Gentlemen V Players Article Index for
Gentlemen
Website Links For
Gentlemen
 

Information About

Gentlemen V Players




, who scored 15 centuries for the Gentlemen]]

The Gentlemen v Players game was a First-class Cricket match played frequently (usually at least annually and often several times in a year), between a team made up of Amateur s (the Gentlemen) and one made up of Professional s (the Players), from 1806 until the abolition of the distinction between the two after the 1962 season. There is considerable argument about when first-class cricket as such began, and so some of the early matches in the series are not considered to have such status by some authorities. (See the First-class Cricket article for more discussion of this point.)

The fixture was a prestigious one, though often far short of Test Match quality. The game was played over three days on all but a handful of occasions throughout its history. The most common venue for the match was Lord's , but a number of other grounds were used, notably The Oval and Scarborough , and it was at Scarborough where the very last Gentlemen v Players game was played in September 1962. For a list of all these matches, please see List Of Gentlemen V Players Matches .

The same format of amateurs playing professionals was used in a number of other fixtures, some of which were given first-class status - for example, "Gentlemen of Nottinghamshire v Players of Nottinghamshire" - but these matches became less common after the beginning of the 20th Century and the last such game was "Gentlemen of the South v Players of the South" in 1920 , after which all first-class Gentlemen v Players matches were between teams known simply by those names.


RECORDS



Largest margins of victory


Gentlemen

:innings and 126 runs: The Oval, 1879
:innings and 98 runs: Lord's, 1876
:innings and 87 runs: The Oval, 1868

:206 runs, Lord's, 1878
:193 runs: Lord's, 1829 (Gentlemen had 12 men)
:134 runs: Lord's, 1914

:nine wickets: The Oval, 1872
:nine wickets: Prince's Cricket Ground, 1877


Players

:innings and 305 runs: The Oval, 1934
:innings and 231 runs: Lord's, 1924
:innings and 181 runs: Lord's, 1860

:345 runs: Lord's, 1823
:285 runs: Lord's, 1858
:241 runs: The Oval, 1914

:ten wickets: seven instances


Smallest margins of victory


Tied match

:The Oval, 1883


Gentlemen

:four runs: Lord's, 1870
:five runs: Lord's, 1888
:six runs: Scarborough, 1913

:one wicket: five instances


Players

:one run: Hove, 1881
:two runs: Lord's, 1952
:eight runs: The Oval, 1893

:two wickets: Lord's, 1856
:two wickets: Lord's, 1874
:two wickets: Lord's, 1900
:two wickets: Scarborough, 1955


Highest team totals


Gentlemen

:578: The Oval, 1904
:542: Lord's, 1926
:513: The Oval, 1870


Players

:651/7 dec: The Oval, 1934
:608: The Oval, 1921
:579: Lord's, 1926


Lowest team totals


Gentlemen

:35: Lord's, 3 July 1837
:36: Lord's, 1831
:37: Lord's, 1853


Players

:24: Lord's, 1829 (first innings)
:39: Lord's, 1829 (second innings)
:42: Lord's, 1853


Highest individual innings


Gentlemen


:215: WG Grace, The Oval, 1870


Players


:241: L Hutton , Scarborough, 1953


Hundred in each innings of a match


Gentlemen



Players



Nine or more wickets in an innings


Gentlemen

:9-46: JWA Stephenson, Lord's, 1936
:9-82: D Buchanan , The Oval, 1868
:9-105: JWHT Douglas , Lord's, 1914


Players

:10-37: AS Kennedy , The Oval, 1927
:10-90: A Fielder , Lord's, 1906
:10-?: FW Lillywhite, Lord's, 17 July 1837 (second innings; Gentlemen had 16 men)
:9-85: CH Parkin , The Oval, 1920
:9-?: FW Lillywhite, Lord's, 3 July 1837


Thirteen or more wickets in a match


Gentlemen

:14-?: FW Lillywhite, Lord's, 1829


Players

:18-?: FW Lillywhite, Lord's, 17 July 1837 (Gentlemen had 16 men)
:14-221: A Fielder, Lord's, 1906
:13-141: T Richardson , Hastings, 1897
:13-144: AP Freeman , Lord's, 1929
:13-?: FW Lillywhite, Lord's, 1835
:13-?: FW Lillywhite, Lord's, 3 July 1837
:13-?: J Cobbett, Lord's, 1836 (Gentlemen had 18 men)


Five catches in an innings


Gentlemen

: A Lyttelton , The Oval, 1877
: A Webbe , Lord's, 1877


Players

: L Hutton , Lord's, 1952


Four stumpings in an innings


Gentlemen

: EH Budd , Lord's, 1819


Players


: W Slater , Lord's, 1824 (Gentlemen had 14 men)


SEE ALSO