This picture from Sheffield in1820 suggests cricket was well established. The team, the wickets, the crowd, the imposing Club House -just what was expected. However, this match at Sheffield was not typical. Yorkshire in the 18th century lagged many years behind London and the South East in establishing cricket. By the 1790s Yorkshire, though catching up, still struggled to find good players, and funds for clubs to have pitches where teams could play.
The links with material and social change were significant. By the 1820s toll roads, canal boats, and within the next twenty years trains, meant teams could travel to take part in more competitive games. The score book of the Beverley-Doncaster match, with fascinating details about the effective bowlers, also showed people could travel to play this 1825 match.
After a two run defeat did Beverley want a return match?
With exciting contests more spectators came. This generated excitement, press reports and income, all contributing to improved grounds, and usually better play. By mid 19th century there were more clubs, each feeling competitive, as they wanted to win for their local community they gained more funding.
Cricket made the news in the press, it was encouraged in schools, and by 1900 in many parts of Yorkshire sportsmen and their supporters believed and worked to make Yorkshire dominant in county cricket for much of the 20th century.
Jeremy Lonsdale, who grew up in East Yorkshire, has researched and written about Yorkshire cricket as this book cover shows. Other books, which will be on sale at the meeting, include A Game Taken Seriously: Foundations of Yorkshire’s Cricketing Power; and those on changes in World War 1 and in the 1920s.
This meeting will be preceded by the AGM, and the talk will begin about 7.45. Our meetings are open to anyone interested, but non HA visitors are asked to donate £2. Students are exempt from this.