1803 was the 17th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Thomas Howard made his debut in important matches.
Honours edit
- Most runs[1] – Lord Frederick Beauclerk 284 at 35.50 (HS 74)
- Most wickets[1] – Lord Frederick Beauclerk 12
Events edit
- Prime Minister William Pitt referred to cricket when introducing his Defence Bill.[2]
- With the Napoleonic War continuing, loss of investment and manpower impacted cricket and only three first-class matches have been recorded in 1803:
- 21–24 June: All-England v Surrey at Lord's Old Ground[3]
- 4–6 July: Nottinghamshire & Leicestershire v Hampshire at Lord's Old Ground[4]
- 11–12 July: All-England v Surrey at Lord's Old Ground[4]
- Another match that has sometimes been regarded as important is H. C. Woolridge's XI v W. R. Capel's XI at Clifford's Park, Rickmansworth, on Friday 26 August. It was originally classified as an important match by the ACS (and thus with first-class status), but the ACS subsequently downgraded its status because of the weak standard of Capel's XI (only three players are known to have played in other first-class matches) and it was possibly scheduled for only one day.
Debutants edit
1803 debutants included:
- Thomas Howard (Hampshire)
- Goddard (Hampshire)
- John Pointer (Hampshire)
- John Sparks (Surrey)
- Joseph Dennis
- James Lawrell
References edit
- ^ a b Note that scorecards created in the first quarter of the 19th century are not necessarily accurate or complete; therefore any summary of runs, wickets or catches can only represent the known totals and computation of averages is ineffectual.
- ^ Bowen, p.268.
- ^ Haygarth, p.305.
- ^ a b Haygarth, p.307.
Bibliography edit
- Haygarth, Arthur (1862). Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744–1826). Lillywhite.
Further reading edit
- ACS (1981). A Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles 1709 – 1863. Nottingham: ACS.
- Altham, H. S. (1962). A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914). George Allen & Unwin.
- Birley, Derek (1999). A Social History of English Cricket. Aurum.
- Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. Eyre & Spottiswoode.
- Britcher, Samuel, A list of all the principal Matches of Cricket that have been played (1790 to 1805), annual series
- Major, John (2007). More Than A Game. HarperCollins.