The Wednesday Cricket Club: Where It All Began
The Wednesday Cricket Club, founded in 1820, was one of the most prominent clubs in Sheffield—and played a crucial role not only in the city’s cricketing story, but in the origins of one of its most famous football teams.
Wednesday were either referred to as The Wednesday Club or Darnall Wednesday Club (to differentiate them from the Monday Club, The Thursday Club and The Friday Club.
The club was established by six local tradesmen—William Stratford, John Southren, Tom Lindley, William Woolhouse, George Dawson, and George Hardisty—who could only play on their day off: Wednesday. Stratford became the first president of the club, succeeded later by Richard Gillott. They played at various grounds around the city over the years, from Darnall to Hyde Park to, eventually, Bramall Lane.
In the first half of the 19th century, Sheffield was still the hub of northern cricket, with the Wednesday club at its heart. Many of the region’s top players turned out for them. Among them was Tom Marsden—possibly the greatest northern cricketer of his day—who was famously defeated by Fuller Pilch in a one-on-one match in Norwich in 1833. When the rematch was held at Old Darnall, over 20,000 spectators turned up to see if Marsden could win back his crown. (He didn't, but his legend only grew.) Marsden also scored one of the earliest double centuries in English cricket history—227 for Sheffield & Leicester against Nottingham.
The club’s legacy is further cemented by names like George Ulyett and Tom Armitage, who both played in England’s very first Test match in Australia in 1877. Ulyett was not only a fearsome cricketer—he also turned out as a goalkeeper for the Wednesday football team in the 1880s. It was common back then for sportsmen to switch codes with the seasons, and Wednesday was no exception.
In fact, in 1867 the club formed a football side to keep players fit through winter. That side—originally just "The Wednesday Football Club"—grew to national prominence, winning the FA Cup in 1896 and the Football League in 1903. By 1929, it had officially become Sheffield Wednesday F.C.—but its cricketing roots remained a proud part of the story.
Sadly, the cricket club folded in 1924 due to financial issues. But in 2011, a group of Sheffield Wednesday supporters brought it back to life. Starting from Section 7 of the Mansfield District League, the revived club had climbed to Section 2 by 2017, with their midweek team playing in Division A of the Sheffield Alliance Midweek League.
Home Grounds and Historic Moments
-
The original Darnall ground collapsed (literally!) during its first major game: Sheffield vs Nottingham, attended by 2,000 people.
-
It was replaced by Darnall New Ground, a much larger venue which hosted a crowd of 8,000 in 1828 for a game between a Yorkshire/Leicestershire/Nottinghamshire XI and a Rest of England side.
-
Wednesday later moved to Hyde Park, a stadium with a capacity of 16,000. It became their main home for many years.
-
In an 1833 match against Nottingham, player George Dawson was the victim of a controversial run out, famously recorded in the scorebook as “cheated out”.
-
In 1841, Wednesday’s Harry Sampson scored 162 runs on ice—yes, on a frozen pitch—against Sheffield Town.
-
The club also experimented with a move to Newhall, but the poor wicket and distant location put people off.
-
In 1855, Wednesday (with figures like Stratford and Ellison at the helm) helped lease and develop Bramall Lane, which went on to become one of the most iconic sports grounds in the country. The first match there involved players from several local clubs.
No comments:
Post a Comment