Dorset Cricketers 1845-2016

INTRODUCTION The earliest cricket matches recorded in Dorset were in the park of Henry Compton at Bistern in Hampshire when eleven gentlemen of the area played against eleven gentlemen of Poole in 1776 and in 1787 when a match Wimborne v Ringwood was played on Painshill Down. In 1798 at Dorchester George III and other members of the royal family attended sports at Maiden Castle, which included a cricket match for a round of beef and ribbon for each of the winning team, but it was not until 1829 that a club “was on the eve of being established” in Dorchester. In 1822 the Salisbury and Winchester Journal reported that “the noble and manly game of Cricket is becoming very popular in the county of Dorset. Many gentlemen encourage clubs which are already formed”. It then follows with a report of a match between Blandford and Stour Clubs for 22 sovereigns and a dinner. The first known reference to a Blandford Cricket Club was in fact in 1820 and they beat Shaftesbury in 1825. In 1826 the Anglesea Club, Stalbridge, Spettisbury and Lydlinch were also other clubs mentioned. Sherborne was first recorded in 1837. The early county matches appear to have been arranged by the Kingston Park Cricket Club and W Hounsell who had a private ground at Pymore. The first recorded matches were in 1845 at the Lansdown club against Somerset, with the return in 1846 at Kingston Park. There were no further meetings until 1849 when the County played the South Hants Club home and away and the All England XI played a team styled Dorset. A number of similar matches were also played in 1850 (All England), 1851 (All England) and 1854 (United England). There then followed a series of annual matches against Devon from 1862, and occasionally Hampshire and Somerset. The first MCC encounter was in 1872 and those matches continued intermittently until the Second World War although in the latter years Dorset fielded only a Club and Ground side. The first mention of a County Cricket Club is in the Dorset County Chronicle of 30 April 1857 which states: “A county cricket club is about to be established under promising auspices in this neighbourhood and a splendid piece of ground at Kingston is now being prepared, with great care, for play during the approaching season”. But nothing further on its progress appears to have been reported until April 1865 when the Kingston Park County Cricket Club was mentioned as commencing their new season. However, by 1876 the name appears to have changed to the Kingston Park and Dorset County Cricket Club. Many of the Kingston Park players over the years also played for the County and it was often difficult to distinguish between the two teams. The Kingston Park Cricket Club ceased to exist after 1893. In 1892 a Dorset Cricket Association was formed on the instigation of Wimborne Cricket Club and organised trial matches and two County matches in 1894 against Devon. This led to a meeting in 1895 when it was proposed to form a Dorset County Cricket Club. This well-attended meeting at the Town Hall, Dorchester on 12th January 1895 agreed in principle to the formation of a County Club and “that every effort be made to establish it upon the strongest possible basis” but nothing further transpired. At the Annual General meeting of the Cricket Association on 23rd November 1895 the idea of a County Club was again discussed and at a subsequent meeting of club secretaries on 5th February 1896 the County Club was finally formed after a lengthy debate. Although not included in the Minor Counties Championship table immediately as they did not play enough matches to qualify, the County played home and away matches against Wiltshire in 1897 which counted as Championship matches for their opponents. It was not until 1902 however, that Dorset qualified for the Championship table, unfortunately losing six of their eight matches and ending up at the bottom of the table. 3