1785 English cricket season

Scores & Biographies bemoans the lack of fixtures in the 1785 English cricket season (though there were no less than in the previous few seasons) but there is a historical significance in that state of affairs because it reflected the decline of the Hambledon Club’s influence while the emergence of the White Conduit Club foreshadowed a shift in focus by the cricket authorities from rural to metropolitan.

The following matches are classified as important:

The match was played for £500 a side. William Fennex and George T Boult were given men for Middlesex, who in one report are called London & Westminster.

Berkshire 113 (Mr G T Boult 53) & 115 (Mr G T Boult 55, James Wells 37); Essex 37 & 43 (Hon. G H Monson 20*). No bowling or fielding details known.

The game was announced as: "A match of cricket, for 100 guineas, the Berkshire club against the Hornchurch club, with Davidson and Rimmington". We do not know which of the three Rimmingtons was involved.

The Hornchurch club was the strongest in Essex and its team could claim to be representative of the county. The sources differ among themselves re whether the team should be called Essex or Hornchurch. Several of these Essex players appeared frequently in subsequent seasons.

Berkshire was becoming a top-class county at this time and their team in 1785 does include Beldham, Bedster, Boult, Fennex, Harris, James Wells and Yalden.

This match was pre-announced to be played out same day for 100 guineas. No report was found.

Gentlemen of Kent 105 (Mr R Stanford 38) & 131 (Mr S Amherst 22, Mr R Whitehead 22) White Conduit Club 46 & 86 (Hon. Col. C Lennox 25). No bowling or fielding details known. Announced in WDC as: "A grand match of cricket between 11 gentlemen of the White Conduit Club, London, against 11 gentlemen of Kent, which was won by the latter".

There were a number of significant "debutants" in this game, in the sense that this was their first recorded match, none more so than the Earl of Winchilsea and the Hon. Colonel Charles Lennox, who both played a major role in the organisation of cricket at Lord’s from 1787.

No individual details are known. FL18 records that the stake was £500. It is possibly that it was the equivalent of Essex v Berkshire.

White Conduit Club 170 (Hon. Col. C Lennox 42, Capt – Monson 29; Mr R Hosmer 4w) & 284 (Sir P Burrell 97, Mr R Newman 56; Mr R Hosmer 3w); Gentlemen of Kent 122 (Mr R Stanford 59; Capt – Monson 5w) & 28 (Mr G East 4w)

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