster Row, London by W... on Fri 16 August.
20 August (Tu)	Gents of Hampshire v Gents of Sussex	Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down, situated on a hilltop about a mile from the rural village of Hambledon in Hampshire, was the home venue for first-class cricket matches of the Hambledon Club from 1753 to 1781...	Sussex won by 8 wkts
This match and the next one were played by amateur gentlemen. The teams are given and they are local reverends and the like only, although a few names like de Burgh, Ridge and Cotton can be associated with Hambledon. These are therefore minor matches.
23 August (F)	Gents of Sussex v Gents of Hampshire	Valdo Corner, Goodwood Goodwood Cricket Club Goodwood Cricket Club is a Sunday village cricket team that play during the summer in the grounds of Goodwood Park, near Chichester. The ground overlooks Goodwood House and is owned by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon....	Sussex won by innings & 74 runs
The source lists the team changes but they make no difference to the minor status of the match.
26 & 27 August (M-Tu)	Nottingham v Sheffield	Forest Racecourse, Nottingham Nottingham Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...	result unknown
The reports indicate that the game was not determined on account of a dispute having arisen by one of the Sheffield players being jostled. It seems the intention was for each team to play 3 innings each. The end details we have are that Sheffield was 60 ahead with Nottingham yet to bat. Sheffield scored 81, 62 and 105 for a total of 248, but we don’t know if 105 was an all out total or not. Nottingham had scored 76 and 112 for a total of 188 with another innings in hand. The reports mentions a Sheffield batsman called Osguthorpe (sic) who "kept in batting for several hours together". But his name is not among the two lists of players given in S&B, one under 26 August 1771 and another under 1 June 1772 (see details under that date). The lists are evidently the same team but with slight differences for each match. As Osguthorpe is not included, they must be the Nottingham players only. The players are: Coleman (2 appearances), Turner (2), Loughman (2), Roe (2), Spurr (2), Stocks (2), Collishaw (2), Troop (2), Mew (2), Bamford (1), Gladwin (1), Huythwaite (1), Rawson (1). This match is the earliest known reference to cricket in Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west... . It is believed that the origin of Notts CCC Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws... lies in this same Nottingham club that apparently came into existence around 1770. The club seems to have undergone some form of reorganisation in 1835 when its team was first recognised as Nottinghamshire county, rather than Nottingham town. The present Nottinghamshire CCC was formally established in 1841. The Sheffield club organised county matches in Yorkshire from the mid-1700s, its teams in important matches being representative of Yorkshire as a county until in 1863 it was the main participant in the official formation of Yorkshire CCC.
28 & 29 August (W-Th)	Bourne v Middlesex Middlesex county cricket teams Middlesex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Given that the first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford, it is almost certain that the game had reached... & Surrey Surrey county cricket teams Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:...	Bishopsbourne Paddock Bishopsbourne Paddock Bishopsbourne Paddock was a cricket ground at Bourne House, seat of Sir Horatio Mann, near Canterbury in Kent. It was a popular venue for first-class matches from 1766 to 1790.-Matches:...	M&S won by 1 run
Middlesex & Surrey (i.e., Duke of Dorset John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset... ’s XI) scored 66 & 25; Bourne Club (Horace Mann’s XI) replied with 53 & 37. Apparently, Dorset’s XI was short of three batsmen in its second innings. There is a report of this game in the Kent Weekly Post but in another connection. The game caused the postponement of a benefit occasion for a Mrs Dyer at the Canterbury Theatre, which had been scheduled for the same day. Presumably, the Duke of Dorset and his cronies wanted to attend both functions .
4 & 5 September (W-Th)	Duke of Dorset John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset was the only son of Lord John Philip Sackville, second son of Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset. He succeeded to the dukedom in 1769 on the death of his uncle, Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset... ’s XI v Horace Mann’s XI	Artillery Ground Artillery Ground The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London...	Dorset’s XI won by 1 wkt
Mann’s XI (Bourne Club) scored 65 & 82; Dorset’s XI replied with 58 & 90-9. Apparently, the last wicket pair needed 27 to win the game.
23 & 24 September (M-Tu)	Chertsey Chertsey Cricket Club Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest in England. Its own website dates its founding as 1737 but in fact matches involving a Chertsey team date from 1736.... v Hambledon Hambledon Club The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:...	Laleham Burway Laleham Burway Laleham Burway is a tract of meadow land on the River Thames near Chertsey in Surrey. Part of it was a famous major cricket venue in the 18th century and the home of Chertsey Cricket Club.-Earliest known matches:...	Hambledon won by 1 run
Team totals (both innings combined) were Hambledon 218 and Chertsey 217. The match was for £50 a side and the articles decreed that it must be played out. It was concluded on the Tuesday evening. Thomas "Daddy" White Thomas White (cricketer) Thomas "Daddy" White was a noted English cricketer.White played in the 1760s and 1770s; details of his early career are largely unknown but he retired in 1779. He is known to have appeared frequently for Surrey and All-England since recorded scorecards first became commonplace in 1772... of Reigate (often confused with Shock White Shock White Shock White was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played for Middlesex. He has often 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... of Brentford) used his extra wide bat whilst playing for Chertsey in this game. The Hambledon players objected. A formal protest was written by Thomas Brett Thomas Brett Thomas Brett was one of first-class cricket's earliest well-known fast bowlers and a leading player for Hampshire when its team was organised by the Hambledon Club in the 1770s.-Career:Noted for his pace and his accuracy, Brett was a leading wicket taker in the 1770s and was lauded by John... and signed by himself, Richard Nyren Richard Nyren Richard "Dick" Nyren was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket during the 1760s and 1770s in the heyday of the Hambledon Club... and John Small. It brought about a change in the Laws of Cricket Laws of cricket The laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is... , as confirmed in 1774, whereby the maximum width of the bat was set at four and one quarter inches. For full details of this match and its famous incident, see: Monster Bat Incident 1771 Monster Bat Incident 1771 The Monster Bat Incident 1771 concerns an attempt to use a bat that was as wide as the wicket, during a cricket match between Chertsey and Hambledon at Laleham Burway that lasted from 23 September to 24 September 1771. Controversy arose when Chertsey's Thomas White attempted to use the bat, while... .
30 September & 1 October (M-Tu)	Hambledon Hambledon Club The Hambledon Club was a social club that is famous for its organisation of 18th century cricket matches. By the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England.-Foundation:... v Chertsey Chertsey Cricket Club Chertsey Cricket Club in Surrey is one of the oldest in England. Its own website dates its founding as 1737 but in fact matches involving a Chertsey team date from 1736....	Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down Broadhalfpenny Down, situated on a hilltop about a mile from the rural village of Hambledon in Hampshire, was the home venue for first-class cricket matches of the Hambledon Club from 1753 to 1781...	Hambledon won by 10 wkts
Chertsey scored 117 and 126. Hambledon replied with 230 and 14 for 0 to win convincingly.

