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26 unusual facts about Marylebone Cricket Club


Alan Dowding

Alan Lorimer Dowding (born 4 April 1929) is a former Australian first-class cricketer who played with Oxford University, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the Commonwealth XI and Free Foresters.

Barney O'Shaughnessy

O'Shaughnessy's single match for Western Australia was against the Marylebone Cricket Club on their 1932–33 tour of Australia.

Edward Bligh

Edward Bligh (19 September 1769 – 2 November 1840), styled The Honourable from birth, was an Irish politician, a noted amateur cricketer and a prominent early member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Eric Olivier

Upon returning to South Africa Olivier represented South Western Districts in two non first-class matches in 1913 against the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad

He was an expert cricket commentator in radio and was made an honorary life member by the MCC.

George Moysey

When the Marylebone Cricket Club toured Australia in 1907/08, Moysey was picked in the Western Australian team to play them at the WACA Ground.

Graham Leydin

He was also a proficient cricketer and during the early 1960s represented the Victorian Country team which hosted both South Africa and the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Haldane Stewart

He scored 142 at Lord's against the M.C.C. in 1897 and scored 203 not out for Blackheath against Granville, Lee.

Haslegrave Ground

The first recorded match on the ground was in 1988, when Loughborough Students played the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Henry Murray-Anderdon

Murray-Anderdon remained as unpaid honorary secretary into the early years of the 20th century, working for most of that period alongside Woods, who was described as "captain and secretary", a frequent fiction in amateur times that enabled Woods to be paid (for the secretarial duties) while retaining amateur status as a player; Murray-Anderdon was also a member of various MCC committees.

History of cricket in Bangladesh

With its tentative year of birth at 1780, the Calcutta Cricket Club becomes senior to the Marylebone Cricket Club, which was established in 1787, by a clear margin of seven years.

History of cricket in Sri Lanka

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) teams have visited on no less than 23 occasions since 1911–12, most recently in 2000–01.

History of cricket in the West Indies to 1918

The first team organised by MCC arrived in 1910–11 and played 12 matches, 11 of which are major cricket matches.

History of Test cricket from 1890 to 1900

Between those Tests, Albert Trott, playing for the Marylebone Cricket Club against the Australians, notably hit a six off the bowling of Monty Noble that went over the pavilion at Lord's.

History of Test cricket from 1901 to 1914

This was the first touring party to be selected and managed by MCC.

Jock Livingston

In 1949–50, when Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) declined to tour India, the former England wicketkeeper George Duckworth assembled a Commonwealth side consisting of Lancashire League players plus a handful of English and West Indian cricketers.

Jockey Club

This can be compared with the way that cricket's Marylebone Cricket Club became the governing body of cricket by default, but later surrendered most of its powers to more representative bodies.

John Robin Stephenson

Stephenson was appointed assistant Secretary of the MCC in 1979 and Secretary in 1987.

Kingsmill Key

In the course of a long career he played for, among others, Surrey (whom he captained for several years in the 1890s), Oxford University, MCC and the Gentlemen.

Lips, or Almighty Cod

To restock their cod supplies at the fish farm, Tim, Bill and Graeme travel to Iceland, where they pretend to be visiting members of the MCC.

Rex Townley

As Tasmania didn't compete in the Sheffield Shield at the time of his cricketing career, Townley's appearances for his state were limited to matches against touring sides such as the Marylebone Cricket Club and South Africa as well as out of season first-class fixtures against other Australian states.

Robert Still

At Eton and Oxford he developed an interest in racquet games, winning a Blue and in later life playing real tennis for the Marylebone Cricket Club.

The Ashes urn

It was presented to Ivo Bligh, the captain of the England cricket team, after a friendly match hosted at Rupertswood mansion in Sunbury, during the 1882–83 tour in Australia, as a personal gift, and after his death was presented to the Marylebone Cricket Club, which has it on display at Lord's cricket ground.

After Bligh’s death Florence presented the urn to the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1929.

