In the 1789 English cricket season, while Hampshire played Kent on Windmill Down, the Storming of the Bastille was taking place in Paris and the French Revolution ended the first cricket overseas tour before it even began.
John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset, famous for both his cricket connections and his ambassadorship to France, tried to organise a tour of France by a team of English cricketers. The team, which included William Yalden, assembled in London and travelled to Dover where, unexpectedly, they met the Duke himself coming the other way. He was fleeing for his life from the French Revolution. So the intended first-ever overseas tour became instead the first tour to be cancelled for political reasons.
Thomas Boxall
Edward Bligh
John Walker
Charles Anguish
Robert Turner
Thomas Scott
Richard Wyatt
George Dehaney
Jacob White
Cantrell (Middlesex cricketer) – played 8 matches from 1789 to 1792
Grange (Middlesex cricketer) – played 9 matches from 1789 to 1792
W Palmer (Kent cricketer) (Kent; amateur) – played 9 matches from 1789 to 1795
Thomas Twistleton (MCC; amateur) – played 7 matches from 1789 to 1796
John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley (MCC; amateur) – played 27 matches from 1789 to 1796
Edward Hale (cricketer) (Hampshire; amateur) – played 3 matches from 1789 to 1797
John Stevens (cricketer, born 1769) (Essex) – played 17 matches from 1789 to 1799
Mark Graham (cricketer) (Leics) – played 5 matches from 1789 to 1800
T Watts (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played 5 matches from 1789 to 1800
Butler (Middlesex cricketer) – played 21 matches from 1789 to 1801
Richard Stringer (Leics) – played 6 matches from 1789 to 1803
Robert Warsop (Notts) – played 6 matches from 1789 to 1803
T Webb (Middlesex cricketer) – played 8 matches from 1789 to 1808
Dale (Middlesex cricketer) – played 22 matches from 1789 to 1809
T Shackle (Middlesex cricketer) (Berkshire/Middlesex) – played 30 matches from 1789 to 1809
W Turner (MCC cricketer) (MCC; amateur) – played 10 matches from 1789 to 1809
W Barker (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
W Barsby (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1792
R Black (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1800
Brown (Kent cricketer) (Kent) – played four matches to 1791
Carr (Essex cricketer) (Essex) – played four matches to 1791
W Clarke (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1792
J Gilbert (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
Goodhew (Kent cricketer) (Kent) – played four matches to 1795
Hicks (Essex cricketer) aka Higgs (Essex) – played four matches to 1799
J Rowell (Leicestershire cricketer) (Leics) – played four matches to 1792
E Stevenson (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
S Willows (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played four matches to 1792
Church (Kent cricketer) (MCC/Kent) – played three matches to 1795
Granger (Middlesex cricketer) (Middlesex) – played three matches to 1792
Groombridge (Essex cricketer) (Essex) – played three matches to 1793
G Harrison (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1792
S Hedderley (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
Mugglestone (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
J Stevenson (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
Vincent (Surrey cricketer) (Surrey; amateur) – played three matches to 1789
W Warsop (Nottinghamshire cricketer) (Notts) – played three matches to 1791
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.
William Beldham with 306 scored the most known runs in 1789.
Other leading batsmen were James Aylward with 297 runs; John Wells 240; Harry Walker 228; Tom Walker 225; Richard Purchase 224; John Small 222; Thomas Ingram 219; George Louch 215; William Brazier 210; Joey Ring 198
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.
Robert Clifford with 39 took the most known wickets in 1789.
Other leading wicket-takers were David Harris with 38; Richard Purchase 30; John Boorman 25; William Bullen 25; Butcher 19; Noah Mann 18
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.
Robert Clifford was also the most successful fielder with 16 known victims (15 ct, 1 st)
William Beldham took 15 catches, John Wells had 14 victims (13 ct, 1 st), star fielder George Louch took 12 catches and there were 9 catches each taken by John Boorman, William Bullen and Henry Crozoer.
ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
Altham, H. S. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914). George Allen & Unwin.
Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. Aurum.
Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. Eyre & Spottiswoode.
Buckley, G. B. (1937). Fresh Light on pre-Victorian Cricket. Cotterell.
McCann, Tim (2004). Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century. Sussex Record Society.
Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.
Underdown, David (2000). Start of Play. Allen Lane.
