Cricket in Wirksworth

In 2007 Wirksworth Cricket Club will celebrate the match held 250 years ago in September 1757, when a Wirksworth team played against eleven men from Sheffield. Wirksworth men were the first to play cricket in a recorded match in Derbyshire. Roy Pearce has written a book about Wirksworth's cricket history, called "Gentlemen and Players, Wirksworth Cricketers 1757-1914", more details below. Roy has sent most of the history on this page, thanks Roy.

Wirksworth Cricket team in 1911 Top row (left to right): |H E Bowmer |E Gandy |C Pashley |J E Cooke |A Killer | N P Wilshire |B Hilditch |W A Bowmer| Bottom row (left to right): |W H Buxton | A Hatfield |G H Bowmer |Dr.F M Seal |T Flint|

Wirksworth Cricket team in 1930

Roy Pearce writes: In 2007 Wirksworth Cricket Club will celebrate the match held 250 years ago in September 1757, when a Wirksworth team played against eleven men from Sheffield. Wirksworth men were the first to play cricket in a recorded match in Derbyshire. From the Derby Mercury 9th September 1757 On Thursday last a match at Cricket was played at Brampton Moor by eleven young men from Wirksworth against the same number from Sheffield for fifty pounds a side. At the latter end of the game the Wirksworth players were a considerable number of notches ahead of the others when a dispute arising about one of the Sheffield players being out some of them desisted playing again, whereby it was left undetermined, but we hear it has since been given in favour of the Wirksworth players and the money has been paid them. The match was played with the greatest spirit and activity on both sides which afforded the highest satisfaction to a larger concourse of persons of all ranks than were ever seen in this County on a like occasion. This game was played long before there was an organised club in Wirksworth. We know the club was ‘established’ in 1849 with Francis Hurt as our first president. It is possible that the Hurt family was involved in the 1757 match. Detailed reports have survived of two games played in 1849. There is also reference to a game against Matlock Bath in 1832. It is clear that a town team had been set up at this time. The Derby and Chesterfield Reporter tells of the two matches against Matlock Bath in 1830, the first won by Wirksworth by three runs with a winning total of 75 for the two innings. They lost the return by one run - 64-63 being the totals for two innings each side. Significantly we read ‘the Wirksworth players have obstacles to contend with arising from their infancy in the game, having only been established two months……………….’ So Wirksworth men first played in 1757 and took the field as an organised team by 1830. It needed the enthusiasm and ability of Francis Hurt to ‘establish’ the club as we know it. The club was a powerful influence in Derbyshire cricket in Victorian times with the president EM Wass an influential founding member of the county club in 1870. He also organised the three visits to the town by the All England touring team in 1866, 1868 and 1870. It is said that WG Grace played at the club. Several Wirksworthians played for Derbyshire in the period up to the first world war and we provided in WT Taylor a long serving secretary to the county club - he held the office, amazingly, from 1908 to 1959 The club plans a series of events to celebrate a notable anniversary. Wisden has been informed. A commemorative booklet will be published and we hope a Sheffield team will come and play a return fixture. Roy Pearce July 2006

PRESS RELEASE from Wirksworth Cricket Club 250 YEARS of WIRKSWORTH CRICKET Not many people know that Wirksworth men were the first to play cricket in Derbyshire. Wirksworth Cricket Club is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the match reported in the Derbyshire Mercury in September 1753 and Roy Pearce, the club historian has written a book to mark the occasion. From the Derby Mercury. On Thursday last a match at Cricket was played at Brampton Moor by eleven young men from Wirksworth against the same number from Sheffield for fifty pounds aside. At the latter end of the game the Wirksworth players were a considerable number of notches ahead of the others when a dispute arising about one of the Sheffield players being out some of them desisted playing again, whereby it was left undetermined, but we hear it has since been given in favour of the Wirksworth players and the money has been paid them. The match was played with the greatest spirit and activity on both sides which afforded the highest satisfaction to a larger concourse of persons of all ranks than were ever seen in this County on a like occasion. Who were these Wirksworthians? Why did they play a Sheffield team? Who put up the enormous stake? How did they travel to Chesterfield? What kind of cricket was played in Derbyshire 250 years ago? These and many other questions are investigated by Roy Pearce in an affectionate and well- researched book. The story is rooted in Wirksworth and will interest all Derbyshire people, not just cricketers and historians. Roy Pearce says. ‘The book traces the early history of the club, beginning with this remarkable match. Wirksworth CC was officially established in 1849 and in Victorian times became was an amazingly fashionable and prosperous club with society membership. The list for 1867 survives and records over a hundred members. The famous All England team of wandering professionals visited the town, playing three day games, in 1866, ‘68 and ‘70 and the whole town was in holiday mood - 3,000 spectators filled the ground to see the great players. The efforts of those eminent Victorians Francis Hurt, Edward Wass and Rev WH Arkwright, distinguished men in their own fields, cricket-mad presidents and wealthy benefactors of the club, supported some famous players (Joe Flint, a professional bowler, took six for seven against Notts in 1873) and set the club at the top of Derbyshire cricket.’ GENTLEMEN and PLAYERS, WIRKSWORTH CRICKETERS 1757-1914 was launched at the Wirksworth CC Winter Warmer in the Memorial Hall on Saturday 24th February. The book is published by the Pennine Cricket Project at Huddersfield University. . You can order by post from Roy Pearce, 3 Summer Lane, Wirksworth DE4 4EB (01629/822817).

Compiled, formatted, hyperlinked, encoded, and copyright © 2007, All Rights Reserved.