First known use of English cricket venues (1610–1825)
Venues used in early cricket
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This article records English cricket venues whose first known use was in or before the 1825 season.
The cutoff is set at 1825 because records since then became increasingly certain and comprehensive. On 28 July 1825, the Lord's Pavilion was destroyed by fire. MCC's entire archive, which included countless unique documents recording early matches, was irretrievably lost. With few exceptions, there is no certainty as to when any venue to 1825 was first used for cricket. This record is therefore inexhaustive, as ongoing research may discover earlier dates or additional venues.
Many of the early matches were played at unspecified venues, the sources giving only the name of a population centre, such as a village, parish, or town. Even when a venue is named, it tends to be a common, or other large tract of land. Each venue is listed once, in the first season that it is known to have staged a match, and the confirmed or assumed title of that match is also given.
- Note #1: Online databases are excluded from this work as the scope is historical, and NOT statistical.
- Note #2: Most of the matches mentioned were eleven-a-side, while others were single wicket events. In general, they were historically important. The list does include some minor matches—two local teams; "gentlemen only"; senior citizens only; etc.—but the objective here is to capture the venues, and the matches are incidental.
1610 to 1730
| season | venue | location | match / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1610 | (unspecified) | Chevening, Kent | Weald and Upland v Chalkhill. World's earliest-known organised match.[1] |
| 1646 | Coxheath Common | Coxheath, Kent | Coxheath v Maidstone. Earliest-known "odds" match (two of Coxheath against four of Maidstone); possibly single wicket.[2] |
| 1666 | Richmond Green | Richmond, Surrey | In a letter, Sir Robert Paston mentioned "a game of criquett on Richmond Green".[3] |
| 1677 | "Ye Dicker" | Herstmonceux, Sussex | Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex received £3 at a match on "ye Dicker", which was a common near Herstmonceux.[4] |
| 1685 | Mitcham Cricket Green | Mitcham, Surrey | Based on a claim that Mitcham Cricket Club and its ground originated in 1685, but there is no evidence to support it.[5] |
| 1694 | (unspecified) | Lewes, Sussex | The accounts of Sir John Pelham record that he paid 2s 6d for a wager concerning a match in Lewes.[6] |
| 1700 | Clapham Common | Clapham, Surrey | A series of ten-a-side matches was announced in a newspaper.[7] |
| 1705 | (unspecified) | Town Malling, Kent | West of Kent v Chatham. The primary source gave the curious location of "Maulden", which doesn't exist. It is generally believed that Maulden was Town Malling.[7][8] |
| 1707 | Duppas Hill | Croydon, Surrey | Croydon v London.[9][10][11] |
| Lamb's Conduit Field | Holborn, Middlesex | London v Mitcham.[12] | |
| 1709 | Dartford Brent | Dartford, Kent | Kent v Surrey. Ostensibly, the earliest known "inter-county" match, but it is believed to have been an "inter-parish" match involving two villages on either side of the county boundary.[13][11][14] |
| 1718 | White Conduit Fields | Islington, Middlesex | London v Rochester Punch Club.[15][11] |
| 1723 | Moulsey Hurst | Moulsey, Surrey | Surrey v London.[16] |
| 1724 | (unspecified) | Chingford, Essex | Chingford v Edwin Stead's XI. The match is tentatively believed to have been played in Chingford, but there can be no certainty. Stead sued his opponents for unpaid wagers. Following the court case, the match was "played out" in September 1726, but on Dartford Brent. If the original did take place in Chingford, it is the earliest known match played in Essex.[17][18] |
| Kennington Common | Kennington, Surrey | London v Dartford.[19][11][20] | |
| Penshurst Park | Penshurst, Kent | Penshurst, Tunbridge Wells & Wadhurst v Dartford.[21] | |
| 1725 | Artillery Ground | Finsbury, Middlesex | The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) took issue with Mr Robinson, apparently the groundskeeper, saying he was responsible for "abuse done to the herbage of the ground", not only by horses but "also by Crickett Players".[22] |
| Bury Hill | Arundel, Sussex | 2nd Duke of Richmond's XI v Sir William Gage's XI.[22] | |
| 1727 | (unspecified) | Cranbrook, Kent | Oak Apple Day senior citizens' match.[23] |
| Peper Harow | Godalming, Surrey | Alan Brodrick's XI v 2nd Duke of Richmond's XI.[24][25] | |
| Warehorne Green | Warehorne, Kent | Warehorne XII v Hawkshurst XII.[19] | |
| 1729 | "The Downs" | Lewes, Sussex | Edwin Stead's XI v Sir William Gage's XI[26] |
| (unspecified) | Farnham, Surrey | Surrey v Kent. Farnham was later noted for Holt Pound.[27] | |
| (unspecified) | Gloucester, Gloucestershire | A local game on 22 September 1729 is the earliest known reference to cricket in both the city and the county.[28][29] | |
| Walworth Common | Walworth, Surrey | Kent v Sussex. Earliest known match involving a team expressly called Sussex.[30][27] | |
| The "Woolpack" | Islington, Middlesex | Gentlemen of Middlesex v Gentlemen of London. The first match known to include "Gentlemen" in its title; also the first known to involve a team called Middlesex. The match was listed under 1728 for over a century. In 2007, it was realised that there had been a dating error. The given day of the week did not match the calendar, because 5 August 1728 was a Monday, not a Tuesday as originally transcribed.[31][32] | |
| 1730 | (unspecified) | Blackheath, Kent | Greenwich v London.[33] |
| Datchet Common | Datchet, Buckinghamshire | Local match. Datchet is now in Berkshire.[34][35] | |
| The Dripping Pan | Lewes, Sussex | 2nd Duke of Richmond's XI v Sir William Gage's XI.[36] | |
| Epsom Down | Epsom, Surrey | Epsom v Sunbury.[33] | |
| Frog Lane | Islington, Middlesex | London v Kent.[37] | |
| Gray's Inn Lane | Gray's Inn, Middlesex | London v Kent.[36] | |
| Kew Green | Kew, Surrey | Brentford v Kent.[33] | |
| Merrow Down | Guildford, Surrey | Surrey v Sussex.[36] | |
| Mickleham Down | Mickleham, Surrey | Surrey v Sussex.[33] | |
| Putney Heath | Putney, Surrey | Putney v Fulham.[34] | |
| (unspecified) | Tonbridge, Kent | A twelve-a-side game which was apparently a big event.[33] | |
| Westerham Common | Westerham, Kent | Kent v Brentford.[33] | |
1731 to 1750
1751 to 1770
Remainder
This is a work in progress, and the main task pending is the addition, with citations, of the following venues to one of the tables. Most if not all of the necessary citations can be found in the season review articles—e.g., 1771 English cricket season.
Note that this list may not be exhaustive.
First mentions from 1771 to 1825 are:
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