List of Early English Cricketers To 1786

List Of Early English Cricketers To 1786

This is a list of the earliest known English cricketers whose careers began prior to the foundation of Lord's and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1787. The list is by season, this being the season in which the player's name first appears in surviving sources. Although some people like the Dukes of Richmond are remembered primarily as patrons, they were invariably players too and generally captained their own teams.

In the 17th century, the names are those of people known to have been involved in the sport although they might not have been top-class players. The town or village given is where their involvement occurred. In the 18th century, more information is available in the sources so it is easier to identify the best players and the clubs or county teams with which they were most usually associated. Enough information is known about most players since the 1740s to justify an article but for some nothing more is known than a name on a scorecard and so the known details are recorded here (e.g., Baker of Hampshire recorded in one match in 1777 only).

The break between 1763 and 1764 is for three reasons. 1763 was the final year of the Seven Years War which had a disastrous effect on major cricket, causing a massive reduction in investment, a drain in manpower and a consequent shutdown of the sport in many areas to the extent that it required a post-war revival similar to those following the Napoleonic Wars and the two World Wars. Secondly, it was at that time that the pitched delivery was introduced and this necessitated the invention of the straight bat: an evolution in bowling and batting techniques that radically changed the nature of the sport. Finally, as can be seen from the 1764 entries, the "Hambledon Era" began in earnest immediately after the Seven Years War ended and this marked a watershed in the game's history with the shift in focus from London to Hambledon.

The break between 1773 and 1774 approximately reflects the transition of the Hambledon Club from its first, or formative, phase into its real period of pre-eminence in English cricket which lasted until the sport's hierarchy decided to return to London.