Start date 1790 | ||
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The 1790 English cricket season was a successful one for Hampshire who won all three of their known matches, two against All-England and one against Kent. Samuel Britcher, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) scorer, began his annual publication of A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played, a compilation of match scorecards. His 1790 edition features fourteen scorecards, including six from matches played at Lord's Old Ground, the MCC venue. Details of fifteen first-class matches are known.
Contents
First-class matches
Note that these matches are unofficially first-class.
Other matches
Although important in the historical context of early cricket, these matches cannot be rated first-class because of doubts about their status in the main sources, often because the majority of players taking part are relatively unknown.
Best individual performances
Based on the available scorecard data, these are the best individual performances of the season.
Batsmen
Because of incomplete scorecard data, it is impossible to provide a complete analysis of batting performances: e.g., missing "not outs" prevent computation of batting averages. The "runs scored" are in fact the runs known.
Bowlers
Until the 1860s at least, scorecards did not record the runs conceded by each bowler so no analyses or averages can be computed. Equally, the wickets credited to bowlers were generally limited to those achieved by bowling the batsman out.
Fielders
Because of incomplete scorecard data, the totals are 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. "Run outs" were not credited to a specific fielder.
Tom Taylor with 15 held the most catches in 1790. Other leading fielders were Billy Beldham with 12 catches; Stephen Amherst 9; John Wells 9; George Louch 8; Richard Purchase 7.
County cricket
Six county teams were recorded in 1790 and there were four inter-county matches. Based on the known results, the strongest team was Hampshire who won all three of their matches against strong opposition, defeating All-England (twice) and Kent.