1787 English cricket season

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The 1787 English cricket season is widely seen as a watershed in the history of cricket for it marked the sport's transition from an essentially rural game into an urban and metropolitan one.

The event that effected the transition was the opening of Thomas Lord's first cricket ground at Marylebone in north London. Lord was financed by the aristocratic members of the long-standing and multi-functional Noblemen's and Gentlemen's Club which was based at the Star and Garter on Pall Mall and had already founded the Jockey Club to pursue its racing interests. Its most recent cricket venture had been the White Conduit Club in Islington.

Due to dissatisfaction with conditions in Islington, the members sought a more private venue and Lord, a professional bowler with the club who had a business acumen, was asked to do the necessaries. Upon moving from White Conduit Fields to Marylebone, the gentlemen's club reconstituted itself as Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and immediately took responsibility for the organisation, administration and development of the sport, including ownership of the game's Laws.

It is no overstatement to say that the opening of Lord’s and the foundation of (or reorganisation of the gentlemen's club as) MCC in 1787 ended what H T Waghorn called The Dawn of Cricket. The small but great rural clubs like Chertsey, Dartford, Addington, Slindon and above all Hambledon were forced to stand aside as progress swept the game beyond their horizons. As the historical sources quoted below all agree, it is doubtful if cricket without Lord's and MCC could ever have expanded into a national sport, let alone a world sport.

1 Matches
2 Other Events
3 Debutants
4 Leading batsmen
5 Leading bowlers
6 Leading fielders
7 Main Sources

[edit] Matches

Date	Match Title	Venue	Source	Result
21 May (M)	White Conduit Club v Middlesex	Lord’s (Dorset Square)	FL18	result unknown
As Mr Buckley says, this was "apparently the first match to be played on Thomas Lord’s new ground". It was pre-announced in the Morning Herald on Sat 19 May but not reported afterwards. The historic announcement says: "A grand match will be played on Mon 21 May in the New Cricket Ground, the New Road, Mary-le-bone (sic), between eleven Noblemen of the White Conduit Club and eleven Gentlemen of the County of Middlesex with two men given, for 500 guineas a side. The wickets to be pitched at ten o’clock, and the match to be played out". We can only speculate about the quality of the teams but it is safe to assume it was a major match, probably comparable with the MCC v Middlesex games that soon followed. It is a fair bet that one of the two given men was Thomas Lord himself.
15-16 May (Tu-W)	Hornchurch v Moulsey Hurst ^	Langton Park, Hornchurch	SB69	MH won by 6 wkts
Taken from "Scores and Biographies" volume 1, page 69. Hornchurch and Moulsey Hurst could claim to be representative of Essex and Surrey as counties but these games were definitely between the two town clubs, each with enough known players to make them first-class. The Essex team that played Middlesex two weeks later was very similar to the Hornchurch XI. It was not mentioned where this match was played, but it is presumed at Hornchurch, as the return in July took place at Moulsey Hurst.
31 May (Th)	Middlesex v Essex	Lord's (Dorset Square)	SB70	Middlesex won by 93 runs
Taken from "Scores and Biographies" volume 1, page 70. This is the first recorded match played on the original Lord's Ground, which was on the site of Dorset Square. It also marks the first recorded appearance by the founder of Lord's. Thomas Lord was a change bowler at White Conduit Club and it was on their behalf that he acquired the Dorset Square site. The result was a remarkable turnaround of the first innings situation: Middlesex 58 and 203; Essex 130 and 38. Butcher, whose first name is unknown, was a regular Surrey bowler operating in this game as a given man. His haul of ten wickets is impressive in an age when only clean bowled dismissals were credited to the bowler. The S&B scorecard included "P O Clark" in each Middlesex innings (Z Boult and Bedster). This surely means "put out" and indicates a stumping. There is another match some years earlier in which the scorer wrote "put out behind the Yold", meaning stumped by William Yalden who was nicknamed "the Yold".
5-6 June (Tu-W)	White Conduit Club v Middlesex	Lord’s (Dorset Square)	WDC	WCC won by 10 wkts
The detailed scorecard has not survived but the WCC team was Sir Peter Burrell, Mr John Peachey, Mr Dampier, Captain Charles Cumberland, Mr Gilbert East, Mr Assheton Smith, Mr George Talbot, Mr Richard Newman, Mr R B Wyatt, Mr Edward Hussey and Mr C Drummond. White Conduit batting last needed 38 to win and apparently scored 39-0.
14-15 June (Th-F)	White Conduit v Middlesex	Lord's (Dorset Square)	FL18	Middlesex won by 8 wkts
The source FL18 records: "On the first day each side played an innings and the Club had scored 21 for 3, Sir P Burrell being not out 7, when want of light stopped play at 8-30 pm. Boorman's bowling won the game. Mr Cumberland, second to none as a bowler and second to few as a fieldsman, was unable to play for the Club owing to an injured ankle."
20-22 June (W-F)	White Conduit v All-England	Lord's (Dorset Square)	SB71	All-England won by 239 runs

