First-class
56-555: One-day T20 Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales . It represents the historic county of Northamptonshire . Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks – a reference to the Northamptonshire Regiment which was formed in 1881. The name was supposedly a tribute to
112-422: A first-class , List A or Twenty20 cricket match: The Northamptonshire squad for the 2023 season consists of (this section could change as players are released or signed): This list is compiled of international cricketers who have played Test and/or ODI cricket. It also includes players who have been mentioned in the '100 Greats: Northamptonshire County Cricket Club' book. Therefore, making them notable to
168-876: A broken arm in a car crash that also resulted in the fatality of teammate, Reginald Northway . After the Second World War, things could only get better for Northamptonshire and they started by recruiting widely from other counties and countries, bringing in Freddie Brown from Surrey ; the Australians Jock Livingston , George Tribe and Jack Manning; the New Zealander Peter Arnold ; and the Cambridge University opening bat and leg-spinner Raman Subba Row . Brown joined as captain in 1949, and led
224-582: A combined Northants and Huntingdonshire XI. Woburn Cricket Club under the leadership of the Duke of Bedford was on the point of becoming a well known club. On Tuesday 18 August, a match played on the Cow Meadow near Northampton between two teams of amateurs from Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire is the earliest known instance of cricket being played in Northamptonshire county. On 31 July 1878,
280-631: A contemporary report (i.e., termed "a great match" in this case) and to have been played for a large sum of money was one in Sussex between two unnamed eleven-a-side teams contesting "fifty guineas apiece" in June 1697, a match of enormous historical significance but with no statistical data recorded. Vallance Jupp Vallance William Crisp Jupp (27 March 1891 – 9 July 1960) was an amateur cricketer who played for Sussex and Northamptonshire . Jupp also played eight Test matches for England , and
336-405: A county cap are given a new cap with yellow stripes on the maroon instead of a plain maroon cap. The following players have received caps: First-class cricket First-class cricket One Day International Limited overs (domestic) Twenty20 International Twenty20 (domestic) Other forms First-class cricket , along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket , is one of
392-728: A first-class match, that the ICC clearly stipulates that its match type list "is not exhaustive and is merely indicative of the matches which would fall into the first-class definition". For example, the list includes matches of recognised first-class teams versus international touring teams; and the leading domestic championships (using their then-current names) such as the County Championship , Sheffield Shield , Ranji Trophy , etc. The absence of any ICC ruling about matches played before 1947 (or before 1895 in Great Britain)
448-617: A line between what was important historically and what should form part of the statistical record. Hence, for pre-1895 (i.e., in Great Britain) cricket matches, "first-class" is essentially a statistical concept while the historical concept is broader and takes account of historical significance. Webber's rationale was that cricket was "generally weak before 1864" (there was a greater and increasingly more organised effort to promote county cricket from about that time) and match details were largely incomplete, especially bowling analyses, which hindered compilation of records. According to Webber's view,
504-604: A post he held until 1931. He continued as a player for the county until 1939. Jupp achieved the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a season ten times, and along with Freddie Brown is one of the only two cricketers to have achieved that feat for two different teams. Ironically, his best season as a bowler was the one after the one for which he was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year – in 1928 he took 166 wickets at 20.15. He continued playing first-class cricket for Northamptonshire until 1938, but did not play at all in 1934 or 1935. This
560-427: A season, Northamptonshire could only finish above second from last four times between 1923 and 1948, finishing last every year from 1934 to 1938 and enduring a run of 99 matches from 14 May 1935 to 29 May 1939 without a single championship victory, a record that has never been beaten and doesn't look like being beaten in the future. Things got worse for Northamptonshire during this time when Bakewell's career ended due to
616-493: A weak batting line-up meant that the team remained close to the bottom of the championship table until Sydney Smith arrived in 1909. After three years in the middle of the table, Northants surprisingly improved to finish second in 1912 and fourth in 1913. Thompson, Smith and William "Bumper" Wells formed one of the strongest attacks in county cricket at the time, whilst Smith and Haywood were the county's best batsmen. Thompson and Smith finished playing after World War I and, during
