1871 English cricket season

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1871 English cricket season
1870
1872

1871 was the 85th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Derbyshire County Cricket Club became a first-class club and the last matches were played by Cambridgeshire, who in the days of Bob Carpenter, the first Tom Hayward and George Tarrant had been one of the leading cricket counties.

Contents

W. G. Grace surpassed his previous season's record of 1,808 runs and his 1869 average of 57.39 by scoring 2,739 at the outstanding average of 78.25 at a time when most pitches were still unrolled and very dangerous to batsmen – though the heavy roller was already producing major improvements to Lord's and eliminating the bottom-of-the-stump shooters. [1] These records were not beaten until Arthur Shrewsbury averaged 78.71 in 1887 and Ranjitsinhji scored 2,780 runs in 1896.

Playing record (by county)

CountyPlayedWonLostDrawn
Cambridgeshire 1001
Derbyshire 2110
Gloucestershire 4211
Kent 6231
Lancashire 6420
Middlesex 2101
Nottinghamshire 6411
Surrey 13094
Sussex 4400
Yorkshire 6231
[a]

[2]

Leading batsmen (qualification 15 innings)

1871 English season leading batsmen [3]
NameTeamMatchesInningsNot outsRunsHighest scoreAverage100s50s
WG Grace Gloucestershire
MCC
25394273926878.25109
Richard Daft Nottinghamshire
All England Eleven
121945659237.6606
Robert Carpenter All England Eleven
Cambridgeshire
916444687 not out37.1603
Fred Grace Gloucestershire 142447169835.8006
Walter Hadow Oxford University
MCC
Middlesex
1422269421734.7014

Leading bowlers (qualification 800 balls)

1871 English season leading bowlers [4]
NameTeamBalls bowledRuns concededWickets takenAverageBest bowling5 wickets
in innings
10 wickets
in match
George Freeman Yorkshire 10603302911.377/3020
Samuel Butler Oxford University 11364463712.0510/3842
Tom Emmett Yorkshire
All England Eleven
15026255012.508/3153
E. M. Grace Gloucestershire 9302862213.006/3610
Edgar Willsher Kent 30259357013.357/4672

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References

  1. 1 2 Baily’s Magazine of Sports and Pastimes, Volume 20 (1871); p. 286
  2. Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Rigby A-Z of Cricket Records; p. 53 ISBN   072701868X
  3. First Class Batting in England in 1871
  4. First Class Bowling in England in 1871
  5. First Class Cricket Matches 1871 – ACS – Nottingham Ed. Robert W Brooke
  6. Wisden, John (editor); John Wisden’s Cricketers' Almanac; Eighth Edition (1871); p. 121
  7. Rae, Simon; W. G. Grace: A Life; p. 106 ISBN   0571195733
  8. Wisden, John (editor); John Wisden’s Cricketers' Almanac; Eighth Edition (1871); pp. 148–149

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Notes

a Hampshire, though regarded until 1885 as first-class, played no inter-county matches between 1868 and 1869 or 1871 and 1874