1875 English cricket season
1875 was the 89th season of cricket in England since the foundation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Nottinghamshire regained its place as the unofficial "Champion County". It was in many ways the last season before pitches began to improve and produce much heavier scoring: it was definitely the last season where "dead shooters" were frequently seen at Lord's[1] before the heavy roller made for regular bounce there.
Champion County
Playing record (by county)
| County | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Gloucestershire | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Hampshire | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Kent | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Lancashire | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Middlesex | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Nottinghamshire | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Surrey | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Sussex | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Yorkshire | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
Leading batsmen (qualification 20 innings)
| 1875 English season leading batsmen[3] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Matches | Innings | Not outs | Runs | Highest score | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Lord Harris | Kent MCC | 13 | 22 | 3 | 682 | 92 | 35.89 | 0 | 5 |
| W. G. Grace | Gloucestershire MCC | 26 | 48 | 2 | 1498 | 152 | 32.56 | 3 | 5 |
| A. N. Hornby | Lancashire MCC | 13 | 22 | 1 | 646 | 78 not out | 30.76 | 0 | 4 |
| Fred Grace | Gloucestershire | 22 | 39 | 4 | 978 | 180 not out | 27.94 | 3 | 2 |
| Ephraim Lockwood | Yorkshire | 22 | 39 | 4 | 968 | 74 | 27.65 | 0 | 5 |
Leading bowlers (qualification 800 balls)
| 1875 English season leading bowlers[4] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Balls bowled | Runs conceded | Wickets taken | Average | Best bowling | 5 wickets in innings |
10 wickets in match |
| William Mycroft | Derbyshire | 2284 | 664 | 90 | 7.37 | 9/80 | 13 | 6 |
| Alfred Shaw | Nottinghamshire MCC | 7021 | 1495 | 160 | 9.34 | 8/25 | 16 | 5 |
| Alec Watson | Lancashire | 893 | 331 | 28 | 11.82 | 5/57 | 1 | 0 |
| William Clarke | Nottinghamshire | 919 | 281 | 23 | 12.21 | 5/19 | 3 | 0 |
| WG Grace | Gloucestershire MCC | 6765 | 2473 | 191 | 12.94 | 9/48 | 22 | 8 |
Events
- Hampshire County Cricket Club returned to first-class county cricket after four seasons absence.
- 18 August: formation of Somerset County Cricket Club by a team of amateurs at a meeting in Sidmouth, Devonshire, immediately after a match against a local side.
Notes
a An unofficial seasonal title sometimes proclaimed by consensus of media and historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted. Although there are ante-dated claims prior to 1873, when residence qualifications were introduced, it is only since that ruling that any quasi-official status can be ascribed.
References
- "The Memorial Biography of Dr. W.G. Grace"
- Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Rigby A-Z of Cricket Records; p. 53 ISBN 072701868X
- First Class Batting in England in 1875
- First Class Bowling in England in 1875
Annual reviews
- John Lillywhite’s Cricketer’s Companion (Green Lilly), Lillywhite, 1876
- James Lillywhite’s Cricketers’ Annual (Red Lilly), Lillywhite, 1876
- John Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack 1876