In May 1829 Eton College formally organised its Upper Club ground — the principal cricket field of the school — with a dedicated committee, paid groundsman and fixed boundary. The reorganisation marked Eton's transition from informal to fully institutional school cricket and is the foundation entry of the modern Upper Club tradition.
Cricket at Eton had been documented since the 1805 Byron match against Harrow. Through the 1810s and 1820s the school's cricket grounds — Upper Club for the senior boys, Lower for the junior — were maintained informally by the boys themselves. In May 1829 the school provost authorised a formal cricket committee and the appointment of a paid groundsman. The Upper Club ground was given fixed boundaries and a regular maintenance regime.
1805
First Eton v Harrow match
1822
Annual Eton v Harrow fixture established
May 1829
Upper Club ground formally organised
The Upper Club has been continuously used as Eton's principal cricket ground since 1829. It hosts the annual Eton v Harrow match in alternate years.
The institutionalisation of school cricket at Eton — and the foundation of the modern Upper Club tradition.
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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.