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#1732791142103672-634: Is "taking" the first-class matches to be one against Sydney ( sic ), two each against Victoria , the Combined team and the Australian Eleven, and another against South Australia . In the fourth issue on 1 June 1882, James Lillywhite refers to first-class matches on the tour but gives a different list. The earliest known match scorecards date from 1744 but few have been found before 1772. The cards for three 1772 matches have survived and scorecards became increasingly common thereafter. At
728-399: Is a fairly comprehensive store of data about 19th century matches, certainly since 1825. Subsequently, Webber's view was challenged by Bill Frindall who believed that 1815 should be the startpoint to encompass the entire roundarm bowling phase of cricket's history, although roundarm did not begin in earnest until 1827. In Frindall's view, the inaugural first-class match should have been
784-399: Is because of the fact – unmentioned by Wisden at the time – that he had been convicted of manslaughter after his car had been in collision with a motorcycle, killing the latter's pillion passenger. Jupp was sentenced to nine months in prison, and was released in June 1935 after serving half his sentence, but did not play cricket again until the following year. Jupp collapsed and died in
840-457: Is problematic for those cricket statisticians who wish to categorise earlier matches in the same way. They have responded by compiling their own match lists and allocating a strictly unofficial first-class status to the matches they consider to have been of a high standard. It is therefore a matter of opinion only with no official support. Inevitable differences have arisen and there are variations in published cricket statistics . In November 2021,
896-484: Is unknown, but the term was used loosely before it acquired official status in 1895, following a meeting of leading English clubs. At a meeting of the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) in 1947, it was formally defined on a global basis. A significant omission of the ICC ruling was any attempt to define first-class cricket retrospectively. That has left historians, and especially statisticians, with
952-602: The County Championship . They also played in the North Division of the Royal London One-Day Cup and the North Division of the T20 Blast . Cricket had probably reached Northamptonshire by the end of the 17th century and the first two references to cricket in the county are within a few days of each other in 1741. On Monday 10 August, there was a match at Woburn Park between a Bedfordshire XI and
1008-596: The ACS had published its Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles, 1709–1863 in which it listed all the known matches during that period which it considered to have historical importance. The ACS did stipulate that they had taken a more lenient view of importance regarding matches played in the 18th century than they did of matches played in the 19th century. As they explained, surviving details of 18th century matches are typically incomplete while there
1064-464: The ACS' Important Matches guide, which have left no scorecard and for which only a brief announcement or report exists, must be based on other factors. Contemporary importance was often measured by the amount of money at stake and the fact that a match was deemed notable enough to be reported in the press. The 18th century matches in the ACS list were primarily compiled to assist historians. The earliest match known to have been accorded superior status in
1120-419: The ICC and the application of ICC conditions when the match is played. In 2010, the ICC published its Classification of Official Cricket which includes the criteria with which a match must comply to achieve a desired categorisation. In the section on first-class cricket, there is a list of the types of match that should qualify. It is important to note, given the differences in opinion about what constitutes
1176-463: The ICC retrospectively applied first-class status to women's cricket , aligning it with the men's game. A key issue for the statisticians is when first-class cricket for their purpose is deemed to have begun. Writing in 1951, Roy Webber argued that the majority of matches prior to 1864 (i.e., the year in which overarm bowling was legalised) "cannot be regarded as first-class" and their records are used "for their historical associations". This drew
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#17327911421031232-679: The South African-born batsman Allan Lamb ; fast bowler David Larter ; the hard hitting opener Colin Milburn , whose career was cut tragically short by an eye injury sustained in a car crash; the reliable batsmen David Steele and Rob Bailey ; opening batsman Wayne Larkins ; and all-rounders Peter Willey and David Capel . Several notable overseas players such as Matthew Hayden , Curtly Ambrose , André Nel , Kapil Dev , Mike Hussey , Sarfraz Nawaz , Mushtaq Mohammad , Anil Kumble , Dennis Lillee and Bishen Bedi have starred for
