By 1815 the Lewes bat-maker Cox — running his workshop from the High Street — had established himself as the principal Sussex supplier of cricket bats and balls. With William Small's Petersfield workshop continuing to dominate Hampshire and the home counties, Cox's emergence at Lewes confirmed the geographic spread of cricket equipment manufacture and the distinct Sussex style of bat — slightly straighter and lighter than the Petersfield model.
Bat-making before 1815 was concentrated at Petersfield (Small) and a few London suppliers. Cox's emergence broadened the supply.
Cricket bat-making had been a small craft, attached to particular cricket centres. By 1815 the demand from Sussex clubs — Brighton, Lewes, Hove — was sufficient to support a dedicated full-time workshop. Cox's bats were lighter than Small's, with a flatter face and a slightly straighter profile. Sussex professionals — including the rising William Lillywhite — used Cox's equipment from the early 1820s.
c. 1810
Cox begins bat-making at Lewes
1815
Cox established as principal Sussex supplier
1820s
Sussex professionals use Cox bats
Cox's workshop continued through the 1820s and 1830s. Lewes remained a centre of bat-making until late in the nineteenth century.
The professionalisation of cricket equipment manufacture and the start of regional bat-making styles.
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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.