History of English amateur cricket facts for kids
Cricket, especially English amateur cricket, likely started in England a long time ago, possibly during the Middle Ages. The first known mention of cricket is around 1550. It describes children playing the game at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, in Surrey. Many people believe cricket was first a children's game. Reports of adults playing only began in the early 1600s.
In the beginning, all cricketers were "amateurs." This means they played for fun, not for money. Village cricket grew popular in the 1600s. Teams usually had players who all lived in the same village. There's no proof that players were paid before or during the Commonwealth period. However, old legal cases show that both rich gentlemen and regular workers played cricket together.
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Amateurs and Professionals in Cricket
After the Restoration in 1660, sports became very popular again. Cricket grew quickly because many people had played it as children, especially at school. Even though cricket was popular, it became a major sport even faster because of gambling. Like horse racing, cricket soon attracted people who wanted to bet money.
To improve their chances of winning, some gamblers created their own county-level teams. For example, Kent and Surrey played each other in 1709. Wealthy supporters, called patrons, like Edwin Stead and the Duke of Richmond, led their teams. These gentlemen and their friends started cricket's amateur tradition. At the same time, some players were paid a fee to play. This was the start of professionalism in cricket.
So, a Sussex team in the 1720s might have been led by the Duke of Richmond. It could include other gentlemen like Sir William Gage and also paid professionals like Thomas Waymark. This mix of "gentlemen" (amateurs) and "players" (professionals) was common in top English teams for 300 years, from the 1660s to the 1960s. For instance, Waymark worked for the Duke of Richmond as a groom. This kind of arrangement between a patron and a professional became very common. Later in the 1700s, professionals like Edward "Lumpy" Stevens and John Minshull worked for their patrons as gardeners or gamekeepers. Eventually, professionals became employees of their clubs. This trend began in the 1770s when the Hambledon Club started paying its players for matches.
The first Lord's cricket ground opened in 1787. It was meant to be a private place for a gentlemen's club, which soon became the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Only gentlemen could become members. However, from the very beginning, the club hired or contracted professional players. Lord's quickly started hosting big matches, which attracted large crowds. MCC teams soon adopted the old tradition of having both "gentlemen" and "players" on the same team.
Cricket in Schools and Universities
There are not many mentions of cricket being played at schools in the 1600s. However, students at Eton College and Winchester College were playing the sport by the time of the Commonwealth. There's also a story about John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who studied at St Paul's School, London around 1665 and played cricket there.
Derek Birley, a cricket historian, said that school cricket was "alive and well" between 1649 and 1660. He thought that "every schoolboy in the south-east" of England must have known about the game. But he doubted that cricket was part of any school's official lessons back then. Except for Eton and Westminster School, most schools in the 1600s had students from their local area. There was no class separation, so sons of both rich and poor families played together.
In 1706, William Goldwin published a Latin poem about a rural cricket match. Goldwin went to Eton and then Cambridge University. He almost certainly played cricket at both places. Cricket was mentioned at Cambridge University in 1710. Samuel Johnson wrote that he played cricket at Oxford University in 1729. In 1760, Reverend James Woodforde played for "the Winchester against the Eaton" at Oxford.
Horace Walpole, who went to Eton in 1726, later wrote that "playing cricket as well as thrashing bargemen was common." The Sackville family, which included the Dukes of Dorset, sent their sons to Westminster School. The 1st Duke studied there in the late 1600s. Playing cricket at school helped the game become a family tradition for the Sackvilles.
By 1750, cricket had spread to the northern parts of England. This was partly because clergy, schoolmasters, and others educated in southern boarding schools shared the game. In the mid-1700s, games involving teams of former students (alumni) became popular. These matches ranged from Old Etonians playing the Gentlemen of England in 1751 to a game at the new Lord's Old Ground in 1788. This game was called "Gentlemen Educated at Eton versus The Rest of the Schools."
The first school cricket match ever recorded was in 1794. It was between Westminster School and Charterhouse School, with students playing as City of London and City of Westminster at Lord's Old Ground. Westminster School played its games at Tothill Fields, where Vincent Square is now. They are known to have played matches against Eton in 1792 and 1796.
