United North of England Eleven - UNEE Matches Against The AEE and The USEE

UNEE Matches Against The AEE and The USEE

As soon as it was founded, the UNEE established a regional rivalry with the USEE and the two teams met three times in 1870, the UNEE's first season. The UNEE got off to a flying start when they easily beat the USEE, including the Graces, at Lord's in July 1870 by an innings and 70 runs. The team was:

• Roger Iddison (captain), George Freeman, Ephraim Lockwood, Thomas Bignall, George Atkinson, Joseph Rowbotham, George Howitt, Luke Greenwood, Thomas Plumb, Cornelius Coward, George Wootton.

In the next match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, the UNEE won by an innings and 5 runs. The Graces did not play in this game. The UNEE team differed slightly with John Smith and Elisha Rawlinson replacing Coward and Wootton. The teams met again at The Oval in August and this match was drawn, the USEE needing 33 more to win with eight wickets standing and W G Grace still in with 51 not out. Wootton and Alfred Shaw replaced Atkinson and Rawlinson in the UNEE side.

In 1871, the UNEE did not play the USEE but did have one match against the AEE at Bolton in July. Although the UNEE had been reinforced by the addition of A N Hornby and Fred Morley, they were well beaten by an innings and 21 runs.

The UNEE's rivalry with the USEE was renewed in 1872 when four matches were arranged although the last one at Leeds in September was cancelled. The first match at Bishop's Stortford in June was drawn. Robert Carpenter, William Oscroft, John Hicks and James Shaw made first appearances for the UNEE. In August, the UNEE won by 8 wickets at Hunslet, Arnold Rylott making his first appearance. In September, the tide turned and the USEE recorded its first win over the UNEE by 8 wickets despite the addition of Thomas Hayward and Richard Daft to the UNEE team.

The elevens did not meet in 1873 and there were two matches in 1874 at Todmorden and Wellingborough. William Mycroft made his UNEE debut at Todmorden in July, when the USEE won convincingly by an innings and 30 runs, largely due to a century by Henry Charlwood and ten wickets taken by W G Grace. The USEE won by 9 wickets at Wellingborough in September after the UNEE followed on. Tom Emmett and Robert Smith joined the UNEE for this match.

There were no matches in 1875 and then the UNEE reasserted itself in 1876 with a win and a draw from two matches against the USEE. The first at Fartown Ground, Huddersfield was won by 7 wickets after Andrew Greenwood scored 111. George Ulyett was playing for the UNEE by now and the team at Huddersfield included three newcomers in David Eastwood, Joseph Blackburn and Robert Clayton. In the second match at the Town Cricket Club Ground in Hull, the UNEE was saved by an innings of 108 not out by Ephraim Lockwood but the highlight of the match was W G Grace's innings of 126 in a USEE total of only 159. William Oscroft and Arthur Shrewsbury made their UNEE debuts and, with Alfred Shaw and Fred Morley returning, there was a strong Nottinghamshire contingent. Robert Butler and John Tye also made first appearances.

That was the last time the UNEE played the USEE although there was a curious footnote to the series when the USEE played against the official North of England cricket team in 1880. The North's team in this match at Rotherham bore little resemblance to the UNEE with only Shrewsbury and Mycroft involved. Nevertheless, the official North hammered another nail into the coffin of the unofficial USEE with a 53 run victory.