John Hammond of Storrington, a 22-year-old Sussex professional, kept wicket for England against Surrey at Lord's in June 1801 — his first major appearance behind the stumps. He took two stumpings and a catch and was praised by contemporaries for his quiet hands. He would keep wicket in major matches for twenty years and is remembered as the leading Regency wicketkeeper.
Wicketkeeping in 1801 was performed without gloves or pads. The keeper stood up to every bowler regardless of pace; the technique demanded soft hands and good footwork.
England's regular keeper, the Surrey man Yalden, was injured in a club match on 12 June. The committee turned to Hammond on 13 June.
Hammond had played as a batter for Sussex sides through the late 1790s and was selected for England in 1801 chiefly for his batting. The team's regular keeper was injured in the days before the match, and Hammond — known to keep wicket competently for his village club — was asked to take the gloves. He stumped Tom Walker for 8 in the first innings and the young William Lambert for 3 in the second, both off slow lobs from Beauclerk. Contemporary observers noted that he stood up to all the bowlers, including Tom Howard at near-full pace.
15 Jun 1801: Hammond takes the gloves for the first time in a major match
Stumps Walker off Beauclerk for 8
Catches Beldham off Howard for 22
Day 2: Stumps Lambert off Beauclerk for 3
Match ends in an England win
1779
Hammond born at Storrington, Sussex
Late 1790s
First Sussex matches as a batter
15-16 Jun 1801
Debut as England wicketkeeper
1820
Final major match
Hammond was retained as England's first-choice keeper for the rest of the season and held the position for most of the next two decades.
The major-match debut of the most respected wicketkeeper of the underarm era.
Hammond is the keeper named in almost every Regency-era account of major-match wicketkeeping. He kept until 1820 and was praised by John Nyren as 'the model of his trade'.
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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.