
Cambridge Cricket Venues
From 1757
From 1792
From 1805
![]() Town and University teams of Cambridge 1847 by Felix (Permission of MCC Museum) |
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Welcome |
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My name is Willie Sugg. I have researched Cambridgeshire cricket of the 18th and 19th centuries for about 10 years. I have written three books: "A Tradition Unshared", "The Cambridge Cricket Club Era", and Fenner's Men". A few copies of the first two are still available. The third covers the period 1822-48 and is only just out. Please email me if you would like a copy. Just £5 + 75p p&p. I hope you find this site interesting and enjoyable.
I think the site is reasonably easy to navigate. The comments page, reached by clicking on "comments", top right of page, is a blog for you to comment both on the site in general and on any articles I post. |
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![]() wanted for offences against the exhibiting of glazed expressions |
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Does it matter what a cricket club or team is called? When looking at history it most certainly does.
Cricket history books are almost unanimous in talking about the successful Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club throughout the 1860's, when a look at contemporary sources suggests that teams now regarded as "Cambridgeshire" were variously organised by the County Club, Cambridge Town Club, individuals, public subscription and even the opposing clubs.
Similarly a look through Arthur Haygarth's "Scores and Biographies" gives the impression that the dominant team in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire |
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a (very) rough sketch map of Cambridge highlighting St Andrew the Less parish ![]() |
Cricket Ghetto Shock!
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Charles Arnold
Robert Carpenter
FP Fenner
Israel Haggis
AM Hoare
OC Pell
Fred Reynolds
Thomas Stearn
WC Winterton |
Mark Arnold
Henry Cornwell
George Fenner
WJ Hammersley
RT King
Henry Perkins
Rbt Ringwood
George Sussums
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Frederick Bell
John Crouch
James Fenner
D Hayward Snr
JM Lee
John Perkins
John Smith
George Tarrant
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John Boning
AJD Diver
TS Fryer
D Hayward Jnr
James Martin(poet)
Charles Pryor
George Smith
Fred Thackeray
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William Buttress
DB Edwards
Rbt Glassscock
T Hayward Snr
HJ&M Page
FC Pryor
Thomas Snow
TM Townley |
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Sir St Vincent Cotton
The nearest C19th Cambridgeshire cricket had to noble patronage was Sir St Vincent Cotton of Madingley Hall just north of Cambridge. He was also a player, president of the Cambridge town and County Club, inveterate gambler and coach driver. A recent article in the Cricket statistician (Felix Ladbroke and Cricket on Epsom Downs by Ralph M Hudson) referred to Cotton as a "great" cricketer. Unfortunately this appears to be an exaggeration. See "Research so far" for details. |
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Fuller Pilch of Norfolk,
Kent and Cambs!
Fuller Pilch is best known for his appearances for Kent and in various so called "great matches" of the mid 19th century. Perhaps less well known are his connections with Cambridgeshire. See the "Research so far" and
"1st Cambs sides" pages for details. |
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John Smith - a Likeness
Thanks to Giles Phillips for the team picture of the 1868 England tour of US and Canada (see Gallery). This contains the first likeness of John Smith I have seen as well as another representation of George Tarrant. Newspapers of the time announced a painting of John Smith on his own but I have yet to hear of its continued existence.
For the record I am still keen to see likenesses of Israel Haggis, Fred Reynolds (Cambs and Lancs), Dan Hayward Jnr, William Buttress, FC Pryor and Thomas Snow, as well as any of the many Cambridgeshire players not form Cambridge during the period 1700-1890. Anyone wishing to try their hand at imaginative drawing might like to draw an impression of one of the above. That would be great.
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"Infant" Winterton
Rereading Pycroft's Cricket Field I recently came across a reference to Cambridge's Charles Winterton as, rather surprisingly, an "infant genius" despite his then age of 29. See "research so far" for details. |
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With the help of my friend Michael in 2009 I took photographs of places associated with 18th & 19th century cricket in Cambridge. Below right is an attempt to recreate the view shown in 1854. Cricket is still played on the same area of Parker's Piece, especially at weekends, although the activity shown in the distance in our photograph is kids from the local Parkside School in their break time. For more comparisons see the gallery page.
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