On the Greenwich ground in July 1804, William 'Silver Billy' Beldham — by then in his fortieth year and the most admired batter in England — made an unbeaten 144 for Surrey against an England XI. It was his highest score in major cricket, played on a rough out-ground in three consecutive sessions, and is one of the largest individual scores recorded in the underarm era.
Centuries in major cricket were rare in 1804: pitches were rough, bats narrow and bowling was almost entirely fast underarm. Fewer than a dozen are recorded for the whole decade.
Surrey were considered second favourites for the match. Beldham had been out of form through May and June and there was talk before the game of dropping him; he insisted on his place.
Beldham had been a regular in major cricket since 1787 and had carried the Hambledon batting tradition into the MCC age. By 1804 his hair was white — hence the nickname Silver Billy — and his style was the model that younger players studied. The Greenwich match was raised by London backers as a Surrey-versus-England contest with stakes of 500 guineas. Surrey, batting first, were 35 for 3 when Beldham came in. He played all of the second day and most of the third, scoring 144 not out from a Surrey total of 246. The bowling — Harris was already retired, but the attack included Tom Walker and the young John Hammond — was the strongest available. Beldham used the cut, the off-drive and a peculiar wristy flick through midwicket that contemporaries called 'the Beldham draw'.
23 Jul 1804: Surrey 35 for 3 when Beldham comes in
Reaches 50 with a cut for four off Hammond
Reaches 100 in the second day's first session
Survives a low chance to point on 117
Carries his bat, finishing 144 not out as the innings closes
1766
Beldham born at Wrecclesham, Surrey
1787
First major matches for Hambledon
23-25 Jul 1804
144* v England at Greenwich
1821
Final major match, aged 55
1862
Beldham dies, aged 96
“Beldham was a battery in himself. With him in, no bowling, however fierce, was safe.”
Surrey won the match by an innings. The 500-guinea stake was paid out at the close.
The defining innings of Beldham's late career, and one of the era's great scores.
Beldham's 144 stood as one of the highest underarm-era scores until William Ward's 278 at Lord's in 1820. It cemented Beldham's place as the model batter of his generation.
n/a
1811-07-04
The 1811 Lord's season was the leanest of the Middle Ground years. With the Napoleonic blockade at its tightest, willow scarce, professionals diverted to militia service and the betting public's purses thin, only fourteen major matches were played at Lord's all summer. The 1811 season is the clearest measure of cricket's wartime contraction.
Officers vs Civilians
1812-12-15
By the close of 1812 cricket was being played regularly in both Madras and Bombay — the earliest documented fixtures in either Presidency. Garrison officers and civilian East India Company servants ran the matches; the Madras Gazette and Bombay Courier preserved the earliest scoresheets. The Calcutta game (documented 1804) had been joined by all three Presidency capitals.
Kent vs MCC
1813-09-09
On 9-10 September 1813 Kent played the MCC at the Vine, Sevenoaks — the first post-war major match at the historic Kent ground and the start of the Vine's revival as a regular major venue. The Vine had hosted little major cricket since 1808; the September 1813 fixture marked its return to the front rank.