1799 English cricket season

In the 1799 English cricket season, Surrey again beat All-England three times. As in the previous year, the number of matches declined due to the effect of the Napoleonic War.

A cricket club was formed at Seringapatam in south India after the successful British siege.

Matches

First mentions

* Hockley (Surrey cricketer) (Surrey/Hampshire) – played 8 matches from 1799 to 1805
* Woodroffe (Surrey cricketer) (MCC and Surrey; amateur) – played 4 matches in 1799 & 1800
* Stephen Lushington (cricketer) (Surrey; amateur) – played 3 matches in 1799

Leading batsmen

Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so it is impossible to provide a complete analysis of batting performances: e.g., the missing not outs prevent computation of batting averages. The "runs scored" are in fact the "runs known".

With few matches being played, only six batsmen exceeded 150 runs:

:Tom Walker – 239:Jack Small – 235:John Wells – 231:Robert Robinson – 227:John Hammond – 192:William Beldham – 179

Leading bowlers

Note that the wickets credited to an 18th century bowler were only those where he bowled the batsman out. The bowler was not credited with the wickets of batsmen who were caught out, even if it was "caught and bowled". In addition, the runs conceded by each bowler were not recorded so no analyses or averages can be computed.

The leading wicket-taker was Thomas Lord with 16

Other top bowlers were John Wells 15; Thomas Boxall 13; Charles Cumberland 11; John Hammond 9

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.

John Wells with 10 ct, 5 st was the leading performer in the field

Thomas Ray took 10 ct and other good fielders were Charles Warren 2 ct, 6 st; John Hammond 4 ct, 3 st; Thomas John Burgoyne 7 ct; William Barton 7 ct

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)
* "Scores 1790-1805" (annual issues) by Samuel Britcher