During November 1857 Matlock [Bridge] Cricket Club celebrated the end of their first season with a dinner at Mrs. Roper's Queen Head Hotel^[1]. On 5 May the following year "this newly formed club, now numbering 51 members, had their first practice day ... in the new ground on the Hall Lees, near Matlock Bridge.The land has been secured by a fence, and having been properly levelled, is now in admirable order for the noble and old English game^[2]". Matlock men clearly enjoyed cricket; in 1869 Matlock Town Cricket Club used a ground that was described as being "behind the Horse Shoe Inn" and Matlock Bank CC also had a cricket ground on the Bank^[3]. There was another club in Cromford and in 1880 one of the secretaries was Mr John Gregory, Scarthen-row and the Captain, Mr. W. Clay, Market place^[4].

The Matlock Bridge Ground was not just used for cricket in the nineteenth century. Brass Band Concerts were held on the field and it was also the venue for athletics meetings. The club managed without a Pavilion for a long time but finally, at the annual members' meeting of 1893, it was announced that the new pavilion was almost complete; it had cost £106 19s 11d, though donations only amounted to £36 17s 6d, with the committee guaranteeing the balance^[5].

• Officers of the Club, 1896
• Players, 1857 - 1900
• Parish Church Cricket Club Medal, 1897

Officers of the Club, 1896^[6]:

President: Mr F C Arkwright, J.P., C.C. - the club secretary believed he had filled the role "since the club was formed". This is very unlikely as FC Arkwright would have been the youngest cricket president in the world at almost four years of age (he was born at Spondon in late 1853 - see pedigree)!

Vice Presidents: Messrs E H Bailey, Captain Barlow, J.P., A Clay, J.P., A E Doar, Rev. J W Kewley, Dr. Kinch, H. Knowles, T C Drabble, C.C., R Farnsworth, A Marsden-Smedley, R Hall, Dr Holland, A G Else, H Challand, T Asbury, T Goodwin, W Firth, Dr Sharp, A E Swann, J B Marsden-Smedley, J.P., B W Milward, Dr. W Moxon, G Peglar, E Orme, J Sladen, M A Sleigh, Job Smith, R. Wildgoose, J.P., Tom Wright, J.P., G W Pettinger, Rev E A Adams, E W T Richmond, E Stanley Aulton, C Rowland, J H Scholes, Jas. Howe, J R Howell, and Jackson.

Chairman: Mr. Barton, J.P.

Captain (re-appointed): Mr. E R Farnsworth

Sub Captain (re-appointed): Mr T A Jones

Treasurer: Mr W Barton

Hon Sec: Mr T A Jones

Auditors: Messrs. W Dakin and J Hodgkinson

Committee: Messrs J Hodgkinson, T Hazlewood^[7], J Statham, G H Farnsworth, W H Moore, F Rope[r], J Clay, W F Dakin, H Warner, John Taylor, Jos Smith, H Farnsworth, sen, A Wall, F Knowles and J H Abbott.

Players, 1857 - 1900
Over the years a large number of local men had been picked to play for the Matlock team. Below is a list of many of the players, with the year or years they played:

Name | Year(s) Playing | Played for (All Matlock apart from MBank = Matlock Bank; M & Dist= Matlock & District)

