Hambledon Club

Hambledon (Cricket) Club was formed just outside Hambledon, Hampshire 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. Hambledon's stature grew over the next 20 years till by the late 1770s it was the foremost cricket club in England. The club produced several famous players: e.g., John Small, Sr, Thomas Brett and Richard Nyren.

Related Topics:
Hambledon, Hampshire - 1750 - 1756 - Dartford - England - John Small, Sr - Thomas Brett - Richard Nyren

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Hambledon's great days ended in the 1780s with a shift in focus from the rural counties of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire to metropolitan London where Lord's was established by the new Marylebone Cricket Club in 1787. The last meeting was held on 21 September 1796 where the minutes read only that "No Gentlemen were present".

Related Topics:
Kent - Sussex - Hampshire - London - Lord's - Marylebone Cricket Club - 1787 - 21 September - 1796 - Gentlemen

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The cricket club had a famous round of six toasts:

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:6. The Queen's mother

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:5. Her (His) Majesty the Queen (King)

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:4. The Hambledon Club

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:3. Cricket

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:2. The Immortal Memory of Madge

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:1. The President.

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In 1999 some people local to Hambledon restarted the club. An excellent description of the revival and, indeed, the whole history of the Hambledon Club can be read in The Glory Days of Cricket by Ashley Mote.

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