Thomas Assheton Smith II

He was the son of Thomas Assheton Smith I (1752–1828), who made his fortune in the Welsh slate industry and was a noted patron of cricket in the early years of MCC from the 1787 English cricket season.

Tom Jeffery

He is the author of various articles on educational matters and is a member of Marylebone Cricket Club, and keen supporter of Lewes FC.


1767 English cricket season

They have been loosely referred to as the "London Club" but that was surely a cricketing enterprise based at the Artillery Ground that they backed, as they also formed and subsidised the Jockey Club, and subsequently both the White Conduit Club and MCC.

Basanta Regmi

In 2009, he played for Nepal in a three-day match against the MCC, taking 3–20 and 3–27 to help lead his team to an innings win over an MCC side captained by former England Test cricketer Min Patel.

Charles Beckett

Charles Andrew Beckett (born 7 February 1794 in Gravesend, Kent; died 1838 in Chard, Somerset) was an English first-class cricketer associated with Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) who was active in the 1810s.

Charles Filgate

Charles Roden Filgate (16 October 1849 (Lissrenny, Ardee, County Louth, Ireland) – 1 September 1930 (Grove House, Pinner, Middlesex, England)) was an Irish amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1869 to 1877 for Gloucestershire and Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), where he was a member.

Clarence Passailaigue

As an attacking batsman he announced himself to the cricketing world by scoring 183 for Jamaica at Melbourne Park, Kingston in March, 1930, against a touring M.C.C. side led by F.S.G. Calthorpe.

Denis Blundell

Blundell was a talented cricketer, and opened the bowling in first class cricket for Cambridge University as well as for MCC and Wellington.

Edward Chandos Leigh

Leigh's cricketing career and first class stats might be considered average but he was a popular choice as President of the MCC in its first centenary year in 1887 and the Golden Jubilee year of Queen Victoria.

Edward Stock Hill

Sir Edward's son was the Oxford University and Somerset cricketer Vernon Hill and his grandson Mervyn Hill represented Somerset, Glamorgan, Cambridge University and MCC.

Gilbert Jose

His second first-class appearance came in 1920/21, at the Adelaide Oval, against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club.

John Platts

In 1870, Lord Coventry helped raise a subscription for Platts to join the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Lord John Sackville

Sackville's son-in-law, the 8th Earl of Thanet, was an early member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Mick Grace

Grace was also a leading junior cricketer, representing the Combined Victorian Juniors against the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) side during MCCs 1903/04 tour.

Neville Tufnell

Born in 1887 in Simla, Punjab, India, Tufnell played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and the Marylebone Cricket Club in a not particularly notable first-class career as a wicketkeeper that lasted from 1907 to 1924.

Ross Duncan

He was brought into the Test team for the Fifth Test at Melbourne which replaced the Victoria second tour match against the MCC in the 1970-71 Ashes series.

Ross Gregory

Gregory, a diminutive gifted right-hand batsman, was a precocious batting talent, making his debut for Victoria while still at school and his Test cricket debut before the age of 21 in the 1936-37 season, after scoring 128 for his state against Gubby Allen's MCC tourists.

Royal Air Force Sports Ground

Teams such as the MCC, the Middlesex Cricket Board, the Army, Middlesex youth teams and the Combined Services have all played on the ground throughout its history.

Ryan Haire

He made his debut for the senior side later in 2000, playing two matches against the MCC in Eglinton, County Londonderry in May.

Sam Trimble

In 1970-71, he scored 177 against an MCC attack which included John Snow and Peter Lever, thus proving he could perform against the very best.

Sir Tim O'Brien, 3rd Baronet

He toured with MCC teams twice: in 1887–88 he went with George Vernon to Australia and in 1895–96 he went with Lord Hawke's side to South Africa, where he acted as captain once against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in February 1896, winning the game largely as a result of George Lohmann's match return of 15/45 (7/38 and 8/7).

Thomas Frederick Onslow

Onslow was the son of British politician Thomas Cranley Onslow and the grandson of Thomas Onslow, 2nd Earl of Onslow, who played first-class cricket for pre-county club Surrey and the Marylebone Cricket Club.