1288-549: The Steelbacks once again won the competition in 2016, defeating Durham by 4 wickets. Most first-class runs for Northamptonshire Qualification – 20,000 runs Most first-class wickets for Northamptonshire Qualification – 800 wickets Team totals Record partnership for each wicket As with all county cricket clubs, Northamptonshire CCC represents the historic county and not any modern or current administrative unit. In Northamptonshire's case, this means
1344-697: The answers. In 1880, the Cricket Reporting Agency was founded. It acquired influence through the decade especially by association with Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ( Wisden ) and the press came to generally rely on its information and opinions. The term acquired official status, though limited to matches in Great Britain, following a meeting at Lord's in May 1894 between the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) committee and
1400-511: The ball so well that when occasion demanded he could play a rigidly defensive game, while on a fast wicket there were few cricketers of his day better worth watching. He possessed a wide variety of strokes, and could drive or cut with equal power and facility. His footwork, too, was so good that on a treacherous pitch he was a particularly valuable batsman. Before the First World War, and for a time afterwards he bowled medium pace rather on
1456-400: The beginning of the 1860s, there were only four formally constituted county clubs. Sussex was the oldest, formed in 1839, and it had been followed by Kent , Nottinghamshire and Surrey . In the early 1860s, several more county clubs were founded, and questions began to be raised in the sporting press about which should be categorised as first-class, but there was considerable disagreement in
1512-402: The best all-round amateur in first-class cricket at the time. Jupp played regularly for Sussex after his first year with them, making such steady improvement that in 1914, with a highest innings of 217 not out, against Worcestershire at Worcester, he finished third in the batting figures, and had an average of over 36. In that season he scored over 1,500 runs and, with fifty-one wickets, headed
1568-903: The bowling. By this time it was obvious Sussex had discovered one of the most promising all-round players in the country. On the outbreak of the First World War he joined the Royal Engineers in December 1914, and served in France, Salonika and Palestine where he transferred as a cadet to the Royal Air Force (despite this absence, Jupp features helping out at a fête in Sussex in 1915 in William Boyd 's novel Waiting for Sunrise ). Demobilised in July 1919, he played for Sussex as an amateur in
1624-552: The club, which was particularly formidable as a one-day batting outfit in the late 1970s and early 1980s. More recently, Lance Klusener and Monty Panesar have been notable players. Northants have recently been criticised for the number of Kolpak players in the team, but for the 2009 season there were only three in Andrew Hall , Johan van der Wath and Nicky Boje , and only one in 2013 in Hall. Northamptonshire have played in
1680-431: The country's highest playing standard. Later ICC rulings make it possible for international teams from associate members of the ICC to achieve first-class status but it is dependent on the status of their opponents in a given match. According to the ICC definition, a match may be adjudged first-class if: A Test match is a first-class match played between two ICC full member countries, subject to their current status at
1736-542: The county and international cricket scene. England Australia South Africa India Pakistan West Indies New Zealand Zimbabwe Ireland Sri Lanka Scotland A complete list of officially appointed Northamptonshire captains can be found here: List of Northamptonshire cricket captains . Notable captains : Northamptonshire do not automatically award caps to players on their first appearance; instead, they have to be 'earned' through good performances. In recent times, cricketers who are awarded
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-652: The county of Northamptonshire and the Town of Northampton , although the club have in the past played some home matches outside the historic borders such as in Luton and Milton Keynes . Northamptonshire first played at the county ground in Northampton in 1905 , and continue to do so till this day even though Northampton Town F.C. shared the ground up until 1994 when the Cobblers moved to Sixfields Stadium . After
1848-489: The domestic T20 Blast competition since its inaugural season in 2003. They play as the Northants Steeelbacks, taking their nickname from the Northamptonshire Regiment . Under the captaincy of Alex Wakely they first won the competition in 2013, defeating Surrey by 102 runs (D/L). This was the first white ball trophy won by the county since 1992. After finishing runners up to Lancashire in the 2015 edition,
1904-549: The football club moved, the ground at the Abington Avenue was demolished and replaced by a new indoor school which includes seating looking on to the ground. In 2009, Northants cricket announced plans to improve the ground by building two new stands on the scoreboard side of the ground, there will also be a permanent commentary box with a view to have a 'mini Lord's ' style media centre. This following table gives details of every venue at which Northamptonshire have hosted
