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St George's Cricket Club

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Not to be confused with the St George Cricket Club, Sydney, Australia.

Harry Wright was a successful bowler for St George's Club before he moved to the Cincinnati Red Stockings

The St George's Cricket Club, also referred to as the St George Cricket Club, was the leading cricket club in the United States from the 1840s to the 1870s.[1] Founded in 1839,[2][3] with assistance from prominent members of the St George's Society of New York,[4] it was originally located in Manhattan, New York, and later moved to Hoboken, New Jersey. Nicknamed the "Dragon Slayers",[5][6] in 1844 the club hosted the first international cricket match, between teams representing Canada and the United States. It disbanded in 1898.

History

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The St George's Cricket Club (SGCC) was founded in Manhattan, New York. As recalled in 1894[7] by one of the SGCC's early players, Robert Waller, the club's name was not adopted until St George's Day (April 23) 1840, although it had been formed the previous year.[a] However, according to Henry Chadwick,[10] its first match was played (as "New York"[b] against "Long Island") on October 22–23, 1838.[c] In July 1840, an advert was placed in the Spirit of the Times, stating that the SGCC was "open to play a friendly Match between any Club, or any eleven players in the United States, for a sum not less than $100, or over $500" (a "Match" was to consist of one game in New York, and another at any location between Philadelphia and Troy).[16] On September 24–25, 1844, it hosted the first international cricket match, between Canada and the United States.[17][18]

Most of its playing members were British-born and excluded Americans from participating in their "English game".[d] The local resentment of this English social exclusivity amongst New York ball players may have been the impetus for cricket to be designated as an "English" game in the US, though it had been played for over a century at the time. The SGCC club traveled to Canada on several occasions in the 1850s, encouraging a touring tradition for American sports which culminated in George Parr's All-England XI visiting New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal in 1859.[24][25] This was the first occasion that a professional team of players in any sport had played in the United States. The All England Team of professionals played a US XXII team that included five SGCC players.

In 1866, it was reported that the SGCC had 200–300 members and was in a "flourishing condition", being able to field "three excellent elevens".[26] It continued its dominant New York cricket organizational role until 1876, when the founding of the New York Metropolitan league and the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club at Walker Park ushered in a new era of league cricket in New York.[27] Its first ground was located in Midtown Manhattan off of Bloomingdale Road (now Broadway) between 30th and 31st Street.[28][29] The ground was located behind the Casper Samler farmstead, which was later replaced by the Gilsey Hotel.[30][31] By November 1845, the SGCC was looking for another venue as this site had been "cut through" by the opening of Fifth Avenue.[29][32] On May 4, 1846, it was reported that the club had purchased a new ground "near the Red House on the Harlem Road", which it was in the process of "levelling and filling".[33] The planned opening on St George's Day had already been postponed due to the "unfit state" of the ground,[34][35] but on May 18 it was advertised that a match would take place two days later.[36] Known colloquially and referred to in the press as the "Red House" ground,[e] the club's new home was situated to the east of Third Avenue, where 105th and 106th streets now cross First Avenue (as laid out in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811).[29][40] Red House hosted domestic competitions between teams from New York and Philadelphia, as well as international matches with Canadian teams, including a match between the United States and Canada in 1853.[41]

In 1854, the SGCC moved across the Hudson River to New Jersey, where beginning on May 10, they were invited to play their matches on the ground of the New York Cricket Club.[42][43] After the Civil War, St George's was slated to get a ground in Central Park[44] before moving to Hudson City. St George's opponents included the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club, the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and the Toronto Cricket Club. George Wright includes a picture of St George's cricket grounds in his biography.

George Wright's older brother Harry also played for St George's team. The Wrights' father, Samuel, was the professional groundskeeper for the team and is depicted, along with his son Harry, in a famous daguerreotype holding a cricket bat while Harry holds a baseball bat.