2 July (W)	West Sussex v East Sussex	Amberley Hill	FLPV	West Sussex won by 101 runs

3-4 July (Th-F)	Moulsey Hurst v Hornchurch ^	Moulsey Hurst	SB73	MH won by 131 runs
^ Hornchurch and Moulsey Hurst could claim to be representative of Essex and Surrey as counties but these games were definitely between the two town clubs, each with enough recognised players to make them major. The Essex team that played Middlesex was very similar to the Hornchurch XI in the other games. George Talbot, in his first innings, was stated to be "P H O", a term not explained. It may be a variation on "put out", which was a stumping; or "put himself out", which might mean "hit wicket".
5-6 July (Th-F)	Essex v Middlesex	Langton Park, Hornchurch	FL18	Middlesex won by 9 wkts
The Chelmsford Chronicle on Fri 13 July reported the team totals only. Essex (Hornchurch in the report) scored 65 and 108; Middlesex replied with 124 and 50-1. We do not know any of the players’ names but we can assume the usuals were taking part and that it is a major match.
16 July (M)	Earl of Earl of Winchilsea v A Smith	Perriam Down, Wiltshire	SB74	Earl of Winchilsea's XI won by 79 runs
Perriam Down was near Ludgershall, Wiltshire.
16 July (M)	Essex v Kent	Swanscombe	WDC	Essex won by innings & 44 runs
No scorecard has survived but the report said that the result "so exasperated the gentlemen of Kent that they would not so much as drink with their competitors"! None of the players' names has been recorded.
30 July (M)	MCC v White Conduit Club	Lord's (Dorset Square)	FL18	result unknown
A notice in The World on Fri 27 July states: "On Mon 30 July will be played (at Lord’s) a match between 11 gentlemen of the Mary-le-bone Club and 11 gentlemen of the Islington Club". This is the first known match in which mention is made of "the Mary-le-bone Club". Unfortunately, no other details have been found but it was probably a similar contest to the one in June 1788 between the MCC and the WCC. It has immense historical importance but the poor quality of the WCC team in the 1788 match must suggest it has marginal status only.
2-3 Aug (Th-F)	Essex v White Conduit Club	Hornchurch	WDC	WCC won by "over 100 runs"
In this game, White Conduit combined with Moulsey Hurst Club in order to take on Hornchurch. The exact result is uncertain but it was by over 100 runs: WCC scored 89 and at least 162; Hornchurch 100 and not above 50. The only player mentioned in WDC is Winchilsea who scored between 20 and 30 but whether in one innings or in the whole match we do not know. The stake was 500 guineas. The teams are in FL18 but no scorecard information. The WCC/MHC team was Earl of Winchilsea, Sir Peter Burrell, Mr G East, Mr George Talbot, Mr C Drummond, Mr G Boult, Mr Slater, Mr George Louch, William Bedster, Edward "Lumpy" Stevens and Davy (Surrey); Lumpy and Davy were professional bowlers. All of these players are recognised. The Essex team was taken from a "squad" of 12 whose names were pre-announced: Mr R Newman, Mr R B Wyatt, Mr J Russell, Mr R Denn, Rev. Dupuis, Mr T Clark, Davidson, Graham, Harvey, Martin, ? Rimmington, Mr Wickham. The first 11 names in the Essex squad are all recognised players but the name of Mr Wickham, who with Martin is given as a bowler, does not appear elsewhere: except in Pride and Prejudice, of course! WDC has two reports of the game, one apparently written on Thursday evening and the other after the match, but no scorecard. The reports in WDC state: "On Aug. 2, the grand match of cricket, for 500 guineas, between the White Conduit and Moulsey-Hurst clubs and Hornchurch club, began playing at Hornchurch, the 1st innings were as follows: White Conduit and Moulsey-Hurst, 86 notches, and 3 byes, total 89; Hornchurch 92 notches, 8 byes: total 100. Bets were 2 to 1 on White Conduit and Moulsey-Hurst at the beginning, but very much altered in the evening in favour of the Hornchurch club". "The above match was won hollow by the White Conduit and Moulsey-Hurst clubs. The White Conduit club, that is Lord Winchilsea and Co., went in first and got 89. The Hornchurch then got 100. On the 2nd innings, the Hornchurch did not get above 50, and the other side won by above 100 notches. Of these Lord Winchilsea got between 20 and 30. The other members of the club played in fine style". It is assumed that, as in other games, the Hornchurch Club was representative of Essex as a county and this was a major match.
6-7 Aug (M-Tu)	Leicester v Coventry	Hinckley	FL18	Leics won by 45 runs
Extensively described in FL18, p. 117-120. See also 22 Sept 1788. These are historically interesting not just because of the fascinating match reports but also because the clubs must have contained seeds of Leicestershire CCC and Warwickshire CCC.
7-10 Aug (Tu-F)	Kent v Hampshire	Coxheath	SB76	Hampshire won by 2 wkts
Joey Ring in his second innings is stated to have been "put out" by Richard Purchase: i.e., stumped. In another account the winning side is called "England"; but all playing are mentioned in John Nyren's book as being members of the Hambledon Club and so this team is properly a Hampshire XI.
14-16 Aug (Tu-Th)	Kent v Hampshire	Bishopsbourne Paddock	SB76	Hampshire won by 266 runs

