In May 1823 a small-format periodical titled The Cricketer's Companion appeared in London — the earliest documented dedicated cricket publication in any language. It contained match reports, instruction, scoresheets and short articles on the laws. Only four issues were published before the venture folded; surviving copies are scarce. It is the foundation entry of cricket-specialist journalism.
Cricket coverage in 1823 was confined to general sporting weeklies and to occasional features in newspapers. The Cricketer's Companion — published by an unknown London bookseller — was the first to attempt a dedicated cricket-only publication. Each issue ran to 24 octavo pages and cost sixpence. Subscriptions did not cover costs; the venture closed after four issues. The format anticipated, by twenty years, the Victorian cricket-magazine boom.
May 1823
First issue of The Cricketer's Companion
Aug 1823
Final (fourth) issue
1841
John Wisden's first cricket Almanack predecessors begin
1864
Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack established
The Cricketer's Companion's failure left cricket coverage to general sporting press until the 1840s, when dedicated cricket annuals began to appear.
The earliest documented dedicated cricket publication — a brief, premature precursor of cricket journalism.
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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.