Mousley Hurst

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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

DateHome teamAway team
114 Jul 1731HamptonBrentford
2Sep 1731SurreyKingston
311 Jul 1733SurreyMiddlesex
401 Aug 1733Surrey and MiddlesexKent
531 Aug 1733Prince of Wales’ XISir William Gage’s XI
607 Jun 1735SurreyLondon
725 Jun 1735SurreyLondon
812 Jul 1735KentLondon and Middlesex
921 Aug 1736SurreyMiddlesex
1011 Sep 1736SurreyMiddlesex
1127 Jul 1737SurreyLondon
1206 Sep 1737ChertseyLondon
1312 Jul 1739Kingston and MoulseyLondon
1409 Jul 1740Richmond and MoulseyLondon
1523 Aug 1742SurreyEngland
1614 May 1744SurreyEngland
1706 Jul 1744not knownnot known
1824 Aug 1744SurreyLondon
1921 Aug 1745SurreySussex
2004 Sep 1751RichmondHampton and Kingston
2126 Aug 1757ChertseyHampton
2207 Sep 1762ChertseyMiddlesex
2311 Sep 1770ChertseyHampton
2431 May 1775not knownnot known
2505 Jun 1776HampshireKent
2613 Sep 1779EnglandHampshire
2702 Aug 1786A to CRest of the Alphabet
2803 Jul 1787White Conduit Club and Moulsey HurstHornchurch
2909 Jun 1788SurreyHampshire
3015 Jul 1788SurreyKent
3101 Jun 1789Surrey ColtsHampshire Colts
3210 Jun 1789SurreyKent
3330 Jul 1789SurreyHampshire
3406 Jul 1795SurreyEngland
3508 Jul 1795C Lennox’s XIEarl of Winchilsea’s XI
3610 Aug 1795SurreyEngland
3712 Aug 1795SurreyEngland
3821 Aug 1797EnglandMarylebone 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.

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