Great Cricket Matches 1772-1800: The Players and The Records

DECISIVE RESULTS Wins by an innings and 100 runs Surrey and Sussex beat England by an innings and 249 runs (Lord’s) 1793 Hampshire beat England by an innings and 168 runs (Sevenoaks Vine) 1777 Surrey beat England by an innings and 147 runs (Lord’s, 2nd match) 1799 MCC beat Gentlemen of Kent by an innings and 113 runs (Lord’s) 1791 Wins by 200 runs MCC beat Middlesex by 274 runs (Lord’s, 1st match) 1792 Hampshire beat Surrey by 273 runs (Broad Halfpenny Down) 1775 Hampshire beat Kent by 266 runs (Bourne Paddock) 1787 England beat White Conduit Club by 265 runs (Lord’s) 1787 Darnley’s XI beat Mann’s XI by 242 runs (Dandelion Paddock) 1795 Middlesex beat Oldfield by 233 runs (Lord’s) 1795 Surrey beat Hampshire by 221 runs (Molesey Hurst) 1789 CLOSE RESULTS Tie Kent (111 & 90) v Hampshire (140 & 61) (Windmill Down) 1783 Wins by six or fewer runs Winchilsea’s XI beat Louch’s XI by 3 runs (Lord’s) 1793 XIII of England beat Surrey by 3 runs (Lord’s) 1794 Darnley’s XI beat Winchilsea’s XI by 4 runs (Lord’s) 1796 White Conduit Club beat Kent by 5 runs (Islington) 1786 Middlesex beat MCC by 5 runs (Lord’s, 2nd match) 1792 Oldfield beat MCC by 6 runs (Lord’s, 2nd match) 1794 Wins by one wicket Surrey beat Hampshire (Laleham Burway) 1776 Hampshire beat England (Merrow Down, Guildford) 1777 Hampshire beat Kent (Windmill Down) 1786 England beat Hampshire (Sevenoaks Vine) 1791 MATCHES COMPLETED IN ONE DAY There is no evidence that any great match 1772-1800 was completed in a single day though we have three for which only one date is given. However, the scores in these prove that play must have extended at least into a second day. These three matches, with run aggregates of 549, 429 and 573 respectively, are: August 23, 1779 (Broad Halfpenny Down) Hampshire (167 & 182) beat England (112 & 88) by 149 runs. May 31, 1787 (Lord’s) Middlesex (58 & 203) beat Essex (130 & 38) by 93 runs. August 16, 1790 (Lord’s) Middlesex (104 & 182) lost to MCC (145 & 142/8) by 2 wickets. DRAWN MATCHES Eighteenth century cricketers showed commendable persistence in giving a match as much time as it needed to come to a definite conclusion, returning day after day following weather interruptions or an intervening Sunday even when the result was a foregone conclusion. In one remarkable instance a match started in 1795 was completed the following season in order to reach an outcome. In this and the other cases it may have been on account of the wagers laid on both the result and individual scores but whatever the reasons there were only two unfinished great matches in the period 1772-1800 as follows: Hampshire (217 & 63/5) v England (218 & 133) (Windmill Down) 1783 Middlesex (80) v Brighton (64) (Lord’s) 1792 32