Berkshire county cricket teams

Berkshire county cricket teams
Home venue	Oldfield Bray, at Bray near Maidenhead
Established	before 1769
Last match	1795 (in major cricket)
Notable players	Thomas Waymark

Berkshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Given that the first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford, Surrey, England, it is almost certain that the game had reached neighbouring Berkshire by the 16th century.^[1]

Berkshire are very proud to have a very active umpiring and scorers organisation that is often in the lead with many national initiatives The Berkshire Cricket Officials Web Site.

See also : History of cricket to 1696

17th century

As elsewhere in south east England, cricket became established in Berkshire during the 17th century and the earliest village matches took place before the English Civil War. It is believed that the earliest county teams were formed in the aftermath of the Restoration in 1660.^[1]

18th century

Berkshire was a major cricket county in the 18th century and enjoyed first-class status from 1769 to 1795. The county organisation was centred on Oldfield aka Maidenhead Cricket Club which played at Oldfield Bray, this club usually being representative of the county.^{[2] [3][4]}

Noted Berkshire players included Thomas Waymark and George T Boult.

19th century

The present Berkshire CCC was formed in 1895.^[5]

For the history of Berkshire cricket since the foundation of the county club, see : Berkshire County Cricket Club.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300–1787
2. ^ G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
3. ^ Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862
4. ^ H T Waghorn, The Dawn of Cricket, Electric Press, 1906
5. ^ Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1896

External links

• The Web Site of Berkshire Cricket Officials (Umpires & Scorers)
• From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787
• Champion counties from 1728

Bibliography

• G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
• Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862
• H T Waghorn, The Dawn of Cricket, Electric Press, 1906