28-31 Aug (Tu-F)	Sir H Mann v Earl of Earl of Winchilsea	Bishopsbourne Paddock	SB77	Earl of Winchilsea's XI won by 29 runs
William Fennex caught 6 in the match including 5 in the second innings alone. He also took four wickets.
3-5 Sept (M-W)	Hampshire v Kent	Windmill Down	SB78	Kent won by 65 runs
There were seven run outs of Hampshire batsmen
10-12 Sept (M-W)	Sir H Mann v Earl of Earl of Winchilsea	Lord's (Dorset Square)	SB78	Mann's XI won by 94 runs

17-18 Sept (M-Tu)	Melton Mowbray v Leicester	Melton Mowbray	FLPV	MM won by innings & 16 runs
The scorecard has no bowling or fielding details. It is another interesting early Leicester match.

[edit] Other Events

FL18 begins its 1787 notices with the following extract from the Morning Herald dated Wed 25 April:

The Members of the Cricket Club are desired to meet at the Star and Garter, Pall Mall, on Mon., April 30. Dinner on table exactly at half past five o’clock. N.B. The favour of an answer is desired.

There can be little doubt that plans for matches to be played at a new ground in Marylebone were on the agenda.

The first mention of the follow on occurs in 1787. At that time it was the custom for a side behind on 1st innings to follow-on no matter what the deficit.

H S Altham's Dates in Cricket History records the first mention of a County Club in Oxfordshire. This is supported by an engraving held in the Bodleian Library.

[edit] Debutants

The general shift of the sport's focus from the rural counties to north London led to an unusually high number of first-class debutants. Among them were some famous names such as John Wells of Surrey and Thomas Lord of Middlesex.

Professionals who made their mark were John Pilcher of Kent; Butcher and Thomas Ingram of Surrey; Richard Lawrence of Berkshire; and Graham of Middlesex. We do not know the first names of Butcher or Graham even though they were noted players for many years.

Notable amateur debutants were Thomas Clark and R Denn of Essex; C Drummond and JL Kaye of Surrey; and Assheton Smith of MCC.

The season also saw the debut of a player who has become a cricket statistician's nightmare. This is the Middlesex professional Knowles, who called himself White, or vice-versa, and who played in 16 first-class matches under one name or the other.

[edit] Leading batsmen

Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so it is impossible to provide a complete analysis of batting performances: e.g., the missing not outs prevent computation of batting averages. The "runs scored" are in fact the runs known.

runs	player
296	James Aylward
295	John Small
287	William Beldam
269	Thomas Walker
179	John Wells
171	Thomas Taylor
166	George T Boult
142	William Brazier
138	Noah Mann
138	William Bullen
137	Harry Walker
131	Joey Ring
126	George Louch
123	Earl of Winchilsea
121	Robert Clifford
114	John Boorman
107	Richard Purchase
104	Jack Small
103	Francis Booker

[edit] Leading bowlers

Note that the wickets credited to an 18th century bowler were only those where he bowled the batsman out. The bowler was not credited with the wickets of batsmen who were caught out, even if it was "caught and bowled". In addition, the runs conceded by each bowler were not recorded so no analyses or averages can be computed.

wkts	player
29	David Harris
24	Butcher
22	John Boorman
22	Edward "Lumpy" Stevens
17	Thomas Taylor
16	Martin
15	William Bullen
15	Robert Clifford
11	Noah Mann
10	William Fennex

[edit] Leading fielders

Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so the totals are of the known catches and stumpings only. Stumpings were not always recorded as such and sometimes the name of the wicket-keeper was not given. Generally, a catch was given the same status as "bowled" with credit being awarded to the fielder only and not the bowler. There is never a record of "caught and bowled": the bowler would be credited with the catch, not with the wicket.