The 1886 English cricket season was the 23rd since the legalisation of overarm bowling. Poor results caused the temporary relegation of both Hampshire and Somerset from first-class status. England beat Australia three-nil in the Test series.
Ashes tour
The Australians (referred to at the time as the "colonials") toured England for the fifth time and ninth test series in 1886; however their results did not equal those of previous tours. Of a total of thirty-nine games, they won only nine, lost eight and drew twenty-two, which is the second worst record by a touring Australian team after the 1890 team.Series ReviewThe Australians in England - 1886
Their poor results, including the loss of all three Tests with the last two being lost by an innings, were due to the decline of the key players, such as Fred Spofforth and Eugene Palmer who had made the 1882 team so strong, along with the absence of their former captain Billy Murdoch who was later to settle in England and assist Sussex.
George Giffen headed both the batting and bowling averages for the tourists, and achieved the rare feat of twice taking sixteen wickets in a match during the season, with sixteen for 65 against Derbyshire and sixteen for 103 against Lancashire. No player was to again achieve the "double" of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets until Giffen returned to England in 1893. Cumulative record - Test wins 1876–1886England11Australia9Drawn4
Champion County
Nottinghamshire
Playing record (by county) County Played Won Lost Drawn Derbyshire 9 0 8 1 Gloucestershire 13 3 6 4 Kent 14 5 6 3 Lancashire 14 5 5 4 Middlesex 10 3 4 3 Nottinghamshire 14 7 0 7 Surrey 16 12 3 1 Sussex 12 4 6 2 Yorkshire 16 4 5 7 Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Rigby A-Z of Cricket Records; p. 54
Leading batsmen (qualification 20 innings) 1886 English season leading batsmenFirst Class Batting in England in 1886 Name Team Matches Innings Not outs Runs Highest score Average 100s 50sArthur Shrewsbury NottinghamshireEngland 24 38 5 1404 227 not out 42.54 3 8Walter Read SurreyEngland 28 46 3 1825 120 42.44 4 12WG Grace GloucestershireMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC)England 33 55 3 1846 170 35.50 4 9Maurice Read SurreyEngland 26 43 4 1364 186 34.97 2 7Lord Harris Kent 12 20 0 644 76 32.20 0 7
Leading bowlers (qualification 1,000 balls) 1886 English season leading bowlersFirst Class Bowling in England in 1886 Name Team Balls bowled Runs conceded Wickets taken Average Best bowling 5 wicketsin innings 10 wicketsin matchAlec Watson Lancashire 4752 1109 100 11.09 7/15 8 3Frederick Martin Kent 1182 327 29 11.27 7/41 4 1Tom Emmett Yorkshire 5103 1591 124 12.83 7/33 10 2William Attewell Nottinghamshire 5094 1246 96 12.97 9/23 7 2Thomas Bowley Surrey 3899 1219 88 13.85 7/64 5 1
Events Somerset did not play any other first-class counties and dropped out of the Championship until 1891.
Hampshire ceased to be a first-class county after years of difficult circumstances and poor results. They did play matches against Surrey and Sussex in 1886 but these matches are not recognised as first-class. Hampshire did not recover first-class status until the beginning of the 1895 season when they were readmitted to the Championship.
George Ulyett achieved the unusual feat of scoring 1,000 runs with an average of under twenty, with 1,005 runs in 52 innings at an average of 19.78.
Labels An unofficial seasonal title sometimes proclaimed by consensus of media and historians prior to December 1889 when the official County Championship was constituted. Although there are ante-dated claims prior to 1873, when residence qualifications were introduced, it is only since that ruling that any quasi-official status can be ascribed.
Notes
References
Bibliography
Annual reviews James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual (Red Lilly), Lillywhite, 1887 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1887
Further reading