Stoneleigh Cricket Club hosted a Warwickshire match in 1872.
This is officially recorded in the Warwickshire County Cricket
Club's records. The WCCC was actually
officially founded ten years later in 1882 a few miles from
Stoneleigh Abbey at the Regent Hotel in Leamington Spa!
The Fourteen Gentleman of Warwickshire played the infamous
I Zingari at Stoneleigh Abbey on the 5th September 1872 as
part of the week's celebrations for the coming of age of the
Hon. Gilbert H.C. Leigh, eldest son of Lord Leigh. The cricket
match was the highlight of the week's festivities at Stoneleigh
Abbey which included 'illuminations, fireworks, feasting and
frolics. Gilbert was invited to play for the I Zingari which
was captained by his uncle Edward Chandos Leigh and included
his uncle 'Jimbo' Leigh. Hon. Rupert Leigh his brother played
for the Gentleman of Warwickshire.
As was the usual format for cricket matches, the game was
played over two days. On the second day though the match was
postponed for two hours whilst the cricketers had a pony race!
The match report describes the events on and off the pitch
with typical flowery prose from the pen of John Lorraine Baldwin,
a founder member of the I Zingari who detailed all of I Zingari's
matches from it's formation in 1845 till his death 50 years
later! These reports, paintings, prose, poems and postcards
are beautifully bound and can be found at the MCC library.
As was typical of the I Zingari, Baldwin pens a short verse
in recognition of the match and Lord Leigh's hospitality:
"Yes, 'twas a goodly sound to hear, The hearty universal
cheer, Which hailed the health of the eldest son - For he
was just returned twenty-one, 'And success to the heir of
the house of Lord Leigh, ' Was the toast that was drunk by
I Zingari" JLB
The Fourteen Gentlemen of Warwickshire batted first and scored
117 runs - Higgins took 7 wickets with Law taking 6 wickets!
I Zingari replied with 121 runs. The Leighs batted together
at the bottom of the order with Edward Leigh contributing
2 runs, James Leigh 12 runs and Gilbert Leigh not out 10 runs.
Warwickshire's second innings was interrupted by the pony
race and on their return they collapsed to 114 runs all out.
The match finished with I Zingari in trouble at 10 for 3,
Gilbert the last man out scoring a duck. ' When all was finished
there seemed a lingering desire on both sides not to leave
the ground, as they gazed at the old Abbey calm and beautiful
in its grandeur ..... ' JLB
For
Edward Chandos Leigh this was to be one of his
last matches for the I Zingari. He had returned home to where
he had started his cricketing career at Stoneleigh thirty
years earlier.
Paul Smith - Chairman - Stoneleigh Cricket Club Email
