List of historically significant English cricket teams

"A to C" was in fact a Kent Eleven and it was a curiosity that they selected only players whose names began with A, B or C while their D to Z opponents, who were in fact a Hampshire team with given men, selected only players whose names did not begin A, B or C. Haygarth in S&B calls it "Hambledon Club with Lumpy versus Kent". The venue, in Surrey, was neutral. Haygarth says he saw the alphabetical title in other sources.

The two "A to K" versus "L to Z" matches in 1831 and 1833 were among the few genuine alphabetical matches. They were both played at Lord's by teams of MCC members supplemented by a few leading professionals including Jem Broadbridge, William Lillywhite, Fuller Pilch and Ned Wenman. The 1833 match was 12-a-side.

According to CricketArchive, teams called "A to M" and "N to Z" played each other five times in three seasons from 1787. The main secondary source for the five matches is Scores & Biographies which calls the two teams "Earl of Winchilsea's Side" and "Sir Horace (Horatio) Mann's Side". There is nothing in Scores and Biographies to suggest that the teams were organised alphabetically.[6][7]

See the entries below for Earl of Winchilsea's XI and Sir Horatio Mann's XI.

This refers to two matches organised by the Duke of Dorset and the Earl of Tankerville in May 1775, the first one played at the Artillery Ground and the return at Moulsey Hurst two days later. Details of the teams are unknown and so it cannot be said which letters of the alphabet applied to each team. All that is known is that the patrons made two "Grand Alphabetical Matches".

It is believed that the Arundel club was formally constituted in 1704 but, two years earlier, an Arundel team took part in a match against a team raised by Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond. The venue for that match is unknown but Arundel's ground at Bury Hill was in use for other important matches through much of the 18th century. The Arundel club remains active at league level in Sussex.

First recorded in two matches against a combined Huntingdonshire & Northamptonshire team. The county's first patron and captain was John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford.

The earliest known written rules were the Articles of Agreement written by Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond and Alan Brodrick, two of cricket's foremost patrons, applicable to the two matches in 1727 which they promoted. The results of the matches are unknown.

Richard Grenville was the county's first patron and captain for a match against Northamptonshire.

A team with this name took part in the world's earliest known organised match at Chevening, Kent against opponents called Weald and Upland.

The first reference to a team from Chatham, Kent, is a match against West of Kent in 1705, one of the earliest known important matches. There is a specific reference to a "Chatham Club" re a single wicket match in 1754.[16] In the last quarter of the 18th century, Chatham was mainly associated with George Louch and is believed to have used a ground owned by him for its home matches, though there are references in 1785 and 1787 to Chatham Lines as a venue.[17] There are some 19th century references but the Chatham club ultimately folded and there is no real modern equivalent, not even in Kent league cricket. The town of Chatham is famous historically for the Royal Dockyard but it is not known if there was any connection between the dockyard and the cricket club.

Chelsea Common virtually disappeared under building work in the 19th century.[20] Records have survived of five important matches between 1731 and 1789 which involved the Chelsea club and/or were played on the common. The first, played on the common for the high stake of 50 guineas, was Chelsea v Fulham on Tuesday, 13 July 1731. Fulham won. There was a return at Parsons Green on Tuesday, 10 August 1731, which Fulham won by 3 runs. On Tuesday, 26 June 1733, Fulham again hosted Chelsea at Parsons Green, this time for 30 guineas, but the result of this match is unknown. On Monday, 16 August 1736, there was an inter-county match on the common between Middlesex and Surrey. The stake was 50 guineas and Middlesex won by 9 runs.[21] The last match found in the records was on Thursday, 10 and Friday, 11 September 1789 when Chelsea played Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in Marlborough Gardens, Chelsea. This match, which was of dubious status, was probably drawn after a postponement.[22]

In 1724, Edwin Stead's XI v Chingford ended early because the Chingford team refused to play to a finish when Stead's team had the advantage. Lord Chief Justice Pratt presided over the ensuing court case and ordered the teams, as in the London v Rochester match in 1718, to play it out so that all wagers could be fulfilled. The game was completed in 1726 but the final result is not on record. Chingford's involvement is the earliest known reference to Essex cricket but the 1724 venue is uncertain and so not definitely the first match played in the county.

A leading club in the 1730s, especially, when it was sometimes representative of Surrey as a county.

D to Z played against A to C, which was in fact a Kent Eleven and it was a curiosity that they selected only players whose names began with A, B or C while their D to Z opponents, who were in fact a Hampshire team with given men, selected only players whose names did not begin A, B or C. Haygarth in S&B calls it "Hambledon Club with Lumpy versus Kent". The venue, in Surrey, was neutral. Haygarth says he saw the alphabetical title in other sources.

Although sometimes correctly named "East Kent", some of the teams should more properly be called Sir Horatio Mann's XI. All seven of the matches were against the West Kent equivalent managed by either John Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset or Stephen Amherst.

