1779 English cricket season

The 1779 English cricket season saw the beginnings of Berkshire as an important team.

The following matches are classified as important:

All-England 80 (W Bedster 23, J Miller 23; R Nyren 4w) & 179 (R Clifford 34, Mills 34, W Bedster 26, J Miller 25; R Nyren 2w); Hampshire 137 (T Sueter 44, R A Veck 30; E Stevens 4w, W Lamborn 3w) & 125-4 (R A Veck 39*, J Aylward 27, E Aburrow 25*; E Stevens 2w)

All-England 56 (W Bedster 22, E Stevens 21*; R Nyren 3w, N Mann 3w) & 87 (W Bedster 37; N Mann 3w); Hampshire 232 (R A Veck 79, N Mann 56; W Lamborn 5w, W Bullen 2w)

This must have been an early match arranged by the famous Oldfield Club which achieved prominence in the next decade. The opposition is described as 11 picked men out of Hampshire & Berks. Advertised in the Reading Mercury a week earlier.

Badly affected by rain, the game was abandoned and all bets were declared void. Surrey had scored 62 and Kent had replied with 83-8 when the rain intervened. Kent had two given men from Hampshire who were apparently Veck and Aylward. There was a return match on 9 August as recorded in S&B.

FL18 records a notice in the Reading Mercury that "some time in August", there would be a match on Odiham Down between Alresford and Berkshire. It says that Alresford would have some of the Hambledon Club and Berkshire would be with the Maidenhead Club.

Surrey 123 (J Minshull 40, W Yalden 27; J Boorman 3w) & 108 (H Attfield 25; W Bullen 3w); Kent 141 (R A Veck 55, J Miller 25; E Stevens 3w, W Lamborn 3w) & 91-5 (J Miller 25; W Lamborn 2w)

R A Veck, who as the country's leading runscorer had probably his best season in 1779, played for Kent as a given man and his innings won the match for them.

Hampshire 167 (John Small 66, N Mann 45) & 182 (G Leer 58, T Sueter 24, N Mann 23; W Lamborn 4w, E Stevens 2w); All-England 112 (J Aylward 51) & 88 (J Miller 37; R Nyren 3w, N Mann 3w)

No bowling or fielding details were found for the two first innings.

In S&B, Mr Haygarth writes: "Another account says this match was played at Chertsey. In the score Berwick and Bowra were not mentioned as playing as given men for Hambledon, but as they do so in the next match, of course they must be in this. Why Berwick is a given man cannot now be said, as his doings do not entitle him to such a position. How the two sides were got out in their two first innings was not inserted in the score book from whence it was copied".

All-England 91 (W Bullen 35, R Clifford 33; R Nyren 3w) & 242 (E Stevens 52, H Attfield 46, J Miller 34, J Minshull 34, W Yalden 25); Hampshire 172 (T Taylor 80, N Mann 38; E Stevens 3w) & 162-8 (R A Veck 43, E Aburrow 35, R Nyren 23*)

...
Wikipedia