Henry Rowett facts for kids

Henry Rowett was an English cricket player in the 1760s. He played for teams from Surrey. He was well-known for supporting the Caterham Cricket Club. This club was very important between 1767 and 1770. We don't know much about Henry Rowett, except for his involvement in cricket games.

Who Was Henry Rowett?

Henry Rowett was an amateur cricketer. This means he played cricket for fun, not as a paid job. He was active in the 1760s. He helped the Caterham Cricket Club a lot. This club was quite famous during those years.

Early Cricket Matches

Henry Rowett is first mentioned in August 1767. He played in a match between his Surrey team and a team led by Sir Horace Mann.

In June 1768, Rowett played for Caterham against Bourne. This game took place at Caterham Common. Rowett showed he was a good batsman. He scored 30 runs for Caterham. Caterham won the match by 14 runs. This game is special because it has one of the oldest known scorecards. A scorecard is like a record of how the game went. It was printed in a newspaper called the Kentish Weekly Post. Even though the match was called Caterham versus Bourne, it was really like Surrey playing against Kent.

Important Games and Captaincy

Another match between Caterham and Bourne happened on July 26, 1768. The result of this game is not known. A newspaper called the St James Chronicle announced the match. It said Caterham would play with two fewer players than Bourne. The newspaper called the teams "Mr Horatio Mann's Club" and "Mr Henry Rowett's Club." A third match between these two teams was played on August 2, 1768.

In 1769, Henry Rowett was the captain for Caterham. They played against Hambledown on July 31 and August 1. This match was held at Guildford Bason. A newspaper, the Reading Mercury, reported that almost 20,000 people watched the game. Many people who knew a lot about cricket said it was one of the best matches ever played.