1796 English cricket season
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In the 1796 English cricket season, the Montpelier town club became prominent and played a number of matches over the next few seasons against MCC. The club’s venue was George Aram’s New Ground in Montpelier Gardens, Walworth, Surrey.
Generally speaking, it was at this time that matches involving town clubs like Montpelier, Kennington, Highgate, Rochester, Woolwich, Homerton, Richmond, Storrington and Thames Ditton began to achieve prominence in the old books. Although some good players were undoubtedly involved, the teams tended to lack overall strength and capability. Montpelier tended to be the exception as it had quite a strong side around 1796-1800. Each game involving these clubs needs to be evaluated individually. See CricketArchive for scorecards.
The ACS list for 1796 mysteriously includes two games involving the Swaffham and "Brinton" clubs, both supposedly mentioned in WDC where in fact only one can be found! No details are known and these curiosities can safely be dismissed as minor matches.
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[edit] Matches
| Date | Match Title | Venue | Source | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9-11 May (M-Tu) | MCC v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB196 | Middlesex won by 3 wkts |
| 16-17 May (M-Tu) | Middlesex v Kent | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB197 | Kent won by 51 runs |
| 27-28 May (F-S) | Earl of Winchilsea v Bligh (10 a side) # | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB197 | Winchilsea's XI won by 65 runs |
| 30-31 May (M-Tu) | MCC v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB198 | MCC won by 141 runs |
| 6-7 June (M-Tu) | MCC v Middlesex | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB199 | Middlesex won by 8 runs |
| 13-15 June (M-W) | MCC v Kent | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB199 | Kent won by 4 runs |
| 20-22 June (M-W) | Middlesex v Kent | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB200 | Middlesex won by 3 wkts |
| 24-25 June (F-S) | Thursday/Montpelier v MCC | Montpelier Gardens | SB201 | MCC won by 63 runs |
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Montpelier Gardens was in Walworth, London. The actual venue is George Aram’s New Ground in Montpelier Gardens. NB: Walworth is in Surrey, not Middlesex. |
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| 28-30 June (Tu-Th) | All-England v Surrey | Stoke Down | SB201 | All-England won by 3 wkts |
| 4-5 July (M-Tu) | Bullingdon v MCC # | Bullingdon | SB202 | MCC won by 199 runs |
| 6 July (W) | Thursday Club v Montpelier ^ | Lord’s (Dorset Square) | WDC | Thursday Club won by 8 wkts |
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It seems this match was not completed until Friday 12 August and so its conclusion must have preceded the game in SB206. |
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| 11-12 July (M-Tu) | MCC v Bullingdon # | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB203 | MCC won by innings & 137 runs |
| 13-15 July (W-F) | MCC v Thursday/Montpelier | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB204 | MCC won by 6 wkts |
| 19-22 July (Tu-F) | Earl of Winchilsea v A Smith | Perriam Down | SB204 | Winchilsea's XI won by 10 runs |
| 25 July (M) | Montpelier v Thursday Club # | Montpelier Gardens | WDC | Thursday Club won by innings & 19 runs |
| 10 August (W) | Middlesex v Kennington # | Lord's (Dorset Square) | WDC | Middlesex won by 2 wkts |
| 12-13 Aug (F-S) | Middlesex v Mont & Kenn Clubs ^ | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB206 | Middlesex won by 3 wkts |
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Mont & Kenn = the combined Montpelier and Kennington Clubs. It seems this match started after the one postponed from Wed 6 July was completed. |
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| 15 Aug (M) | Montpelier v Highgate # | Montpelier Gardens | brit | Montpelier won by 6 runs |
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WDC also records this match but has it dated 1 August. Britcher’s date is accepted as the closer source. # These games in the main sources and in the ACS list are not major matches, including Earl of Winchilsea v Bligh on 27 May (SB197) which was ten-a side with weak teams. |
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| 15-16 Aug (M-Tu) | Middlesex v Surrey | Lord's (Dorset Square) | SB208 | Surrey won by 8 wkts |
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WDC has this game dated 1-2 August and the ACS Guide includes both entries. The above is believed correct. |
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| 22-23 Aug (M-Tu) | All-England v Surrey | Dandelion Paddock | SB208 | Surrey won by innings & 6 runs |
| 24-26 Aug (W-F) | All-England v Surrey | Dandelion Paddock | SB209 | All-England won by 5 wkts |
| 26-27 Aug (F-S) | Mont & Kenn v Middlesex ^ | Montpelier Gardens | SB210 | drawn |
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^ It was at this time that matches involving local clubs like Montpelier, Kennington, Highgate, Rochester, Woolwich, Homerton, Richmond, Storrington and Thames Ditton begin to achieve prominence in the old books. Although some good players were undoubtedly involved, the teams did not often have the overall strength or capability necessary for major status unless they had given men playing. Montpelier tended to be the exception as it had quite a strong side around 1797-1798. Each game involving these clubs needs to be evaluated individually. The match given in WDC as J Small v T Walker at the Dandelion Paddock on 7 - 10 Sept is in fact a wrongly dated duplicate of the Mann v Leigh game in S&B on the same days in 1795 (see above). |
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[edit] Other Events
[edit] Leading batsmen
[edit] Leading bowlers
[edit] Main Sources
- Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians - various publications
- Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley (FL18)
- Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket by G B Buckley (FLPV)
- Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century by Timothy J McCann (TJM)
- The Dawn of Cricket by H T Waghorn (WDC)
- Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 by Arthur Haygarth (SBnnn)
- Scores 1790-1805 (annual issues) by Samuel Britcher
| English cricket seasons to 1815 |
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1300 - 1696 | 1697 - 1725 |
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to 1815 • 1816-1863 • 1864-1889 • 1890-1918 • 1919-1945 • 1946-1968 • 1969-2000 • from 2001 |
