Start date 1773 | ||
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The 1773 English cricket season saw a downturn in the fortunes of Hampshire and the Hambledon Club. They lost every known match played in 1773 and some of their defeats were heavy. Their poor results owed much to star bowler Thomas Brett being injured.
Contents
- Other events
- First class debutants
- Leading batsmen
- Leading bowlers
- Leading fielders
- Additional reading
- References
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 spectators to leave their dogs at home, otherwise they will be shot!
Other events
Wed 2 June. The first report in WDC for 1773 is an advertisement for a big “fives” game at the Artillery Ground for 200 guineas involving John Small, Tom Sueter, Richard Nyren, George Leer and Thomas Brett of Hampshire against “Lumpy” Stevens, John Minshull, Joseph Miller, Dick May and Thomas “Daddy” White of All-England. It was to take place in Whitsun week and was “the first great match this season”. In fact, it took place a little later and William Palmer of Coulsdon played instead of “Daddy” White. All-England scored 31 & 27-4 against Hampshire’s 24 & 33 to win by 1 wicket. Miller was 11 not out at the end and so proved to be the matchwinner. Leer with scores of 16 & 13 seems to have been the best batsman overall but to no avail. May, Lumpy, Brett and Nyren were named as the bowlers but we do not know who took the wickets.
On 30 July, there was a match at Bourne for which the grandstand was erected between Bourne and Chatham. It was rained off not long after it began. The Bourne team included Miller, Palmer, Fuggles, Simmons and one of the Mays, as well as (now Sir) Horatio Mann himself. The Chatham team contained no players of note except for the ubiquitous Mr George Louch, no less, who was just getting into his stride at this time and had already earned some rave reviews for his fielding in minor matches. Mr Louch went on to become just about the most prolific player of the 18th century and not even Small or Lumpy could match him for appearances.
A match was scheduled at Andover on Fri 24 – Sat 25 September between Sussex and Hampshire (see FL18). Sussex were due to have Lumpy Stevens and Daddy White of Surrey as given men; and also Bayton, the noted Hambledon batsman of the 1760s, though he may have been a native of Sussex. The match was cancelled because only seven of the Sussex team turned up! Apart from the three players named above, the Sussex team was not a top-class side. Hampshire, on the other hand, were due to play with this team: Davis, Aylward, Small, Sueter, Leer, Nyren, Stewart, Brett, Purchase, Barber and Hogsflesh.
First-class debutants
The following players made their first known appearance in first-class cricket during the 1773 season.
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.
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.
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.