First-class cricket

A key issue for the statisticians is when first-class cricket, for their statistical purposes, is deemed to have begun. Writing in 1951, [[Roy Webber]] argued that the majority of matches prior to 1864 (i.e., the year in which [[overarm bowling]] was legalised) "cannot be regarded as first-class", and their records are used "for their historical associations".{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=9–10}} This drew a line between what was important historically, and what should form part of the statistical record. Hence, for pre-1895 (i.e., in Great Britain) cricket matches, "first-class" is essentially a statistical concept while the historical concept is broader and takes account of historical significance. Webber's rationale was that cricket was "generally weak before 1864" (there was a greater and increasingly more organised effort to promote county cricket from about that time), and match details were largely incomplete, especially [[bowling (cricket)|bowling]] analyses, which hindered compilation of records.{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=9–10}} According to Webber's view, the inaugural first-class match was the opening game of the 1864 season between [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge University]] and MCC at [[Fenner's]] on 12 and 13 May, Cambridge winning by 6 wickets.{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1313.html |title=Cambridge University v Marylebone Cricket Club, 12–13 May 1864 |work=CricketArchive |access-date=17 September 2022 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170944/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1313.html |url-status=live }}

A key issue for the statisticians is when first-class cricket, for their statistical purposes, is deemed to have begun. Writing in 1951, [[Roy Webber]] argued that the majority of matches prior to 1864 (i.e., the year in which [[overarm bowling]] was legalised) "cannot be regarded as first-class", and their records are used "for their historical associations".{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=9–10}} This drew a line between what was important historically, and what should form part of the statistical record. Hence, for pre-1895 (i.e., in Great Britain) cricket matches, "first-class" is essentially a statistical concept while the historical concept is broader and takes account of historical significance. Webber's rationale was that cricket was "generally weak before 1864" (there was a greater and increasingly more organised effort to promote county cricket from about that time), and match details were largely incomplete, especially [[bowling (cricket)|bowling]] analyses, which hindered compilation of records.{{sfn|Webber|1951|pp=9–10}} According to Webber's view, the inaugural first-class match was the opening game of the 1864 season between [[Cambridge University Cricket Club|Cambridge University]] and MCC at [[Fenner's]] on 12 and 13 May, Cambridge winning by 6 wickets.{{cite web |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1313.html |title=Cambridge University v Marylebone Cricket Club, 12–13 May 1864 |work=CricketArchive |access-date=17 September 2022 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170944/https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/1/1313.html |url-status=live }}

===Important matches list===

===Historically important matches===

When the [[Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians]] (ACS) published its ''Guide to First-Class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles'' in 1982, it tentatively agreed with Webber's 1864 start date by saying that "the line between first-class and other matches becomes more easily discernible about that date".{{sfn|ACS|1982|p=3}} A year earlier, the ACS had published its ''Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles, 1709–1863'' in which it listed all the known matches during that period which it considered to have historical importance. The ACS did stipulate that they had taken a more lenient view of importance regarding matches played in the 18th century than they did of matches played in the 19th century. As they explained, surviving details of 18th century matches are typically incomplete while there is a fairly comprehensive store of data about 19th century matches, certainly since 1825.{{sfn|ACS|1981|p=4}}

When the [[Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians]] (ACS) published its ''Guide to First-Class Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles'' in 1982, it tentatively agreed with Webber's 1864 start date by saying that "the line between first-class and other matches becomes more easily discernible about that date".{{sfn|ACS|1982|p=3}} A year earlier, the ACS had published its ''Guide to Important Cricket Matches Played in the British Isles, 1709–1863'' in which it listed all the known matches during that period which it considered to have historical importance. The ACS did stipulate that they had taken a more lenient view of importance regarding matches played in the 18th century than they did of matches played in the 19th century. As they explained, surviving details of 18th century matches are typically incomplete while there is a fairly comprehensive store of data about 19th century matches, certainly since 1825.{{sfn|ACS|1981|p=4}}