1884 English cricket season
The 1884 English cricket season saw Fred Spofforth, an overseas bowler, take the most wickets, but saw England avenge its loss to the touring Australians in 1882.
Champion County[a]
Playing record (by county)[1]
| County | Played | Won | Lost | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Gloucestershire | 12 | 1 | 8 | 3[b] |
| Hampshire | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| Kent | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| Lancashire | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1[b] |
| Middlesex | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Nottinghamshire | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
| Somerset | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Surrey | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 |
| Sussex | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 |
| Yorkshire | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
Derbyshire’s ignominy of losing every game has been repeated since in county cricket only by the same club in 1920.
Ashes tour
Leading batsmen (qualification 20 innings)
| 1884 English season leading batsmen[2] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Matches | Innings | Not outs | Runs | Highest score | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Allan Steel | Lancashire England MCC | 16 | 28 | 3 | 967 | 148 | 38.68 | 2 | 2 |
| William Scotton | Nottinghamshire England MCC | 19 | 31 | 5 | 897 | 134 | 34.50 | 2 | 3 |
| WG Grace | Gloucestershire England MCC | 26 | 45 | 5 | 1361 | 116 | 34.02 | 3 | 2 |
| Lord Harris | Kent England MCC | 25 | 47 | 5 | 1417 | 112 not out | 33.73 | 3 | 6 |
| Billy Newham | Sussex | 12 | 23 | 0 | 741 | 137 | 32.21 | 2 | 5 |
Leading bowlers (qualification 1,000 balls)
| 1884 English season leading bowlers[3] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Balls bowled | Runs conceded | Wickets taken | Average | Best bowling | 5 wickets in innings |
10 wickets in match |
| Alfred Shaw | Nottinghamshire | 2968 | 744 | 71 | 10.47 | 8/28 | 7 | 2 |
| Tom Emmett | Yorkshire England | 4128 | 1250 | 107 | 11.68 | 8/32 | 10 | 3 |
| William Attewell | Nottinghamshire | 4600 | 1217 | 101 | 12.04 | 8/22 | 8 | 3 |
| John Crossland | Lancashire | 2100 | 893 | 71 | 12.57 | 7/35 | 6 | 3 |
| Fred Spofforth | Australians | 6308 | 2654 | 207 | 12.82 | 8/62 | 22 | 10 |
Notable events
- 31 July and 1 August: Alfred Shaw achieved the notable feat of doing the hat-trick in each innings against Gloucestershire.[4]
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.
b The match between Lancashire and Gloucestershire scheduled for 24 to 26 July was abandoned on the announcement of the death of Mrs Grace, mother of WG and EM Grace. It is shown as a draw.
References
- ↑ Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Rigby A-Z of Cricket Records; p. 54 ISBN 072701868X
- ↑ First Class Batting in England in 1884
- ↑ First Class Bowling in England in 1884
- ↑ Nottinghamshire v Gloucestershire in 1884
Annual reviews
- John Lillywhite’s Cricketer’s Companion (Green Lilly), Lillywhite, 1885
- James Lillywhite’s Cricketers’ Annual (Red Lilly), Lillywhite, 1885
- John Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack 1885