Manchester Cricket Club

Cricket may not have reached Lancashire until the 18th century. A match on Brinnington Moor in August 1781 is the earliest known reference to cricket being played in the county. This match was reported in the Manchester Journal on 1 September 1781 (see FLPV).

In 1816, the Manchester Cricket Club was founded and soon became representative of Lancashire as a county in the same way that Sheffield Cricket Club and Nottingham Cricket Club represented Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.

The Manchester club played mostly against opponents from the north of England. Of these, thirteen that were played between July 1844 and September 1858 are regarded as having first-class status: ten against Sheffield, who in three of these games were called Yorkshire; and one apiece against Surrey, Sussex and MCC.

On 23, 24 & 25 July 1849, the Sheffield and Manchester clubs played each other at Hyde Park Ground, Sheffield but the fixture was called Yorkshire versus Lancashire. As such, it was the first match to involve a Lancashire county team and also, therefore, the first "Roses Match". Yorkshire won by 5 wickets.

A noted Manchester player was John Sherman. On 27 July 1852, he made his final first-class appearance for Manchester versus Sheffield at the Hyde Park Ground in Sheffield. His career had spanned 44 seasons from his debut at Lord's on 20 September 1809 when he played for Beauclerk's XI versus Ladbroke's XI. His was the longest first-class career span, equalled only by W G Grace.

In 1857, the Manchester Cricket Club moved to the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester and this has been the home of Lancashire cricket ever since.

Lancashire County Cricket Club was formed on 12 January 1864 at a meeting of thirteen Lancashire cricket clubs in Manchester.

In 1865, Lancashire CCC joined the County Championship and played its initial first-class match versus Middlesex CCC at Old Trafford on 20, 21 & 22 July.

For the history of Lancashire cricket since the foundation of the current county club, see : Lancashire County Cricket Club

Records (first-class matches only)

• Highest team total: 210 v Sheffield, Hyde Park Ground, Sheffield, 1846
• Lowest team total: 42 v MCC, Lord's, 1852
• Highest individual innings: 87* by Samuel Baldwinson v Sheffield, Moss Lane, Manchester, 1846
• Best bowling: 7-31 by John Wisden v Surrey, Eccles, 1857

References

External sources

• CricketArchive

Further reading

• G B Buckley, Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket, Cotterell, 1937 (FLPV)
• Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volumes 1-8 (1744-1864), Lillywhite, 1862–70
• Rowland Bowen, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970