1734 English cricket season

Infobox cricket season
season = 1734 English cricket season


imagesize =
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cricket formats = first-class and single wicket
tourists =
county champions = London Cricket Club
knockout cup winners =
national league winners =
most runs =
most wickets =
most victims =
most catches = In the 1734 English cricket season, four counties (Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex) and two clubs (Croydon and London) took part in all the known games.

Importantly for the expansion of cricket throughout England, road transport continued to improve under the twin schemes of turnpikes and stagecoaches. Relays of horses were first provided in 1734 for stagecoaches on the London-Newcastle route, enabling journey time to be reduced from twelve days to nine. The service was called the "Flying Coach".

Honours

* Champion County [An unofficial seasonal title proclaimed by media or historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted] – London Cricket Club [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/histories/champions.html Champion counties from 1728] ]

Matches

Other Events

"Thu 13 June". The "St James Evening Post" reported a couple of serious injuries in a private match at the Artillery Ground. "...a stander-by ("sic") had the misfortune to have his knee-pan (i.e., patella) put out by a blow from the ball, and another was much bruised in the face by a like accident" .

A game between London and Sevenoaks, arranged for Monday 8 July on Kennington Common, was not played due to the non-appearance of the Sevenoaks team. The "Whitehall Evening Post" reported that according to the Articles of Agreement their deposit money was forfeited. Since the first mention of Articles of Agreement in 1727 (Richmond v Brodrick), it had surely become common practice to draw up such an agreement before each major match, especially if large stakes were involved .

"September". A report included in WCS states that London was due to have played Croydon but that the Croydon team withdrew "having been regaled with a good dinner"! The London Club thereupon announced its intention to have one more match before the end of season and so challenged any eleven men in England except that "they will not admit of one from Croydon" H T Waghorn, "Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730-1773)", Blackwood, 1899] .

The game on 6 September (see above) is earliest known use of Sevenoaks Vine as a venue. It is one of the oldest cricket grounds in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745 – 1799) and owner of Knole House, where the ground is sited. The land was thought previously to have been used as a vineyard for the Archbishops of Canterbury (hence the name). The weatherboard pavilion is 19th century. The Vine Cricket Club must pay Sevenoaks Town Council a rent of 2 peppercorns per year - one for the ground and one for the pavilion. They, in turn, must pay Lord Sackville (if asked) one cricket ball on the 21st July each year [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/main.html From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787] ] .

References

External sources

* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/1734_ENG.html CricketArchive match lists]
* [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/main.html From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787]

Further reading

* H S Altham, "A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914)", George Allen & Unwin, 1962
* Derek Birley, "A Social History of English Cricket", Aurum, 1999
* Rowland Bowen, "Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development", Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970
* David Underdown, "Start of Play", Allen Lane, 2000