1773 English cricket season

The 1773 English cricket season was a horrendous one for Hampshire and the Hambledon Club. They lost every known match played in 1773 and some of their defeats were heavy. Their poor results probably owed much to star bowler Thomas Brett being injured.

Spectator comfort was a feature of some reports this year. A grandstand was erected on two occasions at Bishopsbourne Paddock. The Surrey v Hampshire game in September was to have a stand built at Laleham Burway with "the best accommodation provided there and at the White Hart at Chertsey by Thomas Swayne". Thomas Swayne was a Chertsey player who featured in a few games during the 1770s. On the other hand, another advertisement for cricket at Bourne warned spectatators to leave their dogs at home, "otherwise they will be shot"!

Matches

Leading fielders

Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so the totals are of the "known" catches and stumpings only. Stumpings were not always recorded as such and sometimes the name of the wicket-keeper was not given. Generally, a catch was given the same status as "bowled" with credit being awarded to the fielder only and not the bowler. There is never a record of "caught and bowled"the bowler would be credited with the catch, not with the wicket.

External links

* [http://www.jl.sl.btinternet.co.uk/stampsite/cricket/main.html From Lads to Lord's; The History of Cricket: 1300 – 1787]

References

* "Cricket Scores 1730 - 1773" by H T Waghorn (WCS)
* "Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket" by G B Buckley (FL18)
* "Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket" by G B Buckley (FLPV)
* "Hambledon Cricket Chronicle" by F S Ashley-Cooper (HCC)
* "Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century" by Timothy J McCann (TJM)
* "The Dawn of Cricket" by H T Waghorn (WDC)
* "Scores & Biographies, Volume 1" by Arthur Haygarth (SBnnn)
* "The Glory Days of Cricket" by Ashley Mote
* John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time" by Ashley Mote