Great Cricket Matches 1772-1800

matches and players’ appearances in any coherent way. In all the circumstances, the best advice is to focus on the composition and strength of teams and not give undue attention to the matter of titles. Hambledon and Hampshire This brings us to the fascinating question of the relationship between the famous Hambledon Club and the county of Hampshire. Many persons on first becoming interested in the history of cricket must be excited by stories of how the tiny village of Hambledon vied against and overcame the might of All England. It is a fine story, appealing to the romantic in all of us. And like many of the best legends, it is all the more potent for containing much more than a grain of truth. The Hambledon Club did indeed organise a team that played England and often won; and it is also true that Hambledon men formed the kernel of the side. Admittedly some of its best players came from places farther afield, and Hambledon itself probably qualified by the standards of the day to be called a small town rather than a village, but it was certainly not a celebrated or eminent place except for cricket, and even when greater knowledge has deprived the story of a little of its romance the achievements of the Hambledon Club remain remarkable. Regarding the teams it organised, however, there is clear and substantial contemporary evidence that these were intended as Hampshire rather than Hambledon. It is true that the team is titled ‘Hambledon’ in some sources, but this is for the same reason that Kent and Surrey teams are often labelled ‘Dorset’ or ‘Tankerville’: they are called after their sponsor. The only difference is that the sponsor is a club rather than a nobleman. When, exceptionally, the team is intended to represent Hambledon Town, the sources are very clear in drawing the distinction and it is duly reflected in the composition of the side. 23 The Bat and Ball Inn, next to Broad Halfpenny Down. Richard Nyren was landlord during a crucial phase in the development of Hambeldon cricket. David Frith Collection.