Birley noted that the "sharpest rivalry" in the mid-to-late 1700s was between former students of Eton and Westminster. These were the two oldest public schools. Important cricket supporters who went to these schools included the 3rd Duke of Dorset (Winchester), the 4th Earl of Tankerville, and the 9th Earl of Winchilsea (both Eton). Their fellow supporter Sir Horatio Mann went to Charterhouse School. This shows that cricket was becoming accepted at many other schools. By 1800, it was well-established in all public schools and most grammar schools.
One of the most important of these "many other schools" was Harrow. It would develop a great cricket tradition in the 1800s and produce many skilled players. Harrow used to be a grammar school but became a public school by the end of the 1700s. Cricket was welcomed at Harrow, as it was elsewhere, because it was seen as a good way to keep boys busy and out of trouble, even with its strong links to gambling.
Amateur Cricket: 1805 to 1863
Schools Cricket: 1805 to 1863
Eton and Harrow definitely played each other in 1805. There's also some evidence of a game in 1804, or even earlier. The 1805 Eton v Harrow game at Lord's seems to have been organized by the boys themselves, not the schools. Lord Byron, who played for Harrow, is thought to have rented the venue. These two schools eventually developed a strong rivalry. It became like the Cambridge vs. Oxford or Yorkshire vs. Lancashire matches in schools cricket. However, they didn't meet again until 1818 (twice) and 1822. After that, the match has happened every year, except for 1829–1831, 1856, and during wartime.
James Pycroft wrote about the betting at the 1825 game. But by 1833, the match had become a big social event. The Times newspaper noted "upwards of thirty carriages containing ladies." By this time, the main public schools had formed an elite group. All other schools were seen as second-class in comparison. The top schools were Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Westminster, and Winchester.
Among the famous amateur cricketers from the time of the Napoleonic Wars, E. H. Budd was an Etonian. William Ward was a Wykehamist (meaning a Winchester student). Other well-known "old boys" included Edward Grimston, Charles Harenc, Charles Wordsworth (all Harrow), John Kirwan, Herbert Jenner (both Eton), and William Meyrick (Winchester).
Ward's old school, Winchester, was the main challenger to Eton and Harrow. Harrow played Winchester for the first time in 1825, and Eton played Winchester in 1826. Winchester won both of those games easily. H. S. Altham wrote that there was a "great public school festival at Lord's until its demise in 1854." This event involved Eton, Harrow, and Winchester. Meanwhile, out of 234 "blues" (awards for top athletes) given by Cambridge and Oxford from 1827 to 1854, 140 went to students from these three schools.
According to Pycroft, Winchester had the best players in the 1820s and 1830s. At Oxford, their former students challenged and beat the rest of the university. They also won a match against the combined universities at Lord's. Six Wykehamists played in the very first varsity match in 1827. However, the main players in this match were Charles Wordsworth of Harrow and Herbert Jenner of Eton. Charles Harenc of Harrow became the best amateur bowler of the 1830s. Famous Etonians of that time included Harvey Fellows and the very fast bowler Walter Marcon.
The 1820s and 1830s saw the start of "Muscular Christianity" in public schools. Dr. Thomas Arnold at Rugby School is often called the "founder" of this idea. But in terms of cricket, Winchester saw the best results, especially in their athletic way of fielding. Even though this was presented as something new, there are many mentions of amazing athletic fielders in the 1700s, such as Thomas Waymark, John Small, Tom Taylor, and William Yalden.
The earliest mentions of cricket at Rugby School and Charterhouse are from the 1820s. Other schools mentioned in the 1800s include Addiscombe Military Seminary, Cheltenham College, Clifton College, Malvern College, Marlborough College, Merchant Taylors' School, Repton School, Shrewsbury School, Tonbridge School, Uppingham School, Wellington, and Whitgift School.
Gentlemen vs. Players: 1806 to 1863
The match that clearly showed the class difference in cricket was first played in 1806. The two teams met twice that year. Even then, the amateurs (Gentlemen) knew they were at a disadvantage. So, their team in the first match at Lord's included two of the greatest professional players, William Beldham and William Lambert, as "given men." This meant they were professionals playing for the amateur team. Lambert scored 57 runs out of 195. With help from T. A. Smith, who scored 48, Lambert's contribution helped the Gentlemen win by an innings and 14 runs. The Gentlemen team was quite good, also including Beauclerk, John Willes, Edward Bligh, George Leycester, and Arthur Upton. In the second match, Beldham played for the Players again, and only Lambert was a "given man." Lambert had another excellent game, and the Gentlemen won by 82 runs. However, Beauclerk's first innings score of 58 from only 96 balls was the key to victory.
