1768 English cricket season

The 1768 English cricket season saw a brief return by Sussex to top-class cricket.

This was a season which could well have seen (though tantalisingly it is not quite certain) the earliest known century in major cricket. The player of the season was unquestionably the great John Small, master batsman of the Hambledon Club, who produced two of the most brilliant performances recorded to date, including that possible first-ever first-class century.

Honours

* Champion County [An unofficial seasonal title proclaimed by media or historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted] – Hambledon/Hampshire [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/histories/champions.html Champion counties from 1728] ]

Matches

Other events

"Sat 28 May". The "Kentish Weekly Post" reported that "last week in the Artillery Ground", a "fives" game between Hon. J F Sackville’s team and Mr Horace Mann’s team lasted two days. Sackville (soon to become 3rd Duke of Dorset) won by 4 wickets. The players and their individual scores are known. Mann’s team of Bellchambers, John Boorman, James Fuggles, May and Muddle scored 26 and 29; Sackville’s team of Brobham, Bayton, John Small, Birchett and Mandy scored 20 and 36-1. May scored 10 and 12 for Mann and Bayton of Hambledon scored 8 and 36* for Sackville, so Bayton’s performance decided the match. The more notable John Small scored only 3 and 0 .

"Fri 3 June". William Bedle died at his house near Dartford. He was "near 90" and was "formerly accounted the most expert cricket player in England". He must have been in his prime during the first quarter of the 18th century. His death was reported by the "Lloyd’s Evening Post" on Fri 10 June G B Buckley, "Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket", Cotterell, 1935] .

An Essex v London match was arranged for Wed 8 June on Epping Common but the London team did not appear and forfeited their deposit .

The secondary sources have recorded three ladies’ matches that took place in June between teams from Harting and Rogate in Sussex. These games attracted crowds of two to three thousand .

First mentions

* William Bedle
* John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset
* John Boorman
* James Fuggles
* Richard May
* Thomas May
* Richard Simmons
* William Palmer
* Joseph Miller

References

External sources

* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/1768_ENG.html CricketArchive match lists]
* [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/main.html From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787]

Further reading

* H S Altham, "A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914)", George Allen & Unwin, 1962
* Derek Birley, "A Social History of English Cricket", Aurum, 1999
* Rowland Bowen, "Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development", Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970
* Ashley Mote, "The Glory Days of Cricket", Robson, 1997
* David Underdown, "Start of Play", Allen Lane, 2000