A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE 



CRICKET 



Cricket has been identified with the county 

 of Hertford for more than a century. In the 

 early annals of the game it is recorded that 

 England played twenty-two of Hertfordshire 

 and Essex at Stoke Down in Hampshire, 

 July 8, 9, 10, II, 1793, the return match 

 taking place at Lord's the following week. 

 England won both contests, the former by an 

 innings and 21 runs, and the latter in one 

 innings and 129 runs. The majority of the 

 England team consisted of players belonging 

 to the once famous Hambledon Club, in fact 

 the Hampshire Chronicle, in recording the 

 contest, designated the winning side as the 

 Hambledon Club. 



Five years later Hertfordshire met the 

 county of Middlesex in an eleven a side 

 match at Lord's, the metropolitan county 

 proving victorious by 93 runs. Clubs were 

 now being formed in several parts of the 

 county. In 1798 in the Mill Mead at 

 Ware, Ware played Waltham Abbey and the 

 result was a tie match, the totals being Ware, 

 ist innings, 35 ; 2nd innings, 12. Waltham 

 Abbey, ist innings, 18; 2nd innings, 29. 

 In 1800 a club existed at Hatfield, while in 

 1803, 1805 and 1806 matches were played 

 between St. Albans and Rickmansworth. 



The year 1814 has an event particularly 

 interesting to this county, for in the first 

 recorded match that was played on the pre- 

 sent ground at Lord's on June 22, Hertford- 

 shire, with H. Bentley, contended against the 

 Marylebone Club. The scores were : Hert- 

 fordshire, ist innings, 79 ; 2nd innings, 55. 

 M.C.C., 161. The M.C.C. thus won by i 

 innings and 27 runs. 



Ten years later, at No Man's Land, in the 

 county of Herts, Watford with the assistance 

 of two crack players (Ashby and Caldecourt) 

 opposed Hertfordshire. The first match took 

 place on August 1 8, Watford being victorious 

 by 104 runs, while in the return engagement 

 at Watford the Watford players inflicted a 

 severe defeat, the county being beaten in 

 one innings and 33 runs. In 1828, for the 

 same town against the county, W. Caldecourt 

 hit six sixes in one over in a very small 

 ground at Watford. 



In the 'thirties' capital matches were 

 contested at Hitchin between the Hitchin 

 Club and Hitchin Priory, the latter having 

 the assistance of Lord Grimston and his two 

 brothers, the Hon. R. and E. H. Grimston, 

 the three being keen cricket enthusiasts. In 

 1835 Harrow Town twice beat Chorley 

 Wood, John Wood bridge bowling all the 



wickets in one innings except the one run 

 out. 



At Lord's in 1835 Hertfordshire defeated 

 the M.C.C. by 2 wickets, while the follow- 

 ing year at Lord's on July 18 and 19 the 

 Gentlemen of Hertfordshire, with the assist- 

 ance of T. Barker, tried conclusions against 

 the Gentlemen of England, the county re- 

 presentatives winning by 153 runs. In this 

 match there were no less than 119' extras ' 

 recorded. 



In 1837 the Gentlemen of Herts, with 

 Cobbett, played Cambridge University at 

 Lord's, the former being victorious by 105 

 runs. It was a win, however, mainly owing 

 to the all-round play of Cobbett who scored 

 (for once out) no less than 148 runs and 

 captured 12 wickets. 



Matches about this time were frequent, 

 and in 1841 two capitally contested games 

 took place between Hatfield and Herts. The 

 first, at No Man's Land on August 23, 

 24, resulted in a win for the county by 70 

 runs. In the return, played in Hatfield Park, 

 Hatfield won by 9 wickets. The same year, 

 on Barnard Heath, Welwyn played the St. 

 Albans Club, the former winning by 3 1 runs. 

 In this fixture Mr. J. W. Otway for the 

 victorious side captured no less than 17 

 wickets. Excellent cricket was played by 

 the Redbourne Club, especially in many of 

 the famous contests with the powerful South- 

 gate Club, the latter being almost entirely 

 supported by the celebrated cricket family 

 known as the ' Walkers of Southgate.' 



In 1844, at Redbourne, Hertfordshire tried 

 conclusions against the M.C.C. The Mary- 

 lebone Club included in their ranks three of 

 the crack bowlers of the day, viz. William 

 Lillywhite, W. Hillyer and Jemmy Dean, 

 the visitors winning by 7 wickets. The same 

 year, at Redbourne, East Hertfordshire met 

 West Herts, the latter winning by an innings 

 and 10 runs, while the following year at 

 Redbourne, Herts lowered the colours of the 

 first club in the land (M.C.C.) by 44 runs. 

 In this fixture the Hon. E. H. Grimston for 

 the county played a valuable not out innings 

 of 43. Hertfordshire in September, 1852, at 

 Rickmansworth were defeated by Clapton 

 with 4 wickets to spare. 



A well contested match took place at No 

 Man's Land, August 28, 29, 1855, between 

 the two divisions of the county, East Hert- 

 fordshire being victorious by 2 wickets. In 

 this fixture Mr. H. Fellowes and Mr. H. W. 

 Fellowes participated for West Herts. Both 



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