The SGCC did not send a representative to the first national cricket convention, held in Philadelphia in 1878, when the Cricketers' Association of the United States was established.[45] However, it did participate the next year, when a club member was elected as one of the organisation's two vice-presidents.[46]

Tennis and the decline of cricket

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In May 1881, the SGCC became one of the founding members of the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA), with club treasurer Berkley Mostyn being elected to the committee.[47][48] The following year, the ground was expanded to provide a number of extra courts,[49] and by 1884 there were 20 in total.[50] St George's approached the USLTA with the idea of holding the country's first regional tennis tournament,[51] and duly hosted the inaugural Middle States Tennis Championship on June 10–12, 1885.[52][53] A clay court was amongst several further courts added in 1887.[54]

The popularity of tennis increased rapidly during 1880s, and St George's was not the only club to experience a corresponding decline in the importance of cricket to its members.[55] Indeed, by 1888, the SGCC had become "so absorbed" in the new sport that the press considered the playing of a cricket match to be a noteworthy event.[56] Whilst a revival of interest in the game was reported that year,[57] a writer in The Cosmopolitan magazine noted in 1891 that it had been had supplanted by tennis, commenting that "unless its membership be frequently recruited by newly arriving Englishmen, the probability is that cricket will survive only in the club’s title".[58] This was a prophetic observation, as despite efforts to prolong its existence, the cricket team disbanded around the beginning of June 1898.[59] The club continued to provide tennis facilities, and following an overhaul of the ground in 1902 by Richard Stevens, the New York Times stated that its grass courts were "without question [...] the finest in the country".[60]

Notes

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  1. ^ The New York Herald noted that 1879 was the club's 40th season,[8] having stated previously that it was established in 1839.[9]
  2. ^ In 1839, the club was referred to in the press as the "New York Cricket Club",[11] but this would have been a natural description as there were no other cricket clubs in the city at the time.[12] The index to The Albion newspaper for 1840 refers to New York Cricket Club, but the article concerned relates only to St George's.[13][14]
  3. ^ An earlier account of this match, based on details reportedly preserved by one of the New York team's players, G. Stead, appeared in the New York Clipper in 1858.[15]
  4. ^ In 1843, this led to the formation of the New York Cricket Club, to which Edwin Augustus Stevens granted land for a ground in Hoboken.[19][20][23]
  5. ^ In several adverts, the name "Island House" is used instead.[37][38][39]

