1752 English cricket season

The 1752 cricket season was the 155th in England since the earliest known definite reference to cricket in January 1597 (i.e., Old Style – 1598 New Style). Details have survived of ten important eleven-a-side matches but of no single wicket ones. The famous Dartford Cricket Club enjoyed a resurgence.

It was a very important year in dating terms. The Gregorian calendar, first devised in 1582, was finally adopted in Great Britain. An 11-day discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian versions was corrected by having Wednesday, 2 September 1752 followed by Thursday, 14 September 1752. There was civil unrest among the population due to a widespread belief that people’s lives were literally being shortened by 11 days! Fortunately, for the purposes of cricket history, the calendar change has minimal impact because the cricket season never began before 25 March and so the year is always the same whether a Julian or Gregorian date is used, apart from a few "out of season" references that need to be noted accordingly. The only problem is that care has to be taken re any original sources that insisted on using the Julian date after the Gregorian Calendar was introduced. Indeed, there is an example of this below in the case of the Sussex Weekly Advertiser.

The following matches are classified as important:

This match was advertised on Tues 16 June in the Daily Advertiser by George Williams of the White Lion at Streatham who said he would provide the best of liquors and a cold collation; he humbly hoped the noblemen and gentlemen would do him the honour of regaling themselves!

See the games on 3 and 21 August 1745 for earlier references to Mr Williams and his catering services. Williams played cricket himself and was captain of the Streatham club in 1745.

London scored 52 and 92; Bromley replied with 60 and were 52 for 5 when play ended, presumably because of rain.

The precise venue was the White Hart field on Bromley Common. Stakes were £50 a side.

Bromley had John Mansfield (Sevenoaks) and Howard (Kent) as given men.

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