In August 1828 the MCC despatched its first tour to the north of England — playing Sheffield at Darnall and Manchester at the Wybrow Common ground. The tour lost both matches but established a regular MCC presence in the industrial north and is the foundation entry of MCC's nineteenth-century tour calendar.
MCC tours had begun with the 1809 Petersfield visit and had grown gradually through the 1810s and 1820s. The August 1828 trip to Sheffield and Manchester — by mail-coach over five days — was the first to the industrial north. MCC fielded a strong side; Sheffield won at Darnall by 19 runs and Manchester at Wybrow Common by 4 wickets. The tour was the first of an annual northern circuit that lasted into the 1850s.
Aug 1828
First MCC northern tour
1840s
Annual MCC tours of the industrial north
Northern tours became annual. By the 1840s MCC sides were touring as far as Newcastle and Carlisle.
The MCC's first formal northern tour — a recognition of the rising cricket strength of the industrial north.
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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.