References

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  1. ^ Malcolm, Dominic (2006). "The Diffusion of Cricket to America: A Figurational Sociological Examination". Journal of Historical Sociology. 19 (2): 151–173. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6443.2006.00276.x. ISSN 0952-1909.
  2. ^ Noboa y Rivera, Raf (March 28, 2015). "How Philadelphia became the unlikely epicenter of American cricket". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Kirsch, George B. (1984). "American Cricket: Players and Clubs Before the Civil War". Journal of Sport History. 11 (1): 28–50. ISSN 0094-1700. JSTOR 43609289 – via JSTOR.
  4. ^ A History of St. George's Society of New York from 1770 to 1913. St. George's Society of New York. 1913. p. 32 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Cricket". True Sun. No. 478. New York. September 30, 1844. p. 2.
  6. ^ Kirsch, George B. (1989). The Creation of American Team Sports: Baseball and Cricket, 1838–72. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. p. 21. ISBN 0252015606.
  7. ^ Wister, William Rotch (1904). Some Reminiscences of Cricket in Philadelphia Before 1861. Philadelphia: Allen, Lane & Scott. pp. 140–141 – via HathiTrust.
  8. ^ "Cricket". The New York Herald. No. 15793. November 18, 1879. p. 8.
  9. ^ "Cricket". The New York Herald. No. 14470. April 4, 1876. p. 5.
  10. ^ Chadwick, Henry (1873). Chadwick's American Cricket Manual. New York: Robert M. De Witt. pp. 85–87 – via HathiTrust.
  11. ^ "Cricket Match". Morning Herald. Vol. 5, no. 136. New York. October 21, 1839. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Adelmam, Melvin L. (1986). A Sporting Time: New York City and the Rise of Modern Athletics, 1820-70. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. p. 319. ISBN 025201250X.
  13. ^ "Index to Vol. 2, New Series". The Albion. New York – via Internet Archive.
  14. ^ "St. George's Cricket Club New York". The Albion. New Series. Vol. 2, no. 38. New York. September 19, 1840. p. 311 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ^ "Cricket". New York Clipper. Vol. 5, no. 47. March 13, 1858. p. 372 – via Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections.
  16. ^ "Cricket Challenge". Spirit of the Times. Vol. 10, no. 21. New York. July 25, 1840. p. 1 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ Marder (1968), pp. 9–12.
  18. ^ Kimber, Jarrod (2015). Test Cricket: The Unauthorised Biography. Richmond: Hardic Grant Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-1743790199.
  19. ^ "New York Cricket Club". The Albion. New Series. Vol. 2, no. 43. New York. October 28, 1844. p. 536 – via Internet Archive.
  20. ^ "On Dits in Sporting Circles". Spirit of the Times. Vol. 14, no. 13. New York. May 25, 1844. p. 150 – via Internet Archive.
  21. ^ a b Adkins, Nelson F. (1934). "Thomas, Picton". In Malone, Dumas (ed.). Dictionary of American Biography. Vol. 14. London: Humphrey Milford / Oxford University Press. pp. 572–573 – via Internet Archive.
  22. ^ a b Slout, William L. (1996). Introduction. Fun and Fancy in Old New York: Reminiscences of a Man About Town. By Picton, Tom. Slout, William L. (ed.). Clipper Studies in the Theatre. Vol. 15. San Bernardino, CA: Borgo Press. pp. 5–7. ISBN 0809503034. ISSN 0748-237X – via Google Books.
  23. ^ Preston, Paul (December 12, 1868). "Reminiscences of a Man About Town: No. 34 – The New York Cricket Club". New York Clipper. Vol. 16, no. 36. p. 284 – via Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections. (Paul Preston was a pseudonym of Thomas Picton).[21][22]
  24. ^ The International Cricket Match, Played Oct., 1859, in the Elysian Fields, at Hoboken, on the Grounds of the St. George's Cricket Club. New York: Vinten. 1859 – via Internet Archive.
  25. ^ Lillywhite, Fred (1860). The English Cricketers' Trip to Canada and the United States. London: F. Lillywhite / Kent & Co. pp. 31–32 – via Internet Archive.
  26. ^ Peverelly, Charles A. (1866). The Book of American Pastimes, containing a History of the Principal Base-ball, Cricket, Rowing, and Yachting Clubs of the United States. New York: Charles A. Peverelly. pp. 529–530 – via HathiTrust.
  27. ^ Sentance, P. David (2006). Cricket in America 1710-2000. McFarland.
  28. ^ Preston, Paul (October 17, 1868). "Reminiscences of a Man About Town: No. 26 – Among the Cricketers". New York Clipper. Vol. 16, no. 28. p. 220 – via Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections. (Paul Preston was a pseudonym of Thomas Picton).[21][22]
  29. ^ a b c "Cricket in America". The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art. Vol. 58, no. 1502. London. August 9, 1884. pp. 170–171 – via Internet Archive.
