Cricket 1900

F eb . 22, 1900. CRICKET : A WEEKLY RECORD OF THE GAME. 21 On Bromley Common, Monday, May 16th, 1743. 1st inns. 2nd inns. LONDON, MIDDLESEX and SURKEY (Lord Montford’s XI.) .. 97 .. l l i for 3 w. KENT (Lord John Sack- ville’s XI.) _ .. .. 69 .. Kent “ gave it up, Lord Montford’s Set having gained so vast amajority.” Otherwise play would have been continued on the Tues­ day. According to another account, London, Middlesex and Surrey won by “ seventy-one notches and six hands to go in,” but the scores given above are, it is believed, correct. London, Middlesex and Surrey went in first. It was nearly e'ght o’clock when stumps were drawn. This match was played for 300 guineas a side or, according to another account, £500 a side. Amongst the numerous spectators were the Prince of Wales, Lord Waldegrave, Lord Baltimore and several other persons of dis­ tinction. Lord Montford, mentioned above, was a great patron of the game. In 1749 Horace Walpole speaks of him fetching up persons to play on Richmond Green. At Woburn, in Bedfordshire, Friday, May 27th, 1743. WOBURN v. LONDON. Won by London. Played for a considerable sum. Woburn, where many cricket matches were played, was, it may here be stated, the seat of the Duke of Bedford. At Woburn, in Bedfordshire, Saturday, May 28th, 1743. WOBURN v. LONDON. Won by Woburn. Played for a considerable sum. At The Cock, Shacklewell, near StokeNewing­ ton, Monday, June 6 th, 1743. SHACKLEWELL v. WESTMINSTER. Played for a considerable sum. The wickets were pitched at one o’clock. In the Artillery-Ground, Monday, June 13th, 1743. WOBURN v. LONDON. Woburn won by 54 runs. Played for a considerable sum. “ The wickets were pitched by one o’clock on the forfeiture of one hundred guineas.” At the commencement of the match the betting was 11 to 8 in favour of London. OnWalworth Common, Thursday, June 16th, 1743. BERMONDSEY v. DEPTFORD AND THE KING’S YARD. Bermondsey won by an innings and 27 runs. Played for a considerable sum. Walworth Common, which is now com­ pletely built over, was situated where West­ moreland Road, Faraday Street, Mann Street, etc., are now, and was about three-quarters of a mile from the spot where the Bee-Hive Ground afterwards existed. At Bromley, Friday, June 21th, 1743. CHISLEHURST AND BROMLEY v. LONDON. Chislehurst and Bromley won with great difficulty. Before the match commenced it was an­ nounced that “ To prevent disputes it is to be played out” —a proof, were any needed, that betting in connection with crick* t used at one time to be the rule rather than the exception. In the Artillery-Ground, Monday, June 27th, 1743. CHISLEHURST AND BROMLEY v. LONDON. Played for a considerable sum. The wickets were pitched at one o’clock. On Richmond Green, Monday, July 4th, 1743. RICHMOND AND KINGSTON v. LONDON. Won by London. Long Robin, of Bromley (Kent), played as a given man for London. Played for a considerable sum. In the Artillery-Ground, Monday, July 11th, 1743. THREE OF KENT v. THREE OF ENGLAND. Kent. England. Hodswell. R. Newland. Cutbush. v. Sawyer. Y. Romney. John Bryan. Kent won by 2 runs. Hodswell and Newland captained the sides. Betting 5 to 1 in favour of Kent. The match was played for five hundred pounds (or guineas according to another account) before ten thousand spectators. The above six players were, at the time, stated to be the best in England. The return match between the same sides, which was to have been played on Sevenoaks Vine, on Wedntsday, July 27th, did not come off. At The Cock, Shacklewell, near Stoke Newing­ ton, Tuesday, July 12th, 1743. SHACKLEWEIiL v. MR. TOLL’S CLUB (Tottenham, Edmonton and Enfield). Played for a guinea a man. The wickets were pitched at one o’clock. In the Artillery-Ground, Monday, July 18th, 1743. RICHMOND, KINGSTON AND EGHAM v. LONDON. Won by London. Long Robin, of Bromley (Kent), played as a given man for London. This was the return to the match at Rich­ mond on July 4th. In the first match Richmond and Kingston alone played London, but, being beaten, included some of the Egham players in their team for the second match. In the Artillery-Ground, Thursday, July 21st, 1743. LAMBETH AND THE BOROUGH v. NORTH OF THAMES. In the Artillery-Ground, Monday, July 25th, 1743. 