Start date 1769 | ||
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The 1769 cricket season was the 172nd in England since the earliest known definite reference to cricket in January 1597 (i.e., Old Style – 1598 New Style). Details have survived of eleven important matches. 1769 was the last season in which the original London Cricket Club and the Artillery Ground feature prominently in the records.
Contents
The increasing stature of the Hambledon Club was encouraging a shift in focus from the Artillery Ground towards Broadhalfpenny Down, which became a significant venue through the 1770s. The process may have been accelerated by Hambledon’s innings victory over Surrey in September. The highlight of this match was one of the earliest known century opening partnerships, between Tom Sueter and George Leer of Hambledon, described by a contemporary reporter as "remarkable".
Important matches
The following matches are classified as important:
Other events
From the Middlesex Journal (Thurs 6 July) — "Yesterday a Mr. Carter, a very eminent butcher of Grub Street, but of a corpulent body, was playing at Cricket in the Artillery Ground, making a stroke at the ball which he missed, he threw himself round with so great force that he broke his knee pan (knee cap). He was carried home, with little hope of ever recovering the use of his leg again".
From the Whitehall Evening Post (Thurs 20 July) — "Nothing can exceed the vogue that Cricket has in some parts of Surrey and Hampshire: the people are so fond of it that it is common for them to ride 40 miles to be mere spectators at a Cricket match. A few days ago 22 expert players played a match not far from Godalming when each side got the same number of notches at both innings, which was esteemed very extraordinary".
From the Reading Mercury (Mon 24 July) — "A letter from "An old Cricket Player" re the match Reading v. Sonning on Bulmarsh Heath on Fri., 21 July, complaining of the latter’s unfair tactics. Sonning batted first and made 86: Reading then made 187, sacrificing their last five wickets: Sonning then made 125 which put them 24 ahead. There had been a bet between a player on each side on their total individual scores. The Sonning player made 9 the first innings, and between 60 & 70 the second : the Reading player having made 41 the first innings could not exceed the other’s total as only 25 runs were wanted to win the match. There was a dispute over that, but finally the Reading player agreed to go in for the game. Sonning at first refused to play or to pay the money, although there was nearly an hour to go ; they finally went into the held, and ‘by throwing the ball about, out of the way’ so delayed the game that it could not be played out".
From the Whitehall Evening Post (Tues 1 August) — "We are informed that the great match at Cricket, which has been so long in agitation, will be decided one day next week on the downs at Calais. On this match near £5,000 is depending : the players are to be all English men".
That visit to Calais may have been successful, unlike the one which the Duke of Dorset tried to organise in 1789: only to find that the French Revolution had begun!