ADAMS, E A, Rev - 1896
ALLEN, E - 1858
ALLICOCK, J - 1858
ASKEW - 1895
ASKEW, T - 1894
BAGSHAW, H - 1894
BAGSHAW, J - 1899
BAGSHAW, S - 1885, 1891, 1897, 1900
BAGSHAW, W -1900
BAGSHAWE - 1889
BALLINGTON - 1878
BALLINGTON, A - 1858
BALLINGTON, G - 1869 (MBank), 1870, 1876
BALLINGTON, T - 1869 (MBank)
BARBER - 1878, 1895, 1900
BARBER, A - 1894
BARBER, F - 1879, 1880, 1883, 1885, 1887, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896
BARBER, J - 1891
BARBER, T - 1870
BARBER, T E - 1876, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1883, 1885, 1887, 1890, 1894, 1896
BARNSLEY, J H - 1881
BARNSLEY, John - 1880
BARTON, G - 1867, 1869 (MBank), 1870, 1876
BARTON, G B - 1879, 1880, 1881,
BECK - 1878
BLACKSHAW, _ - 1880
BOAG, H B - 1894
BOND, A C - 1897
BOUVERIE, J - 1881
BRACE, J - 1891
BRADBURY - 1887
BRADBURY, A - 1889, 1890, 1891, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897
BRENCHLEY - 1881
BRITTLEBANK, T - 1862, 1867
BUNTING, S - 1869 (MBank)
CANTRELL, B - 1858
CANTRELL, T - 1867
CARPENTER - 1899
CARPENTER, G W - 1899
CHARLTON - 1858
CLARKE, _, Esq - 1879
CLAY - 1878, 1889,
CLAY, J - 1881, 1891
CLAY, Jno - 1883
CLAY, John - 1880
CLAY, R - 1880
CLAY, R L - 1879
CLAY, T - 1879, 1880, 1885, 1887
CLAY, W - 1885, 1891
COATES, F W - 1867,
COATES, R - 1858, 1880
COATES, T H - 1867
COOPER, E - 1899
CROWDER, J - 1869 (MBank),
DAVIES, J - 1869 (MBank),
DAVIES, W - 1869 (MBank),
DAVIS, J - 1862
DOE, G - 1858
DURANDEAN, A F - 1880
DURANDEAN, F - 1879, 1881
ELLIOTT, C - 1858
ELLIOTT, R - 1869 (MBank)
ELSE, C, Esq - 1858
ELSE, G N - 1879, 1880, 1881, 1883
ELSE, R - 1897
ELSE, N - 1899
ELSS[?], R - 1900 (M & Dist)
EVANS, R - 1891, 1895
FARNSWORTH - 1895
FARNSWORTH, E - 1880, 1885, 1887, 1891
FARNSWORTH, E H - 1894
FARNSWORTH, E R - 1892, 1893, 1899, 1899
FARNSWORTH, G H - 1893
FARNSWORTH, H - 1862, 1880, 1883, 1885, 1889, 1890, 1891
FARNSWORTH, J - 1869 (MBank)
FARNSWORTH, R - 1858
FLINT, S - 1892, 1893, 1900
FOSTER - 1878
FROGGATT, W - 1862, 1867, 1869 (MBank), 1876, 1879
FROGGITT, W - 1870
FROST, W - 1895, 1897, 1900 (M & Dist), 1896
GLOSSOP, W - 1889
GREGORY, B - 1879, 1883
GREGORY, Benj - 1880
GREGORY, W - 1870, 1879
HARRISON - 1895, 1899
HARRISON, G - 1891
HARRISON, J - 1899
HASLAM, H - 1889, 1891
HASLAND, J - 1894
HAZLEHURST, _, Esq - 1858
HAZLEWOOD, A - 1899
HILL - 1900
HILL, T - 1897, 1900 (M & Dist)
HILL, W - 1880,
HODGKINSON, J - 1870, 1879
HOLMES, J - 1858
HOLMES, S - 1891
HOUSLEY, J - 1899
HUGHES - 1895
HURSTHOUSE - 1895, 1899
HURSTHOUSE, W - 1899, 1900
JONES - 1878, 1894, 1899
JONES, T - 1889
JONES, T A - 1879, 1880, 1881, 1883, 1885, 1887, 1890 (Captain), 1891, 1892, 1893, 1895, 1896, 1899, 1900
JORDAN, F W - 1900 (M & Dist)
JORDAN, W - 1876
KIDD, H - 1900
KIDD, J - 1895, 1900
KIRKLAND, S - 1895
KNOWLES, A - 1858
LEWIS, W - 1869 (MBank), 1870, 1876
LILLY, W - 1862
LOWE, W - 1885
MARGERRISON, W - 1891
McCORMICK, A - 1883
MELVILLE, J N - 1880
MELVILLE, J N G - 1879
MILLS - 1899
MILLWARD, J - 1889
MILLWARD, W - 1889
MILWARD - 1887
MOORE, J - 1869 (MBank)
MOORE, W - 1858, 1862, 1867, 1870, 1876, 1880
MORLEY, H A - 1900 (M & Dist)
NAYLOR, J - 1862, 1869 (MBank)
NEEDHAM, T - 1878, 1879, 1881
NEWBOLD, E - 1899, 1900
NEWBOLD, Mr. T H - 1858
NUTTALL, F - 1892
NUTTALL, P - 1891
PETTIGREW, G W - 1894, 1895
POTTER, W - 1889
POTTINGER - 1895
RAINSFORD - 1895
REGLEY, E - 1869 (MBank)
RICHARDS - 1899
RICHARDS, G - 1880
RICHARDS, G W - 1899
ROPER, F - 1867, 1869 (MBank), 1870, 1876, 1880, 1883
ROPER, T - 1869 (MBank)
ROPER, W - 1876
SELLORS - 1895
SHAW, J C - 1870
SHELDON - 1900 (M & Dist)
SHEPPARD - 1880
SIDES, _ - 1867
SKIDMORE, J W - 1879
SKIRROW - 1878
SLACK, F - 1883
SMITH, A H - 1900 (M & Dist)
SMITH, J - 1858, 1879, 1897, 1900
SMITH, R - 1891
SMITH, T - 1879
SOAPHER, H - 1879
SORBY, C - 1869 (MBank)
SPEED, J - 1897
SPENCER - 1858
SPENCER, T - 1876
STATHAM, G - 1862
TAYLOR - 1897
TAYLOR - 1900
TAYLOR, G - 1900 (M & Dist)
THACKER, W - 1897
THOMPSON - 1858
THOMPSON, J - 1899
TOPLIS - 1858
TOPLIS, W - 1883
TRAVIS - 1895, 1899
TRAVIS, I W - 1899
TRAVIS, J - 1879 1885, 1887, 1889, 1896, 1897, 1899, 1900
TRAVIS, Job - 1890
TURNER - 1887, 1899
TURNER, A - 1870, 1876
TURNER, H - 1885, 1889
VALLANCE - 1895
WALL, A - 1900 (M & Dist)
WALL, B - 1899
WALL, G - 1899
WARD - 1878
WARD, W - 1862, 1869 (MBank), 1881, 1887
WILBRAHAM, _ - 1867
WILBRAHAM, W - 1862
WILKINSON, E - 1900 (M & Dist)
WILSON, M - 1889
WILSON, W - 1879, 1880, 1881, 1887
WOOD - 1889
WOODHOUSE - 1900
WRAGG - 1858, 1878
WRIGHT, H - 1862, 1867
WRIGLEY, A - 1900
WRIGLEY, A - 1900 (M & Dist)
WRIGLEY, G - 1900
YOUNG, C W - 1879