1960-428: The highest-standard forms of cricket . A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adjudged to be worthy of the status by virtue of the standard of the competing teams. Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings each, although in practice a team might play only one innings or none at all. The etymology of "first-class cricket"
2016-577: The inaugural first-class match was the opening game of the 1864 season between Cambridge University and MCC at Fenner's on 12 and 13 May, Cambridge winning by 6 wickets. When the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) published its Guide to First-Class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles in 1982, it tentatively agreed with Webber's 1864 start date by saying that "the line between first-class and other matches becomes more easily discernible about that date". A year earlier,
2072-435: The inaugural first-class match was the opening game of the 1895 season between MCC and Nottinghamshire at Lord's on 1 and 2 May, MCC winning by 37 runs. " Test match " was another loosely applied term at the time but the first list of matches considered to be "Tests" was conceived and published by South Australian journalist Clarence P. Moody in his 1894 book, Australian Cricket and Cricketers, 1856 to 1893–94 . His proposal
2128-412: The inter-war period, Northamptonshire were regularly one of the weaker championship sides. This was exacerbated when Vallance Jupp declined due to age and, despite the arrival of Nobby Clark , a young left arm fast bowler from Huntingdonshire who burst onto the scene at the age of 20 in 1922 with 20 wickets at an average of 17.10 and Fred Bakewell , an exciting batsman who regularly exceeded 1000 runs
2184-717: The internet, the CricketArchive (CA) and ESPN Cricinfo (CI) databases both say the earliest first-class match was Hampshire v England at Broadhalfpenny Down on 24 and 25 June 1772. At that time, cricket matches were played with a two-stump wicket and exclusively underarm bowling , although other features of the modern game had been introduced. The opinion of these databases has been repudiated by both Wisden and Playfair Cricket Annual . Wisden agrees with Frindall by commencing its first-class records in 1815. Playfair supports Webber and begins its records in 1864. The status of earlier matches, including many in
2240-551: The late 1950s and early 1960s, during this time Keith Andrew , Northants best ever Wicket-keeper broke the records of most victims in an innings and a season. Subsequently, the club has seen mixed fortunes. The club has had intermittent success in one-day competitions, but it has still not won the County Championship, although second place was achieved in each of 1957, 1965 and 1976. Nonetheless, it has included several famous players qualified for England, including
2296-580: The majority of its games at the County Cricket Ground, Northampton , but has used outlier grounds at Kettering , Wellingborough , Rushden and Peterborough (historically part of Northamptonshire, but currently governed with Cambridgeshire ) in the past. It has also used grounds outside the county for one-day games: for example, at Luton , Tring and Milton Keynes . During the 2022 season, Northamptonshire played in Division One of
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2352-574: The official formation of Northants CCC took place at a meeting in the George Hotel, Kettering based on an existing organisation that dated back to 1820. The 1820 date, if it could be verified, would make Northants the oldest club in the present-day County Championship . The club came to prominence in the Minor Counties Championship during the 1890s as, between 1900 and 1904, the bowling of George Thompson and William East
2408-527: The opening game of the 1815 season between MCC and Middlesex at Lord's on 31 May and 1 June, Middlesex winning by 16 runs. Notwithstanding Frindall's reputation, Webber's view has been revived and reinforced in recent times. For example, the Kent researcher Derek Carlaw began his study of Kent cricketers since 1806 by stating: "Part One is confined to players who appeared for Kent in important matches from 1806 to 1863 and first-class matches from 1864 to 1914". On
2464-590: The problem of how to categorise earlier matches, especially those played in Great Britain before 1895. The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS) has published a list of early matches which are believed to have been of a high standard. Test cricket , the highest standard of cricket, is statistically a form of first-class cricket, though the term "first-class" is mainly used to refer to domestic competition. A player's first-class statistics include any performances in Test matches. Before 1894 "first-class"
2520-455: The quick side, but later took a shorter run, and became a slow to slow-medium bowler. Few bowlers of the 1920s spun the ball as much as he did and, with a wicket to help him, he could make it turn to a pronounced degree. One of the secrets of his success as a bowler was his cleverness in adapting himself to the changing conditions of a pitch. He was also rated as a brilliant fieldsman at cover point. In 1927 Jupp became captain of Northamptonshire,
