1783 English cricket season

In the 1783 English cricket season, the Whitehall Evening Post reported on Tuesday 8 July that "the 3rd Duke of Dorset’s cricketing establishment, exclusive of any betting or consequential entertainment, is said to exceed £1000 a year". A colossal sum at the time. A portrait of Edward "Lumpy" Stevens was probably executed this year. The famous portrait is at Knole House, seat of the Duke of Dorset in Sevenoaks.

The following matches are classified as important:

Apparently this match was preceded by the conclusion of one left over from last season and that must have been the one due to start at Odiham Down on Mon 7 October 1782.

Duke of Dorset’s XI 97 (W Bowra 28, Mr G Louch 24; – Martin 5w) & 135 (W Bedster 43, W Bullen 31; – Martin 2w, R Clifford 2w); Sir Horace Mann’s XI 147 (T Pattenden 52, J Aylward 26; J Boorman 2w) & 86-8 (J Aylward 25; W Bullen 3w)

Mr Haygarth recorded that: "Stevens was not to bowl, by agreement. This being the case, he could not have been much use as a given man, as he was no batsman".

The Duke of Dorset’s team included six players whose name began with B.

Hampshire 140 (T Taylor 51, T Sueter 42; W Bullen 4w) & 62 (W Bullen 2w); Kent 111 (W Brazier 27; E Stevens 2w, D Harris 2w, R Francis 2w) & 91 (J Aylward 27; E Stevens 2w)

This is the first tied match for which a detailed scorecard has survived. There are earlier tied matches of which we have few details.

According to Arthur Haygarth: "Kent actually won the match. It was discovered afterwards that Pratt, the scorer, whose method (which was the usual one at that time) was to cut a notch on a stick for every run, and to cut every tenth notch longer, in order to count the whole more expeditiously, had, by mistake, marked in one place the eleventh notch instead of the tenth. The stick was afterwards produced; but the other scorer could not or would not produce his. The play was excellent on both sides, and the game was saved by Clifford’s attention. Both sides were alternatively the favourites, and high odds laid". Mr Haygarth found a lot of conflicting information in his sources.

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Wikipedia