Parish Church Cricket Club Medal, 1897
The medal below was awarded to Walter Hursthouse by the Parish Church Cricket Club. It was made by Fattorini of Bradford, who are still in existence today, so is presumably made of silver. Another would have been ordered for the highest scorere, but the recipient of that medal is unknown.

The inscription on the back reads:

MATLOCK PCCC
Season 1897
PRIZE for HIGHEST No of CATCHES (10)
W. HURSTHOUSE

Front

Back

References:

^[1] "The Derby Mercury", Wednesday, 18 November, 1857. John Else was the Chairman at the time and John Farnsworth Vice Chairman. Mr Richard Cotes of Matlock Bath took on the role Hon Secretary following the resignation of Mr Ingall.

^[2] ibid., Wednesday, 12 May, 1858. The full report can be found on Matlock, Riber & Starkholmes Newspaper Cuttings, 1858.

^[3] "The Sheffield and Rotherham Independent", 1869

^[4] "The Derby Mercury", Wednesday, 24 March, 1880

^[5] "The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent", Thursday, 13 April, 1893. Frederic Charles Arkwright was the president and amongst the vice presidents listed, no longer in the role in 1896, were J Else, W B Hunter, W Harrison, J.P., H Knowles, R Lowe, H B Paget and J A Shaw. G B Barton was Treasurer and J H Brough assistant Hon Sec.

^[6] ibid., Thursday, 7 May, 1896

^[6] ibid., Thursday, 14 September, 1899. Report of the funeral of Thomas Hazlewood, Chairman of Matlock Cricket Club, on the previous day. He was aged 42, and had been manager of Orme & Co provision merchants for 20 years.

See Matlock: Letterheads of Local Businesses, 1900-1949 (3) - Matlock Sports Club.

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