Cambridgeshire Cricketers 1819-2006

INTRODUCTION The first recorded reference to cricket in Cambridgeshire was in 1710 and there was to be much cricket throughout the county in the 18th century including matches played by Wisbech, Chatteris and Cambridge (Town and University). In the early 19th century cricket references in the newspapers became more frequent and the ACS listed Cambridge Town matches from 1817 in their Important Matches series of books. There was however, no County organization at the time, and matches were all played on the 25-acre common called Parker’s Piece in central Cambridge, or on the University ground as most of these early matches were against Cambridge University. Although customarily given the generic title of ‘Cambridge Town Club’ the town appears to have been represented by various teams including Cambridge Cricket Club, Cambridge Town Club and Cambridge Union Club. On 13th March 1844 the Cambridge Town and County Club was formed and played until 1847. A Cambridgeshire County Club was not formed until 6th June 1858 with home County matches (mostly amateurs) being played at Babraham Park, the seat of H J Adheane MP., although these could not be classed as first-class. Regular important or first-class matches (mostly professionals) were played mainly at F P Fenner’s Ground (the University ground) after this was opened in 1848, thereafter, until the Club was disbanded in 1869. In addition several matches now recognized as ‘Cambridgeshire’ appear to have been arranged by a variety of bodies including Cambridge Town Club, the Cambridge professionals and the Surrey County Club. The County Club appears to have folded at the end of 1863 and reformed between 1866 and 1868. There has been confusion about the nomenclature of the various teams and a detailed study of these early matches in Cambridgeshire are being assiduously researched by Willie Sugg and his publications on the subject are recommended for anybody interested in early cricket in Cambridgeshire. I would like to thank him for the immense help and guidance he has given me when researching this period. All cricketers playing in the early first-class or important matches are included in the biographies and averages for completeness, together with those playing in County matches which are not deemed first-class but styled Cambridgeshire. Matches played by the County against club teams are not included. The present County Club was formed on 6th June 1891 at the Guildhall, Cambridge, and although being a founder member of the Minor Counties Cricket Association in 1895 it did not participate in the Championship until 1898. The Club has been in continuous existence since being reformed although it was unable to raise teams to play in the Championship in 1902 and 1920. The players averages in this book differ from the Minor Counties Project averages as these have included matches played by Cambridgeshire against other Counties in the Championship, but before Cambridgeshire itself entered. In the earlier period matches have included annual fixtures against Cambridge University and county matches against MCC (from 1832), Nottingham (from 1834), Surrey (from 1857), Kent (from 1861), Nottinghamshire (from 1862), Yorkshire (from 1864), Middlesex (from 1866), together with fixtures with Norfolk and Essex. In the 1850’s and 1860’s an amateur County team played regular club 3