1796 English cricket season

In the 1796 English cricket season, the Montpelier town club became prominent and played a number of matches over the next few seasons against MCC. The club’s venue was George Aram’s New Ground in Montpelier Gardens, Walworth, Surrey.

Generally speaking, it was at this time that matches involving town clubs like Montpelier, Kennington, Highgate, Rochester, Woolwich, Homerton, Richmond, Storrington and Thames Ditton began to achieve prominence in the old books. Although some good players were undoubtedly involved, the teams tended to lack overall strength and capability. Montpelier tended to be the exception as it had quite a strong side around 1796-1800.

Montpelier Gardens was in Walworth, London. The actual venue is George Aram’s New Ground in Montpelier Gardens. NB: Walworth is in Surrey, not Middlesex.

It seems this match was not completed until Friday 12 August and so its conclusion must have preceded the game in SB206.

Mont & Kenn = the combined Montpelier and Kennington Clubs.

It seems this match started after the one postponed from Wed 6 July was completed.

WDC also records this match but has it dated 1 August. Britcher’s date is accepted as the closer source.

^# These games in the main sources and in the ACS list are not important matches, including Earl of Winchilsea v Bligh on 27 May (SB197) which was ten-a side with weak teams.

WDC has this game dated 1–2 August and the ACS Guide includes both entries. The above is believed correct.

^ It was at this time that matches involving local clubs like Montpelier, Kennington, Highgate, Rochester, Woolwich, Homerton, Richmond, Storrington and Thames Ditton begin to achieve prominence in the old books.

The match given in WDC as J Small v T Walker at the Dandelion Paddock on 7 - 10 Sept is in fact a wrongly dated duplicate of the Mann v Leigh game in S&B on the same days in 1795 (see above).

Note that many scorecards in the 18th century are unknown or have missing details and so it is impossible to provide a complete analysis of batting performances: e.g., the missing not outs prevent computation of batting averages. The "runs scored" are in fact the runs known.

John Tufton was the leading runscorer with 306 and another amateur, Edward Bligh, came second with 270

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