In the 1773 English cricket season, there was a downturn in the fortunes of the Hambledon Club as their Hampshire team lost every match they are known to have played, and some of their defeats were heavy.
William Yalden was one of the season's leading wicket-keepers and he also equalled Richard Newland's record for the highest individual innings in a senior match when he scored 88 for Surrey against Hampshire in September.
The earliest significant event of the season was a single wicket match played on 2 June at the Artillery Ground between Five of England and Five of Hampshire for a stake of £1,000.
[1] The Hampshire team was John Small, Tom Sueter, Richard Nyren, George Leer and Thomas Brett.
England's five were Lumpy Stevens, John Minshull, Joseph Miller, Dick May and Will Palmer.
[4][note 1] The combined Hampshire and Sussex team underwritten by the Hambledon Club took part in eight matches – five against England and three against Surrey – and lost all of them.
In this match, Lumpy Stevens may have been the best bowler as he took five wickets bowled and possibly had more from catches.
Waghorn's source reported that England won by 2 wickets but Hampshire were handicapped because Thomas Brett was injured.
[11] No scorecard has been found but there was a report in the Morning Post on 16 July which said: "Hampshire being beat again last Tuesday on Laleham Burway they must now resign the Cricket laurel, though much against their will".
[11] The report went on to say how the Hampshire fielders had crowded the Duke of Dorset, who was scoring well with shots to the off-side, thereby preventing him from making a full play at the ball.
This practice actually contravened the 1744 Laws of Cricket which stated that "in the case of hindrance (the umpires) may order a notch (run) to be scored".
He asked the fielders to stand back and they refused, so he played his shot fully and "in so doing brought one of the gentlemen to the ground".
He says Hampshire fielded almost a "scratch side" as there were four debutants Cotton, Horne, Lawrence and M. Lewis who do not appear again in recorded scores.
[20][21] Kent and Surrey played each other four times – twice at Laleham Burway, once at Bourne Paddock and once at Sevenoaks Vine.
The first match was at Laleham Burway on 21–22 June and Surrey won by 35 runs after scoring 175 and 70 while dismissing Kent for 133 and 77.
Bowlers John Wood and Lumpy Stevens dismissed Kent for 78 to ensure a Surrey victory by 153 runs.
[25] The fourth match was played 16–18 August on Sevenoaks Vine and Kent won by 6 wickets.
The stakes were 100 guineas a side and Middlesex won by 6 runs having a match total of 179 to Surrey's 173.
[29] Also on 30 July, there was a match at Broadhalfpenny Down between Hambledon Town and Hampshire, which was played for 20 guineas a side.
The Middlesex Journal reported in its edition of Saturday, 7 August that London won "with great ease".
Hampshire, on the other hand, had selected Davis, Aylward, Small, Sueter, Leer, Nyren, Stewart, Brett, Purchase, Barber and Hogsflesh.
[31] The following people are mentioned in sources for the first time in the 1773 season: Based on data in the surviving match scorecards, the highest run-scorers in 1773 were Thomas White (328), Joseph Miller (316) and Will Palmer (305).