1731 English cricket season

The 1731 English cricket season was the 35th cricket season since the earliest recorded eleven-aside match was played. Details have survived of 29 matches as well as one notable single wicket match. Match reports in newspapers were increasingly common and began to contain more detail, sometimes including the names of patrons and players.

1731 English cricket season

The most notable match played during the year was at Richmond Green in August which ended in a riot. It is the earliest match for which the team totals were recorded and have been preserved, rather than simply who won the wager.

Recorded matches

Around 30 matches are recorded as having been played during the year. CricketArchive records 26 matches whilst other sources add further matches to the total.[1][2]

Date	Teams	Venue	Result	Source
31 May	London v Sevenoaks	Kennington Common	unknown	[3]
	Advance notice was given of this game and the one below.
1 June	London v Chelsfield	Kennington Common	London won	[3]
	London played Chelsfield, then in Kent, in an evening match with a stake of 30 guineas. This is the only time a Chelsfield team is known to have played during the 18th century.
5 June	London v Dartford	Artillery Ground	London won	[3]
	Played for 50 guineas a side. Play went on for several hours and bets of between £400 and £500 were laid, very large amounts at the time.
8 June	London v Kent	Kennington Common	London won by 15 runs[1]	[3]
	An evening match played for 30 guineas.
16 June	Dartford v London	Dartford Brent	drawn	[4]
	A return match was immediately arranged to be played on 24 June at the Artillery Ground.
18 June	London v Enfield	Lamb's Conduit Field	London won by 14 runs	[3]
	This is the only time an Enfield team is recorded during the 18th century.
24 June	London v Dartford	Artillery Ground	unknown	[4]
	Arranged immediately after the game at Dartford Brent on 16 June.
26 June	Sunbury v Kent	Sunbury Common	Sunbury won by "several notches"	[3]
	Played for 30 guineas a side. The Kent side was organised by Edwin Stead of Maidstone. Sunbury were a leading team at the time.
30 June	Dartford v London	Dartford Brent	drawn	[3]
	The match ran out of time but "it was thought (London) would have won had there been time to play it out". They arranged to play again on 5 July.
5 July	London v Dartford	Artillery Ground	unknown	[4]
	An advert dated 3 July announced this as a re-match of the game played on 30 June.[4] Stumps were "to be pitched exactly at two o'clock".
12 July	London v Sevenoaks	Kennington Common	unknown	[5]
	The first match known to have been played on an enclosed ground, although with only a rope around the field. The newspaper report says: "the ground will be roped round and all persons are desired to keep without side of the same". The stakes were "a guinea a man".
12 July	Surrey v East Grinstead	Smitham Bottom, Coulsdon	East Grinstead won by 5 wickets	[3]
	The only time an East Grinstead team is recorded in the 18th century.
13 July	Chelsea v Fulham	Chelsea Common	Fulham won	[6]
	The Chelsea and Fulham teams are rarely mentioned in sources but seem to have played for high stakes in matches reported by the press.
14 July	Hampton v Brentford	Moulsey Hurst	unknown	[4]
	Reported in advance only: "we hear that above £500 is already laid on their heads, neither party having yet been beat".
19 July	Kent v Middlesex	Kennington Common	unknown	[4]
	Reported in advance only for stakes of "£50 a side". The report stresses that the contestants are "the County of Kent" and "the County of Middlesex".
20 July	Croydon v London	Duppas Hill	Croydon won	[4]
	The original report in Fog's Weekly Journal calls the winning team "Surrey" but a report of the return match on Monday, 26 July refers to "Croydon".
26 July	London v Croydon	Artillery Ground	Croydon won	[4]
	Buckley's source was the Daily Advertiser from 27 July.
9 August	"A Great Cricket Match"	Richmond Green	unknown	[7][8]
	The St James's Evening Post on 27–29 July announced "a great Cricket match" to be held "on Monday se'nnight" (i.e., Monday, 9 August, as the term means "a week on Monday") at Richmond Green for 100 guineas "by several persons of Distinction". The Prince of Wales was expected to be present. Not recorded by CricketArchive.
10 August	Fulham v Chelsea	Parsons Green	Fulham won	[6]
	A return fixture to the one in Chelsea on 13 July.
16 August	Duke of Richmond's XI v Thomas Chambers' XI	Chichester	Chambers' XI won	[9]
	The stake in was 100 guineas. No details are reported other than that Chambers' XI won.
23 August	Thomas Chambers' XI v Duke of Richmond's XI	Richmond Green	Duke of Richmond conceded	[9]
	This return match was played for a stake of 200 guineas. It is notable as the earliest match from which team scores are known: Richmond's XI 79 and 72, Chambers' XI 119 and 23/5. The game ended promptly at a pre-agreed time although Chambers' XI with "four or five more to have come in" and needing "about 8 to 10 notches" appeared to have the upper hand. The finish of the match caused a fracas among the crowd at Richmond Green who were incensed by the prompt finish, the Duke of Richmond having arrived late and delayed the start of the game. The riot resulted in some of the Sussex players "having the shirts torn off their backs; and it was said a law suit would commence about the play". Buckley includes a further note which suggests the Duke of Richmond may have later conceded the result to Thomas Chambers (see 6 September below).
September	Surrey v Kingston	Moulsey Hurst	Surrey won	[10]
	Played for 25 guineas a side and "some thousands of persons of both sexes were present on this occasion".
2 September	Croydon v London	Duppas Hill	Surrey won	[9]
	Played for 11 guineas. It is reported that "a dispute arose and it was agreed to play it again on Monday, 13 September".
4 September	Surrey v Kent	Dulwich Common	draw (rain)	[11]
	This game was drawn due to heavy rain. Kent led by 17 on first innings but Surrey, with 3 wickets standing, needed just 12 to win when rain ended it. The report says the participants originally intended to continue another time but no continuation is recorded.
6 September	Surrey v Thomas Chambers' XI	Sanderstead Common	Surrey won	[9]
	The Daily Post Boy reported that "11 of Surrey beat the 11 who about a fortnight ago beat the Duke of Richmond's men".
15 September	London v Croydon	Artillery Ground	Croydon won	[11][4]
28 September	Surrey v London	Kennington Common	unknown	[11]
	Promoted as "likely to be the best performance of this kind that has been seen for some time, there being great wagers depending". It was reported that "for the convenience of the gamesters, the ground is to be staked and roped out". The advertisement refers to "the whole county of Surrey" as London's opponents. The Prince of Wales was expected to attend.
2 October	Mitcham v Ewell	Mitcham Cricket Green	Mitcham won "by several notches"	[11]
	Played for a small stake, the report mentions "the famous Tim Coleman" who usually played for London and was in the Ewell team on this occasion. Not recorded by CricketArchive.
2 October	"A Great Cricket Match"	Artillery Ground	unknown	[11]
	The source reports: "A great cricket match will be play'd in the Artillery Ground; it will be the last plaid this season; 11 of a side, stumps to be pitch'd exactly at 12 o'clock". Nothing further has been found and the match might not have been played.[11] Not recorded by CricketArchive.

