Contents
Early Cricket History
Moulsey Hurst is in West Molesey, Surrey on the south bank of the River Thames above Molesey Lock. It is an area of common land and has been used as a sporting venues since the Eighteenth Century, including not just cricket but prize fighting and horse racing as well. The first mention of a cricket game was in 1723, and in 1731 Kingston played the County of Surrey in front of thousands. As with other London Grounds, there was a falling away of cricket during the Seven Years’ War and subsequently, recovering in the last fifteen years of the century.

1790 – Cricket at Moulsey Hurst – James Ward
A very famous painting of a match at Moulsey Hurst. The view across the river includes the church tower, the small island, Garrick’s Ait, and Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare.
Important Matches
Date | Home team | Away team | |
1 | 14 Jul 1731 | Hampton | Brentford |
2 | Sep 1731 | Surrey | Kingston |
3 | 11 Jul 1733 | Surrey | Middlesex |
4 | 01 Aug 1733 | Surrey and Middlesex | Kent |
5 | 31 Aug 1733 | Prince of Wales’ XI | Sir William Gage’s XI |
6 | 07 Jun 1735 | Surrey | London |
7 | 25 Jun 1735 | Surrey | London |
8 | 12 Jul 1735 | Kent | London and Middlesex |
9 | 21 Aug 1736 | Surrey | Middlesex |
10 | 11 Sep 1736 | Surrey | Middlesex |
11 | 27 Jul 1737 | Surrey | London |
12 | 06 Sep 1737 | Chertsey | London |
13 | 12 Jul 1739 | Kingston and Moulsey | London |
14 | 09 Jul 1740 | Richmond and Moulsey | London |
15 | 23 Aug 1742 | Surrey | England |
16 | 14 May 1744 | Surrey | England |
17 | 06 Jul 1744 | not known | not known |
18 | 24 Aug 1744 | Surrey | London |
19 | 21 Aug 1745 | Surrey | Sussex |
20 | 04 Sep 1751 | Richmond | Hampton and Kingston |
21 | 26 Aug 1757 | Chertsey | Hampton |
22 | 07 Sep 1762 | Chertsey | Middlesex |
23 | 11 Sep 1770 | Chertsey | Hampton |
24 | 31 May 1775 | not known | not known |
25 | 05 Jun 1776 | Hampshire | Kent |
26 | 13 Sep 1779 | England | Hampshire |
27 | 02 Aug 1786 | A to C | Rest of the Alphabet |
28 | 03 Jul 1787 | White Conduit Club and Moulsey Hurst | Hornchurch |
29 | 09 Jun 1788 | Surrey | Hampshire |
30 | 15 Jul 1788 | Surrey | Kent |
31 | 01 Jun 1789 | Surrey Colts | Hampshire Colts |
32 | 10 Jun 1789 | Surrey | Kent |
33 | 30 Jul 1789 | Surrey | Hampshire |
34 | 06 Jul 1795 | Surrey | England |
35 | 08 Jul 1795 | C Lennox’s XI | Earl of Winchilsea’s XI |
36 | 10 Aug 1795 | Surrey | England |
37 | 12 Aug 1795 | Surrey | England |
38 | 21 Aug 1797 | England | Marylebone Cricket Club |
Subsequent
The ground continued as an important cricket venue onto the nineteenth century. In 1806, England beat Surrey by six wickets. The 1872 Ordnance Survey map shows a racecourse marked Molesey Hurst in this position – this subsequently became Hurst Park which operated from 1890 to 1962. The location of the cricket ground was probably in the centre of the racecourse. In the mid 1870s the club moved a short distance to its present location and in 1879 was renamed East Molesey CC, which it remains to this day. And a lovely ground it is too.

On the Hurst, either on the cricket field or very near to it, there are now a series of heritage markers, each one commemorating an activity that has previously taken place at this location. One is, of course, devoted to cricket and includes an outline of Lane’s famous painting.
Pleasingly, the area of the former cricket field is open parkland, probably not dissimilar to how it was when matches were being played there. If you visit there, imagine the grass trimmed a little with a scythe, that is pretty much how paying conditions would have been for the great matches listed above. Or so I think.
Further reading
Here is a great article about cricket and other sport on the Hurst. In terms of cricket, it is guilty of the common omission of failing to adequately distinguish between the hockey-style bat and the shoulderless bat – but – it is a great read.