  30. ^ Dayton, Abram C. (1882). Last Days of Knickerbocker Life in New York. New York: George W. Harlan. pp. 98–99 – via Internet Archive.
  31. ^ Jenkins, Stephen (1911). The Greatest Street in the World: The Story of Broadway, Old and New, From the Bowling Green to Albany. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 248 – via Internet Archive.
  32. ^ "Cricket". True Sun. No. 818. New York. November 3, 1845. p. 2.
  33. ^ "Sporting Intelligence". The New York Herald. Vol. 12, no. 123#4336. May 4, 1846. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "St George's Cricket Club". True Sun. No. 955. New York. April 13, 1846. p. 2. The new ground of this club is near the Red House on the Bloomingdale road, and will be ready for play on 23d inst., which will be the opening day.
  35. ^ "St George's Cricket Club". The New York Herald. Vol. 12, no. 112#4325. April 23, 1846. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "St George's Cricket Club". The New York Herald. Vol. 12, no. 137#4350. May 18, 1846. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Cricket Match". The New York Herald. Vol. 12, no. 169#4392. June 19, 1846. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com. A Grand match will be played on Saturday the 20th inst., [...] at the St. George's new and beautiful Ground at the Island House, formerly called the Red House, 3d Avenue.
  38. ^ "Cricket Match". The New York Herald. Vol. 12, no. 204#4441. July 31, 1846. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "Cricket". True Sun. No. 1052. New York. August 3, 1846. p. 2. There will be a fine day's sport, to-day at the St. George's Cricket Club ground, at the Island (late Red) House.
  40. ^ Jones, R. A. (1851). Map of that Part of the City and County of New-York North of 50th Street (Map). New York: M. Dripps.
  41. ^ Marder (1968), pp. 9–10, 36–42.
  42. ^ "Base Ball Play". The Spirit of the Times. Vol. 24, no. 22. New York. July 15, 1854. p. 258 – via Internet Archive.
  43. ^ "Cricket". New-York Daily Times. Vol. 3, no. 822. May 6, 1854. p. 8 – via Internet Archive.
  44. ^ "Cricket". The New York Herald. No. 15726. September 12, 1879. p. 5.
  45. ^ "Cricket Convention in Philadelphia". The New York Herald. No. 15214. April 18, 1878. p. 10. The Chair stated that he had received a letter from the St. George, of New York, regretting that they could not send a delegate, but requesting to be informed of the actions of the Convention, with the objects of which they expressed sympathy.
  46. ^ "Second Annual Meeting of the Cricketers' Association of the United States". The New York Herald. No. 15567. April 6, 1879. p. 14.
  47. ^ "Cricket Club Meetings". The New York Herald. No. 15870. February 3, 1880. p. 4.
  48. ^ "Lawn Tennis Convention". The New York Herald. No. 16344. May 22, 1881. p. 11.
  49. ^ "Lawn Tennis". The New York Herald. No. 16672. April 15, 1882. p. 5.
  50. ^ "City Athletics". Harper's New Monthly Magazine. Vol. 68, no. 405. January 1884. pp. 297–305 – via Internet Archive. (See page 304).
  51. ^ Slocum, H. W., Jr (1890). Lawn Tennis in Our Own Country. New York: A. G. Spalding & Bros. p. 205 – via HathiTrust.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  52. ^ "Experts at Lawn Tennis". The New York Times. Vol. 34, no. 10535. June 9, 1885. p. 8 – via Internet Archive.
  53. ^ "Lawn Tennis Champions". The New York Times. Vol. 34, no. 10538. June 12, 1885. p. 3 – via Internet Archive.
  54. ^ "Cricket Clubs Getting Ready". New-York Tribune. Vol. 47, no. 14763. April 17, 1887. p. 11.
  55. ^ Slocum, H. W., Jr (March 1889). "Lawn Tennis in the South". Outing. Vol. 13, no. 6. New York. pp. 496–504 – via Internet Archive.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) (See pages 502–503).
  56. ^ Chadwick, Henry (December 1888). "The Past Cricket Season". Outing. Vol. 13, no. 3. New York. p. 266 – via Internet Archive.
  57. ^ "Cricket". Outing. Vol. 16, no. 3. New York. June 1888. pp. 282–283 – via Internet Archive.
  58. ^ Starey, A. B. (June 1889). "Some Aspects of American Lawn Tennis". The Cosmopolitan. Vol. 7, no. 2. New York. pp. 192–201 – via Internet Archive.
  59. ^ "St. George's Cricket Club Disbands". New-York Daily Tribune. Vol. 58, no. 18832. June 7, 1898. p. 4.
  60. ^ "Interest in Lawn Tennis". The New York Times. Vol. 51, no. 16319. April 27, 1902. p. 8 – via Internet Archive.

Sources

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  • Marder, John I. (1968). The International Series: The Story of the United States v Canada at Cricket. London: Kaye & Ward. ISBN 0718207491.
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