1788 English cricket season

In the 1788 English cricket season, the recently formed Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) became the game's lawgiver. On Friday, 30 May, a revised set of the Laws of cricket was issued by the "Cricket Club at Marylebone", formerly the White Conduit Club. This action confirmed MCC as the body in sole charge of the Laws. Four weeks later, the two clubs played each other at Lord's Old Ground in the earliest match featuring MCC to leave a surviving scorecard.

The following matches are classified as important:

David Harris took ten wickets in the match for the losing side.

George Louch of East's XI took five catches. He was noted for his close fielding skills.

Surrey bowlers Lumpy Stevens and Butcher dismissed Hampshire for 59 and 63.

Both teams were listed in full by the newspaper which announced the match but there is no surviving scorecard and the result is unknown. The teams were called Hornchurch and Moulsey Hurst in the newspaper but it was effectively an Essex v Surrey match. The stake was 500 guineas. The announcement included the warning: "no dogs admitted in the field".

This is the earliest MCC match of which the score has survived and so it is of great historical importance. It is in S&B and also in the ACS list. Haygarth in S&B says that although "this is the first recorded Marylebone match", there can be no doubt a few had "come off" previously. He explains his view by reference to the Lord's pavilion fire in 1825 which caused the loss of "many old scores and other valuable records".

There is no surviving scorecard for this match between two scratch teams whose patrons wagered 500 guineas.

The match was briefly pre-announced a week earlier for a stake of 100 guineas. No scorecard or other details have survived.

Tom Walker top-scored for Surrey with 93* and it is believed he opened and so carried his bat.

John Crawte made his known debut in senior cricket for the England XI.

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