Single wicket matches

A single wicket match was played at Maidstone in July between two officers of the Royal Horse Guards, Captain Beak and Lieutenant Coke. It was for a "considerable sum of money" and won by Captain Beak after three hours "very hard played". Waghorn stated that it was the first military match he found during his researches.[12]

First mentions

Clubs and teams

• Chelsea[6]
• Chelsfield[3]
• East Grinstead[3]
• Enfield[3]
• Ewell[11]
• Sevenoaks[3]
• Sunbury[3]
• Thomas Chambers' XI[9][13]

Players

• Frederick, Prince of Wales[11]

Venues

• Chelsea Common[6]
• Dulwich Common[11]
• Parsons Green[6]
• Sanderstead Common[9]
• Smitham Bottom[3]
• Sunbury Common[3]

References

1. Other matches in England in 1731, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
2. ACS, p.20.
3. Waghorn 1906, p.8.
4. Buckley, p.5.
5. Waghorn 1906, pp.8–9.
6. Waghorn 1906, p.9.
7. Leach, John (2007). "From Lads to Lord's – 1731". Stumpsite. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
8. Leach, John (2008). "Classification of cricket matches from 1697 to 1825". Stumpsite. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.
9. Buckley, p.6.
10. Waghorn 1899, p.4.
11. Waghorn 1906, p.10.
12. Waghorn 1899, p.3.
13. Major, p.56.

Bibliography

• ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
• Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell.
• Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.
• Waghorn, H. T. (1899). Cricket Scores, Notes, etc. (1730–1773). Blackwood.
• Waghorn, H. T. (1906). The Dawn of Cricket. Electric Press.