Other events

There were two minor games at Cobham Tilt in which one of the teams was led by Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville

Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville

Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of Tankerville , styled Lord Ossulston from 1753 to 1767, was a British nobleman, a collector of shells and a famous patron of Surrey cricket in the 1770s. He agreed a set of cricket rules that included the first mention of the Leg before wicket rule. His wife, Emma, was...

, a famous patron of Surrey teams in the 1770s and the employer of Edward "Lumpy" Stevens, who was a gardener at his Walton-on-Thames estate. Tankerville succeeded to his title on the death of his father on 27 October 1767. This is probably the earliest mention of him in a cricketing connection.

On Sat 16 November, a general meeting "of the subscribers to the Broadhalfpenny Cricket Club will be held at the George Inn, at Hambledon, in order to appoint stewards and settle the plan for the ensuing year" .

First mentions

Thomas White
Thomas White (cricketer)
Thomas "Daddy" White was a noted English cricketer.White played in the 1760s and 1770s; details of his early career are largely unknown but he retired in 1779. He is known to have appeared frequently for Surrey and All-England since recorded scorecards first became commonplace in 1772...
Reverend Reynell Cotton
Reynell Cotton
The Reverend Reynell Cotton was President of the Hambledon Club in 1773 and 1774. It is not known if he played in any of the first-class cricket matches organised by the club on behalf of Hampshire cricket, but he is believed to have been an active player in the period before records were...
John Thomas de Burgh

Matches

Other events

First mentions

External sources

Further reading