2576-477: The remaining matches of that season, and very quickly showed that over four years absence from cricket had not impaired his powers. In 1921 he scored nearly 2,000 runs, heading the county batting with an average of over 47, and took 93 wickets for rather less than 23 runs apiece, At the end of the summer of 1920 he received an invitation to be a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team in Australia , but
2632-486: The secretaries of the clubs involved in the official County Championship , which had begun in 1890. As a result, those clubs became first-class from 1895 along with MCC, Cambridge University , Oxford University , senior cricket touring teams (i.e., Australia and South Africa at that time) and other teams designated as such by MCC (e.g., North v South , Gentlemen v Players and occasional "elevens" which consisted of recognised first-class players). Officially, therefore,
2688-504: The soldiers' apparent indifference to the harsh discipline imposed by their officers. Founded in 1878, Northamptonshire (Northants) held minor status at first but was a prominent member of the early Minor Counties Championship during the 1890s. In 1905, the club joined the County Championship and was elevated to first-class status, since when the team have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. The club plays
2744-617: The status of teams. For example, MCC was authorised to determine the status of matches played in Great Britain. To all intents and purposes, the 1947 ICC definition confirmed the 1894 MCC definition, and gave it international recognition and usage. Hence, official judgment of status is the responsibility of the governing body in each country that is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The governing body grants first-class status to international teams and to domestic teams that are representative of
2800-417: The team to six place in his first season after previous years of disappointment. Under the new leadership of Dennis Brookes (a stalwart batsman for over 20 years), finished second in 1957, their best finish for 45 years. This was mainly due to the bowling attack of Frank Tyson , Vincent Broderick , Michael Allen , George Tribe and Manning. Northamptonshire were widely considered the best team in England in
2856-542: Was a common adjective applied to cricket matches in England, used loosely to suggest that a match had a high standard; adjectives like "great", "important" and "major" were also loosely applied to such matches, but there tended to be differences of opinion. In the inaugural issue of Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game on 10 May 1882, the term is used twice on page 2 in reference to the recently completed tour of Australia and New Zealand by Alfred Shaw's XI . The report says it
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#17327911421032912-540: Was formally defined by the then Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) on 19 May 1947. It was made clear that the definition "will not have retrospective effect". The definition is as follows: A match of three or more days' duration between two sides of eleven players officially adjudged first-class, shall be regarded as a first-class fixture. Matches in which either team have more than eleven players or which are scheduled for less than three days shall not be regarded as first-class. The Governing body in each country shall decide
2968-414: Was much too good for almost all batsmen at that level. The county applied for first-class status in 1904 and was promoted the following year when it joined the County Championship. They played its inaugural first-class match versus Hampshire CCC at Southampton on 18, 19 & 20 May 1905 when making its County Championship debut. Although Thompson and East proved themselves to be bowlers of high class,
3024-652: Was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1928. Born 27 March 1891 in Burgess Hill , Sussex, England, Jupp started his career in 1909 with Sussex, before moving to Northamptonshire in 1921 to take up the secretaryship of the club. This provided Jupp with an income and allowed him to retain his status as an "amateur" cricket player (he was paid to be club secretary, not to play cricket). After he qualified to play for Northamptonshire by residence, he assisted that county, and by 1927 was, in Wisden's opinion,
3080-497: Was unable to accept. Two years afterwards, however, he went to South Africa under the captaincy of Frank Mann , but did not reproduce his English form. In 1921 he played for England against Australia at Trent Bridge and Headingley . He went on to play four Tests against South Africa in 1922/3 and two Tests against the West Indies in 1928. As a batsman Jupp struck the happy medium between enterprise and caution. He watched
3136-610: Was widely accepted after a list of 39 matches was reproduced in the 28 December 1894 issue of Cricket magazine. The list began with the Melbourne Cricket Ground match played 15–17 March 1877 and ended with a recent match at the Association Ground, Sydney played 14–20 December 1894. All of Moody's matches, plus four additional ones, were retrospectively recognised as Test matches and also, thereby, as first-class matches. The term "first-class cricket"
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