The earliest references to cricket in Sheffield (and in Yorkshire too) are re some local matches being played in 1751. It is believed a Sheffield club was founded soon after that date and it began to play matches against teams from other northern towns, including some inter-county fixtures. For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... Look up Yorkshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Events Adam Smith is appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow March 25 - For the last time, New Years Day is legally on March 25 in England and Wales. ...

Sheffield quickly became the main centre for cricket in Yorkshire. In 1757, we read of a match in September between Wirksworth and Sheffield at Brampton Moor, near Chesterfield. This is the earliest reference to cricket in Derbyshire. It may also be the earliest indication of the Sheffield club that eventually became Yorkshire CCC. 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, and boasts some of Englands most attractive scenery. ... Yorkshire County Cricket Club is a county cricket club based at Headingley in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. ...

William White's History & General Directory of the Borough of Sheffield (1833) has the following information: "In 1757 we find the Town Trustees attempting the abolition of brutal sports by paying 14s6d to the cricket players on Shrove Tuesday to entertain the populace and prevent the infamous practice of throwing at cocks". Mr White does not give the primary source from which he himself derived the information but it would likely be in parish or town records of some kind which may or may not still exist.

On Thurs 5 September 1765, the London Chronicle reported a "great match" on Mon 26 August: Leeds v Sheffield at Chapeltown Moor, near Leeds. Sheffield won "with great difficulty". As this game was highly rated and was reported by a London newspaper, it shows that cricket was well-established in Yorkshire only 14 years after it was first reported there.

In August 1771, we have the first of many matches between Sheffield and Nottingham. This one took place on the Forest Racecourse at Nottingham and is surprisingly the earliest known reference to cricket in Nottinghamshire and involving a Nottinghamshire team. The result of the game is unknown because "of a dispute having arisen by one of the Sheffield players being jostled"! The reports mention a Sheffield player called Osguthorpe (sic) who "kept in batting for several hours together". We may tentatively regard this match as the beginning of county-level first-class cricket in Yorkshire. The Sheffield club was representative of the county in a similar fashion to Nottingham and (much later) Manchester. Although standards of play in the south were much higher than in the north at this time, the same scenario can be observed re the Hornchurch, Maidenhead, Chertsey, Dartford and Hambledon clubs in their respective counties. Cricket in Nottinghamshire has been traced to a match between Nottingham and Sheffield at the Forest Racecourse, Nottingham in 1771. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th Century, perhaps sooner. ... Hambledon (Cricket) Club was formed before 1750 and became prominent by 1756 when it played a series of three matches versus Dartford, which had itself been a major club for at least 30 years. ...

In 1772, the Daily Messenger carried reports of a match in Sheffield on Monday 1 June in which Sheffield defeated Nottingham.

The Sheffield club continued to play occasional first-class matches, mainly against other northern clubs. In September 1833, we see the first use of Yorkshire as the team name instead of Sheffield. This was in the Yorkshire v Norfolk match at Hyde Park Ground, Sheffield which Yorkshire won by 120 runs. The great Fuller Pilch was still playing for Norfolk. But Yorkshire was by now finding star players of its own, especially the fast bowling all-rounder Tom Marsden. Fuller Pilch (born March 17, 1804, Horningtoft, Norfolk - died May 1, 1870, Canterbury, Kent) was an English cricketer and the best batsman of his time. ...

Although the Sheffield and Manchester clubs had met previously, there was a significant event on 23, 24 & 25 July 1849 when Yorkshire played Lancashire at Hyde Park Ground, Sheffield. This was the first match to involve a Lancashire county team and also, therefore, the first "Roses" match. Yorkshire won by 5 wickets.

Records (first-class matches only)

• Highest team total: 282 v Manchester, Botanical Gardens, Manchester, 1854
• Lowest team total: 39 v Nottingham, The Forest New Ground, Nottingham, 1829
• Highest individual innings: 125 by Tom Marsden v Nottingham, Nottingham, 1828
• Best bowling: 7-38 by Henry Wright v Manchester, Hyde Park Ground, Sheffield, 1852

See also : Yorkshire cricket team and Yorkshire County Cricket Club The City of Manchester is a major city and metropolitan borough in the North of England, historically notable for its central role in the Industrial Revolution. ... Nottingham is a city (and county town of Nottinghamshire) in the East Midlands of England. ... For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Yorkshire County Cricket Club are a county cricket club based at the Headingley Carnegie Cricket Ground, Leeds. ...

Sources

• A Social History of English Cricket by Derek Birley
• Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians - various publications
• Cricket: History of its Growth and Development by Rowland Bowen
• Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket by G B Buckley (FL18)
• Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket by G B Buckley (FLPV)
• From the Weald to the World by Peter Wynne-Thomas (PWT)
• Hamlyn A-Z of Cricket Records by Peter Wynne-Thomas
• Playfair Cricket Annual : various issues
• Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 by Arthur Haygarth (SBnnn)
• The Cricketer magazine (Cktr)
• Wisden Cricketers Almanack (annual): various issues