List of early English cricketers to 1771
Year Name Sides Notes
1741 John Russell , 4th Duke of Bedford Bedfordshire Patron and captain of his county team
1741 George Montagu-Dunk , 2nd Earl of Halifax Northamptonshire Patron and captain of his county team
1741 John Montagu , 4th Earl of Sandwich Huntingdonshire Patron and captain of his county team
1741 Richard Grenville Buckinghamshire Patron and captain of his county team
1743 Richard Newland Slindon One of the most outstanding players of the sport 's pioneering era before the introduction of the pitched delivery . Made the highest known individual score of the period
1743 John Bryant Kent Known to have played in single-wicket matches from 1743 onwards . Played for Slindon in 1744 and for Kent against England at the Artillery Ground later the same year . May have been the brother of James Bryant
1743 John Cutbush Kent Played in a single-wicket match in 1743 billed as contested by the six best players in England and for Kent against England at the Artillery Ground in 1744
1743 Ridgeway Sussex
1743 Robert Colchin Bromley and Kent Known as Long Robin , Colchin was a controversial figure who was held to be both the best batsman and all-rounder of his time . An outstanding single wicket player and an influential match organiser
1743 Tom Peake Chelsfield and Kent Kent player who was frequently called upon as a given man
1743 Val Romney Sevenoaks and Kent Noted for his leadership and described by James Love as a mighty player
1743 William Hodsoll Dartford and Kent An outstanding bowler who was rated among the six best players in England
1743 William Sawyer Richmond and Surrey Rated among the six best players in England
1743 Lord Montfort London Patron and team captain who led the London , Middlesex & Surrey XI in May 1743
1743 Stephen Rose Chertsey An army deserter reported to be a famous cricket player
1744 Adam Newland Slindon Brother of Richard Newland . Noted member of the Slindon team
1744 Little Bennett London Probably the brother of Tall Bennett . The two were noted in contemporary reports to have been two of the best batsmen of their time
1744 Tall Bennett
1744 Collins Surrey Mentioned in 1744 and 1748 ; played for London against Slindon in the earliest match that has a surviving scorecard
1744 Edward Aburrow senior Slindon and Sussex A known smuggler who played under his alias to disguise himself . Father of the Hambledon player of the same name , he is recorded in matches to 1751 . A noted single wicket player who was known as Cuddy
Cricketers -- 1741 to 1745
Main article : History of cricket ( 1726–63 )
This is a list of the earliest known English cricketers whose careers began prior to the first matches which are considered to be first-class status in 1772. The list is by season, this being the season in which the player's name first appears in surviving sources. Cricket underwent radical changes during the 18th century. Patronage and popular support enabled it to outgrow its roots as a village pastime and develop into a major sport. In the early 1760s, pitched delivery bowling was introduced and this necessitated the invention of the straight bat: an evolution in bowling and batting techniques that radically changed cricket. The earliest known scorecards date from 1744 but it was not until 1772 that they began to be completed and are preserved on a regular basis.