Sir William Gage, 7th Baronet was a noted patron of cricket in Sussex and ran his own team for many years. In a 1729 match against Edwin Stead's XI, Gage's XI is believed to have achieved the earliest known innings victory.

Played a single match against the Gentlemen of Middlesex. Result unknown.

Played a single match against the Gentlemen of London. Result unknown.

An occasional team formed by Arthur Gilligan which played in one match against L. H. Tennyson's XI in 1925 during Gilligan's playing career. Gilligan reformed the team in 1958 for a match against the international tourists (New Zealand in 1958) at Hastings. This became an annual fixture at Hastings until 1966 and Gilligan's team also played against Sussex.

Teams raised by Hambledon are generally termed Hampshire (sometimes Hampshire & Sussex) but there were occasions when a Hambledon team was specifically town- rather than county-orientated.

Possibly organised by Sir William Gage, 7th Baronet, the team played against Edwin Stead's XI.

Sometimes played under the title of "Horsmonden & Weald".

Formed to play two matches against Bedfordshire, and won both. The patrons were George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (Northants) and John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (Hunts).

See A to K entry above.

There is mention of a London club in 1722 but its foundation date is unknown and the teams which represented London in the early 18th century could have been ad hoc formations. London from the 1730s to the 1750s should be considered the equivalent of a county team as it was different to the Middlesex and Surrey teams it sometimes opposed. It is most famously associated with the Artillery Ground and was especially prominent in the heyday of single wicket cricket in the 1740s. The original London club faded in the 1760s and 1770s when it was superseded by Hambledon as the focal point of the sport; its last known important match was against its old rivals Dartford in 1778. From 1788, there was another London team, possibly unconnected with the original club, which competed against MCC and Middlesex in several matches to 1798. After that, there is a sole reference to a team called London playing a one-off match against Thames Ditton in 1800. Few details have survived of London's players but they included Ellis (accredited the club's "best bowler"); leading batsmen Little and Tall Bennett; and the noted single wicket players Thomas Jure and John Capon.

Teams called London & Surrey were formed occasionally in the 18th century, playing as a combined team, mostly against Kent sides at times when Kent was deemed to be the strongest county. The combined team played one match versus Addington & Lingfield in 1746.

See A to M entry above.

Non-international England teams are often referred to simply as "England" or as "All England" but the term typically means "The Rest of England" (often abbreviated to "The Rest") vis-à-vis their opponents who might be MCC or a county club. There were specific variations on the "All England" theme, especially William Clarke's All-England Eleven (1846–1881), which was commonly known as the All-England Eleven or AEE. Others were the United All-England Eleven (UEE; 1852–1869), the United North of England Eleven (UNEE; 1870–1881) and the United South of England Eleven (USEE; 1865–1880).

First recorded as part of the combined Northants/Hunts team in two matches against Bedfordshire and then, shortly afterwards, singly against Buckinghamshire. The first Northants patron and county captain was George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax.

A combination of three Kent village teams for a match against Dartford. No other instances have been discovered.

Opponents of Slindon in their first important match.

Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, is believed to have been active in cricket patronage for several years but the only match in which he is definitely known to have been involved was one against Arundel in 1702, which his team apparently won.

Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond, was a significant cricket patron, especially in his native Sussex. He ran his own team for many years and was later involved with Slindon.

Stead was a patron of teams in Kent in the 1720s and ran his own team as well as leading Kent teams.

Tonbridge alone played Dartford in 1723 but combined with Penshurst and Wadhurst to play them in 1724.

A team with this name took part in the world's earliest known organised match at Chevening, Kent against opponents called Chalkhill.

Although sometimes correctly named "West Kent", some of the teams should more properly be called the Duke of Dorset's XI or S. Amherst's XI. Apart from early games against Chatham and Surrey, seven of the matches were between 1780 and 1790 against the East Kent equivalent managed by Sir Horatio (Horace) Mann and also called Sir Horatio Mann's XI.

Yorkshire was first used as a team name when Sheffield Cricket Club organised a match against Norfolk at Hyde Park from 2 to 5 September 1833. Most of Sheffield's matches were against other town clubs, notably Manchester and Nottingham, but they called themselves Yorkshire when facing county opposition. The first "Roses Match" against Lancashire took place on 23–25 July 1849, Yorkshire winning by 5 wickets.[38] Yorkshire County Cricket Club was formed on 8 January 1863 at a meeting of the Match Fund Committee which had been established two years earlier by the Sheffield club for the promotion of inter-county matches.[39]

An ad hoc team which was formed to play one match only against All-England at Darnall on 8 to 10 September 1828, All-England winning by 242 runs. The match arose from a challenge made by William Woolhouse on behalf of the northern counties to the rest of England. It backfired as the combined team, which featured Tom Marsden, could manage only 92 runs in the entire match against the roundarm bowling of Jem Broadbridge and William Lillywhite, while Fuller Pilch scored 49 and 56 for a personal match total of 105.