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 A HISTORY OF HERTFORDSHIRE CRICKET Cricket has been identified with the county of Hertford for more than a century. In the early annals of the game it is recorded that England played twenty-two of Hertfordshire and Essex at Stoke Down in Hampshire, July 8, 9, 10, II, 1793, the return match taking place at Lord's the following week. England won both contests, the former by an innings and 21 runs, and the latter in one innings and 129 runs. The majority of the England team consisted of players belonging to the once famous Hambledon Club, in fact the Hampshire Chronicle, in recording the contest, designated the winning side as the Hambledon Club. Five years later Hertfordshire met the county of Middlesex in an eleven a side match at Lord's, the metropolitan county proving victorious by 93 runs. Clubs were now being formed in several parts of the county. In 1798 in the Mill Mead at Ware, Ware played Waltham Abbey and the result was a tie match, the totals being Ware, ist innings, 35 ; 2nd innings, 12. Waltham Abbey, ist innings, 18; 2nd innings, 29. In 1800 a club existed at Hatfield, while in 1803, 1805 and 1806 matches were played between St. Albans and Rickmansworth. The year 1814 has an event particularly interesting to this county, for in the first recorded match that was played on the pre- sent ground at Lord's on June 22, Hertford- shire, with H. Bentley, contended against the Marylebone Club. The scores were : Hert- fordshire, ist innings, 79 ; 2nd innings, 55. M.C.C., 161. The M.C.C. thus won by i innings and 27 runs. Ten years later, at No Man's Land, in the county of Herts, Watford with the assistance of two crack players (Ashby and Caldecourt) opposed Hertfordshire. The first match took place on August 1 8, Watford being victorious by 104 runs, while in the return engagement at Watford the Watford players inflicted a severe defeat, the county being beaten in one innings and 33 runs. In 1828, for the same town against the county, W. Caldecourt hit six sixes in one over in a very small ground at Watford. In the 'thirties' capital matches were contested at Hitchin between the Hitchin Club and Hitchin Priory, the latter having the assistance of Lord Grimston and his two brothers, the Hon. R. and E. H. Grimston, the three being keen cricket enthusiasts. In 1835 Harrow Town twice beat Chorley Wood, John Wood bridge bowling all the wickets in one innings except the one run out. At Lord's in 1835 Hertfordshire defeated the M.C.C. by 2 wickets, while the follow- ing year at Lord's on July 18 and 19 the Gentlemen of Hertfordshire, with the assist- ance of T. Barker, tried conclusions against the Gentlemen of England, the county re- presentatives winning by 153 runs. In this match there were no less than 119' extras ' recorded. In 1837 the Gentlemen of Herts, with Cobbett, played Cambridge University at Lord's, the former being victorious by 105 runs. It was a win, however, mainly owing to the all-round play of Cobbett who scored (for once out) no less than 148 runs and captured 12 wickets. Matches about this time were frequent, and in 1841 two capitally contested games took place between Hatfield and Herts. The first, at No Man's Land on August 23, 24, resulted in a win for the county by 70 runs. In the return, played in Hatfield Park, Hatfield won by 9 wickets. The same year, on Barnard Heath, Welwyn played the St. Albans Club, the former winning by 3 1 runs. In this fixture Mr. J. W. Otway for the victorious side captured no less than 17 wickets. Excellent cricket was played by the Redbourne Club, especially in many of the famous contests with the powerful South- gate Club, the latter being almost entirely supported by the celebrated cricket family known as the ' Walkers of Southgate.' In 1844, at Redbourne, Hertfordshire tried conclusions against the M.C.C. The Mary- lebone Club included in their ranks three of the crack bowlers of the day, viz. William Lillywhite, W. Hillyer and Jemmy Dean, the visitors winning by 7 wickets. The same year, at Redbourne, East Hertfordshire met West Herts, the latter winning by an innings and 10 runs, while the following year at Redbourne, Herts lowered the colours of the first club in the land (M.C.C.) by 44 runs. In this fixture the Hon. E. H. Grimston for the county played a valuable not out innings of 43. Hertfordshire in September, 1852, at Rickmansworth were defeated by Clapton with 4 wickets to spare. A well contested match took place at No Man's Land, August 28, 29, 1855, between the two divisions of the county, East Hert- fordshire being victorious by 2 wickets. In this fixture Mr. H. Fellowes and Mr. H. W. Fellowes participated for West Herts. Both 372