On 26-27 July 1819 Sussex played Kent on the Steine at Brighton — the first formal Sussex v Kent fixture since the Napoleonic Wars and the start of one of the longest-running rivalries in English county cricket. Sussex won by seven wickets, helped by 67 from George Brown and a 44 from John Hammond. The fixture was repeated annually thereafter and is the foundation entry of the modern Sussex-Kent series.
Sussex had emerged as a major county since 1801. Kent had been a major county since the eighteenth century. The two had played occasional matches but had not had a regular fixture for over a decade.
Sussex and Kent had played informal fixtures during the Napoleonic War years but no representative fixture had been arranged since 1808. The post-war revival of major cricket made the rivalry's renewal possible. The July 1819 match was raised at Brighton — by then the dominant Sussex venue — for stakes of 100 guineas. Sussex fielded Brown, Hammond and a strong supporting cast; Kent included the young John Bligh and the veteran professionals Tom Ray and Edward Knatchbull. Sussex won comfortably.
1801
Sussex's first major match (v Hampshire)
1808-09
Wartime gap in Sussex-Kent fixtures
26-27 Jul 1819
First post-war Sussex v Kent at Brighton
1839
Sussex CCC founded
1842
Kent CCC founded
The Sussex v Kent fixture became annual. It survived the formation of both county clubs (Sussex 1839, Kent 1842) and continues to the present day.
The renewal of the Sussex-Kent rivalry — and one of the seedbeds of modern county cricket.
The 1819 match is the foundation entry of the modern Sussex v Kent rivalry — one of the oldest continuously-running fixtures in English cricket.
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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.