The 1797 English cricket season was the 26th in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status and the 11th after the foundation of the Marylebone Cricket Club. The season saw 13 top-class matches played in the country.
Richard Nyren, who was a pioneer of the game with the Hambledon Club died in April.[1]
Matches edit
A total of 13 top-class matches were played during the season,[2][3][4] including matches featuring MCC as well as Hampshire and Surrey sides.[3]
Four matches saw the George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea's XI play a side organised by Charles Lennox.[3] In one of these Winchelsea is reported to have attempted to introduce a fourth stump and to increase the height of the stumps by two inches. The following year saw a new version of the Laws of Cricket introduced which raised the height of the stumps but did not introduce a fourth stump.[5][6]
First mentions edit
Players who made their first-class cricket debuts in 1797 included:
References edit
- ^ Mitchell A (2017) Signed and delivered: the high cost of 18th century cricket, Scottish Sport History, 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
- ^ Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) (1981) A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
- ^ a b c England Domestic Season 1797, CricInfo. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
- ^ First-class matches in England, 1797, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2020-07-29. (subscription required)
- ^ C Lennox's XI v Earl of Winchilsea's XI, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2020-12-07. (subscription required)
- ^ C Lennox's XI v Earl of Winchilsea's XI, CricInfo. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
Further reading edit
- 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.
- Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.