1 st inns. 2 nd inns. LONDON .. .. 32 .. 74 ADDINGTON . . 1 1 0 .. Addington won by an innings and 4 runs. Sawyer played for London and Long Robin and T. Peake for Addington as given men. This match, which was the first ever played by Addington in London, was played for a hundred guineas. About this time Adding­ ton could place a very powerful eleven in the field, and the result of the abovematch clearly shows how strong the team must have been. When, in September, 1744, Slindon challenged any parish in England, the offer was imme­ diately accepted by Addington. Addington, it should be stated, is about three and a-half miles south-east of Croydon, in Surrey. What curious changes are effected by the whirligig of time is shown by the fact that the village which a hundred and fifty years ago boasted one of the strongest elevens in the world was on June 3rd last dismissed in Battersea Park for five runs by Kennington. Fallen indeed. On Kennington Common, Tuesday, July 26th, 1743. ST. GEORGE IN THE EAST v. THE BOROUGH. Played for a very considerable sum. The wickets were pitched at one o’ clcck. At Woburn, in Bedfordshire, Monday, August 1st, 1743. 1 st inns. 2 nd inns. LONDON .. .. 46 .. 60 WOBURN .. .. 72 .. 31 London won by 3 runs. Played for 500 guineas. London went in first. On Lewes Down, near the Horse-Course, Wednesday, August 3rd, 1743. LEWES v. PEVENSEY. Played for a considerable sum. In the Artillery-Ground, Monday, August 8 th, 1743. 1 st inns. 2 nd inns. WOBURN .. ..1 0 4 .. 36 LONDON .. .. 93 .. 48 for 9 wkts. London won by one wicket. Played for 500 guineas. The wickets were pitched at one o’ clock, “ on the forfeiture of one hundred guineas.” On Richmond Green, Tuesday, August 16th, 1743. FIVE OF RICHMOND v. FIVE OF LONDON. Played for a considerable sum. The wickets were pitched at one o’clock, “ on the forfeiture of fifty pounds.” On Sevenoaks Vine, Tuesday and Wednes­ day, August 23rd and 24th, 1743. 1 st inns. 2 ndinns. LONDON .. .. 41 .. 54 SEVENOAKS .. 49 .. 40 London won by 6 runs. The last four Sevenoaks wickets fell for 16 runs, leaving London successful. It may be here stated that the first cricket- ball maker of any pretention was Clout, of Sevenoaks, who flourished about this time. Mr. Haygarth in 1894, however, stated that the famous firm of Duke and Son, of Pens- hurst, had been in existence considerably over two hundred years.* In the Artillery-Ground, Monday, August 29th, 1743. SEVENOAKS v. LONDON. Won by London. Played for a large sum. The wickets were pitched at twelve o’clock. Many bets were made between the noble­ men and gentlemen who witnessed the previous match between the same sides. In the Artillery-Ground, Wednesday, August 31st, 1743. FIVE OF RICHMOND v. FIVE OF LONDON. Played for a considerable sum. The wickets were pitched at two o’clock. On Walworth Common, Thursday, September 1st, 1743. ALDGATE v. ST. KATHERINE’S. Played for a large sum. The wickets were pitched at two o’clock. * The M.C.C. Cricket Scores and Biographies, Vol. 14, p. 1,008. Mr. Haygarth’s statement is probably in­ correct, for Duke and Son give the date of the estab­ lishment of their firm as 1760. 'Ihe first six-seam cricket-ball ever made was presented by Duke and Son in the year 1780 to the Prince of Wales, after­ wards George the Fourth.