Great Cricket Matches 1772-1800

matches). In no case do the odds exceed XIV against XI, and it is an interesting comment on the balance of 18th-century cricketing power than in each case it is England, rather than the county, that receives the odds. The list includes only matches for which a scorecard is available, although it should be noted that there are reports of at least 11 additional matches that would appear to be strong candidates for inclusion if a full score came to light. Additional research into the period is going on all the time, and the ACS will review the list in the light of any new information. It is stressed that although the list of matches was agreed by the group, this should not be taken to imply that every member agreed with all decisions regarding match classification. It was agreed, however, that the proposed list represented a consensus view of the group as a whole. Regarding terminology, it was agreed that to reflect contemporary usage these games should be described as ‘great’ matches. The start date: Why 1772? It may well be asked: why begin in 1772? If the question is specific – why 1772 rather than 1771 or 1773? – the answer is one of simple practicality. 1772 is the year when a continuous record of scores begins. After this date, full scores of matches are available, sometimes in quite large numbers, for each season; but before it, they scarcely exist. The handful of scores that chance to have survived from before 1772 are of matches that have no claim to ‘great’ status, with two exceptions. These two matches, which both date from June 1744, are printed on pages 10 and 11. They undoubtedly merit an ‘honourable mention’ but they are so far separated in time from later scores that to include them in the list would be pointless. If the question is more general – why begin around this time? – there is good evidence that the game was undergoing transformational change in the years around 1770. The practice of bowling the ball through the air, instead of rolling it along the ground as formerly, precipitated a rush of further changes: the bat completed its evolution to its modern upright form, the laws restricted its width for the first time, the third stump was introduced, and the first lbw law appeared. All these developments, coming in such short order, must have revolutionised the game. In other words, the date of 1772, although imposed by the lack of earlier scores, is defensible in terms of cricket history. Pattern of matches during the period The matches we are interested in fall in the years 1772-1800, but this period is divided into two distinct phases separated by a marked lull, with only one ‘great’ match in 1784 and none at all in 1785. Phase 1 starts in 1772 and peters out in 1784. In this period, games by the three major county teams of Hampshire, Kent and Surrey against each other and against England set what might be considered a ‘gold standard’ for great matches at the time. Games involving these three counties are so sharply differentiated from more run-of-the-mill matches that there is very little difficulty in distinguishing them. Only a handful of doubtful matches date from this period. 15