1783 English cricket season

In the 1783 English cricket season, the "Whitehall Evening Post" reported on Tues 8 July that "the 3rd Duke of Dorset’s cricketing establishment, exclusive of any betting or consequential entertainment, is said to exceed £1000 a year". A colossal sum at the time.

Several aristocratic cricketers like Richmond, Dorset and Sir Horatio Mann had their portraits painted, but you would not expect to find a portrait of Lumpy. If anyone deserved to have his portrait painted it was the master bowler himself and apparently this was the year it was done. The famous portrait is at Knole House, seat of the Duke of Dorset in Sevenoaks.

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

* "Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket" by G B Buckley (FL18)
* "Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket" by G B Buckley (FLPV)
* "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