Richard Nyren - Family and Personal Life

Family and Personal Life

Nyren was a nephew of the noted Slindon players Richard, John and Adam Newland who coached him as a boy. Nyren was still living at Eartham in 1758 when he married Frances Pennicud at Slindon. He had moved to Hambledon from Sussex by 1762, when he became the landlord of a pub which was then called The Hut. Later, its name was changed to the Bat and Ball Inn; it is arguably the most famous pub with a cricketing connection and is still open for business immediately next to the Hambledon Club's ground at Broadhalfpenny Down. In 1772, Nyren took over the "more upmarket" George Inn which was in Hambledon village close to the church, his Hambledon colleague William Barber taking over at the Bat and Ball for the next 12 years. Nyren also maintained a small farm just outside Hambledon.

For many years, Nyren and Barber took charge of match day catering at both Broadhalfpenny Down and Windmill Down and Ashley-Cooper's Hambledon Cricket Chronicle reproduces an advertisement that appeared in the Hampshire Chronicle of 28 July 1777:

‘’Ladies and Gentlemen will find an excellent cold collation every day on the Down, at Nyren and Barber's booths‘’.

This advertisement must have been placed for a match that is now unknown as surviving records do not include any match on Broadhalfpenny Down in 1777 until September. On 22 June 1778, the Hampshire Chronicle advertised:

‘’NYREN (sic) has laid in a stock of excellent wines and cold provisions, and hopes the air of Stoke Down will, with the Ladies at least, stand in the place of Marbres, Aspiques, Blanc Manges, &c. For good appetite there will be a sufficient quantity of beef, ham, chicken and tarts‘’.

This advertisement was placed ahead of the Hampshire v All-England match at Itchin Stoke Down on 6 and 7 July 1778. Nyren took 4 wickets in the match but Hampshire lost by 45 runs.

Nyren was Secretary of the Hambledon Club for a time and one of his duties, apparently a thankless task, was to collect from members their subscriptions in arrears.

Nyren's son John (1764–1837) was the author of The Cricketers of My Time.