Lives in Cricket No 37 - William Clarke

39 First Matches with Sussex and the Consequences is possessed of a walled-in ground, made upon speculation, which created a tax upon cricketers and the admirers of the game and which we know to have failed entirely, as matches played in such places have ever been looked upon with suspicion for there have been so many got up for the mere purpose of remunerating the owners of them; besides they almost totally exclude the majority of the most fervent admirers and practisers of the game. Such places and the system above mentioned have almost annihilated the game in several towns; look for instance at Sheffield, but more particularly at Leicester fixed upon for the return match to be played at, whilst at Nottingham, it has been steadily progressing till it has arrived at the pitch that they are competent to play any county in England. Having said thus much to show that Leicester is not entitled to the precedence we will offer a few remarks which we trust will show that on Nottingham and it alone ought the choice to have been made. In the first place Nottingham has for more than half a century stood very high in the annals of cricketing. We have chronicled matches as far back as 1771 since which time they have been played and been practiced by the principal players in 59 matches, 34 of which they have won. [A list of opponents etc is added here.] To Mr Clarke, who has spared neither time nor expense in forwarding and supporting this noble game, assisted by the noblemen and gentlemen (though few, very few, we are sorry to say of that class are to be found amongst supporters of cricket in this neighbourhood) the tradesmen and mechanics of the town; who by their combined efforts have been enabled to furnish SIX players in the late match, and have it in their power to send a SEVENTH to the return match, we would, we hesitate not, to materially improve the eleven; and yet forsooth it is to be played at Leicester from which place not even one has been sent. Is this the reward the people of Nottingham are to receive for having contributed so much to the advancement of that most noble and manly of all games? For the character of the conduct exhibited by the spectators on such occasions as the ground is open, we can with confidence refer to Lord Beauclerk and E.H.Budd Esq., who played here in 1817, when there could not have been less than fifteen thousand present to witness the match. We hope and trust that our townsmen will lose no time but bestir themselves and by a proper and timely representation being made at headquarters that the place may yet be changed for Nottingham.’ The public meeting urged by the newspaper duly took place at the Exchange Hall. With a resolution produced stating that the Meeting should consider the best means to be adopted to ‘induce the Noblemen and Gentlemen who superintend the arrangements connected with the match between the Counties North and South of the Thames to select Nottingham as the place for playing the Return Game on the 22nd of August 1836.’ The chair was taken by the Mayor of Nottingham. Three resolutions were passed supporting Nottingham as the venue and these were forwarded to the Secretary of MCC, Benjamin Aislabie, through Mr John Hicklin, proprietor