The match was tried again in 1819 but wasn't very successful. Then, as historian Birley put it, it "struggled on." One of the worst games was in 1821. The Gentlemen "gave up" after scoring only 60 runs, while the Players had reached 270 for 6 wickets. Birley said this was a Coronation Match to celebrate King George IV becoming king, and it was "a suitably murky affair!"
In 1822, the Gentlemen managed to win fairly, thanks to their three great batsmen: Beauclerk, Budd, and Ward. Budd scored 69 runs out of 138 in the first innings. Beauclerk and Ward made an unbroken partnership in the second innings to secure a six-wicket win. The Players were let down by their batting in that game. Having good batsmen but ordinary bowlers became a common problem for the Gentlemen. The Players, on the other hand, were usually strong in bowling and generally good at batting.
From 1824 to 1837, the match was usually an "odds match." This meant the Gentlemen had more players, sometimes as many as 18 in 1836. In two matches, the Players were even handicapped by different stump lengths. In 1835, the Gentlemen had Sam Redgate as a "given man." He caused a stir by bowling out Fuller Pilch twice for no runs. In 1836, the great Alfred Mynn played for the Gentlemen for the first time. He was joined by Alfred "Dandy" Lowth, another fast bowler, even though he was only a 17-year-old Winchester schoolboy. His promising career ended early due to failing eyesight.
By 1841, the match was in trouble, and the MCC refused to organize it. It was only through the efforts of C. G. Taylor and the Hon. F. Ponsonby that the game could continue. They started a collection to prevent it from collapsing.
University Cricket: 1827 to 1863
The first University Match between Cambridge University and Oxford University took place at Lord's on June 4, 1827. The game ended in a draw. The captains were Charles Wordsworth (Oxford) and Herbert Jenner (Cambridge). This match became an annual event starting in 1838.
Cambridge and Oxford were the only English universities until 1828. That's when the first college at London University was founded. Durham University was the fourth in 1832. The first "redbrick" university (a term for newer universities built in industrial cities) was Owens College in Manchester in 1851.
About the early days of the two university clubs, H. S. Altham (who was an Oxford "blue" himself) said that OUCC played on "that part of Cowley Common that was called the Magdalen Ground." It was named because Magdalen College Choir School had claimed it. The headmaster then gave it to OUCC. Cowley Common is quite far from Oxford University itself. So, "the cricketers used to enjoy a ride out across the fences!" OUCC moved to The Parks, its current ground, in 1881.
Altham states that CUCC started at a huge public area called Parker's Piece. But then they became tenants at Fenner's in 1846. The club secured the lease of Fenner's in 1873. Francis Fenner had been a bowler with the Cambridge Town Club (CTC). He bought his land in 1846, perhaps specifically to lease it to CUCC. CTC and the later Cambridgeshire CCC also played on Parker's Piece.
The playing standards at the two university clubs were just average until the 1860s. Altham admits that many CUCC and OUCC players were chosen for the Gentlemen team. But he points out that this was "less due to the strength of the universities than to the weakness of amateur cricket as a whole."
Some notable CUCC players from this time include: C. G. Taylor; Robert Broughton, who was an excellent fielder at cover point; George Boudier; Robert T. King, an all-rounder who had a great season in 1849; Hon. F. Ponsonby; Joseph McCormick; Joseph Makinson, who played for Lancashire CCC; George Edward Cotterill; Herbert Marshall; Arthur Daniel; Hon. C. G. Lyttelton; Edward Sayres; John Kirwan; Edward Blore; Robert Lang.
Some notable OUCC players from this time include: Hon. Robert Grimston; Villiers Smith; Charles Coleridge; Reginald Hankey; Charlton Lane; the twins Arthur and Alfred Payne; Walter Fellows; Richard Mitchell, an excellent batsman at Oxford who later became a great coach at Eton in the 1870s; Alfred Lowth; George B. Lee; Henry Moberly; Charles Willis; Gerald Yonge; C. D. B. Marsham.
See also
- Amateur status in first-class cricket
- Gentlemen v Players
- Yorkshire captaincy affair of 1927
