I Zingari are a wandering amateur cricket club. Founded on 4 July 1845 by three Old Harrovians, it is one of the oldest cricket clubs still in existence. The purpose of the club was to nurture amateur cricket following the rise of professionalism, which had resulted in most clubs and counties employing at least one professional player to strengthen their team. I Zingari teams were chosen carefully, and such was their strength in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that a number of their matches were considered to be of first-class status. I Zingari Australia played senior club cricket for a few seasons after their formation in 1888, before being excluded from Electorate cricket. They have not played any first-class cricket.
I Zingari played numerous fixtures each season from 1845, primarily facing Eton College and Harrow School in the 1840s, and later playing more against stronger opposition; the Gentlemen of England and county teams became frequent opponents. In 1866 they took on the 'Gentlemen of the South' at St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury. This match is the first of their fixtures to be considered of first-class status. I Zingari lost by 121 runs to the Gentlemen, whose team included W.G. Grace and two of his brothers. I Zingari's next first-class match came eleven years later, when they played Yorkshire County Cricket Club as part of the Scarborough Festival. They competed in the festival for each of the following thirteen seasons – with the exception of 1883 – and played Yorkshire on seven occasions, the 'Gentlemen of England' six times and the touring Australians twice. They played two further first-class fixtures, both against the 'Gentlemen of England' at Lord's Cricket Ground, in 1895 and 1904.
In 17 first-class fixtures, 85 different cricketers appeared for I Zingari. Lancashire and England Test cricketer A. G. Steel appeared for the club on the most occasions, playing ten matches between 1879 and 1895. His 52 wickets are the most taken for the team by any player. Middlesex captain A. J. Webbe scored the most runs for I Zingari, accumulating 612 during his seven matches. He also scored more centuries for the amateur team than any other player, passing 100 on two occasions, while the highest score for I Zingari was 147, by Teddy Wynyard. Alfred Lyttelton, one of three Lyttelton brothers to play for the team, was the most successful wicket-keeper, claiming 17 dismissals.
Many members of the upper classes played for the team throughout their first-class years. Among these were Prince Christian Victor of Schleswig-Holstein, the only member of the British royal family to have played first-class cricket. Members of the peerage also played for I Zingari, including Ivo Bligh, 8th Earl of Darnley, Beilby Lawley, 3rd Baron Wenlock, Martin Hawke, 7th Baron Hawke and George Harris, 4th Baron Harris. At least three players were Members of Parliament, chief among them Alfred Lyttelton and Edward Stanhope who were both members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. Cecil Wilson, who appeared for the team twice, also served as an Anglican Bishop of Melanesia and Bishop of Bunbury.
Key General † – Wicket-keeper First – Year of debut Last – Year of latest game Mat – Number of matches playedBatting Inn – Number of innings batted NO – Number of innings not out Runs – Runs scored in career HS – Highest score 100 – Centuries scored 50 – Half-centuries scored Avg – Runs scored per dismissal * – Batsman remained not outBowling Balls – Balls bowled in career Wkt – Wickets taken in career BBI – Best bowling in an innings Ave – Average runs per wicketFielding Ca – Catches taken St – Stumpings taken
Cricketers No. Name First Last MatInnNORunsHS10050AvgBallsWktBBIAveCaSt Refs Batting Bowling Fielding 01 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 02 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 03 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 04 1866 1866 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 05 † 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 4 1 06 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 07 1866 1866 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 08 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 09 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 10 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 12 1866 1866 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 13 1877 1879 3 6 0 0 0 2 0 14 1877 1884 4 8 0 0 0 5 0 15 1877 1885 2 4 2 0 0 4 0 16 1877 1878 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 17 † 1877 1887 8 15 1 0 1 8 9 18 1877 1882 4 7 2 0 0 3 0 19 1877 1882 5 10 1 0 0 2 0 20 1877 1877 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 21 1877 1878 2 4 0 0 0 3 0 22 1877 1890 7 13 2 2 2 1 0 23 1877 1879 3 6 1 0 0 2 0 24 1878 1884 5 9 0 0 2 3 0 25 1878 1879 2 4 1 0 0 1 0 26 † 1878 1878 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 27 1879 1881 3 6 1 0 1 1 2 28 1879 1885 4 6 1 0 1 0 0 29 1879 1879 1 2 0 0 0 1 2 30 1879 1895 10 18 1 0 1 7 0 31 1880 1880 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 32 1880 1880 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 33 1880 1880 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 34 1880 1880 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 35 1880 1882 4 7 0 0 0 6 0 36 1880 1886 7 12 2 0 3 8 0 37 1880 1889 5 10 0 0 1 4 0 38 1881 1881 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 39 1881 1881 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 40 1881 1882 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 41 1881 1882 3 5 0 0 1 1 0 42 1882 1882 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 43 1882 1888 4 7 0 0 0 0 44 1882 1882 2 3 0 0 0 0 3 45 1882 1904 2 3 0 0 0 3 0 46 1884 1885 2 3 2 0 0 2 0 47 1884 1884 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 48 1884 1889 5 9 3 0 0 4 0 49 1884 1884 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 50 1885 1890 4 7 0 0 1 3 0 51 1885 1904 5 9 1 0 0 0 0 52 1885 1885 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 53 1885 1890 6 11 1 1 0 3 0 54 1885 1886 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 55 1886 1890 2 4 0 0 0 4 1 56 1886 1890 5 10 2 0 0 6 0 57 1886 1886 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 58 † 1886 1886 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 59 1886 1886 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 60 1887 1887 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 61 1887 1888 2 4 2 0 0 1 0 62 1887 1887 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 63 1887 1887 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 64 1887 1887 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 65 † 1888 1888 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 66 1888 1890 3 6 1 0 0 5 0 67 1888 1888 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 68 1889 1889 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 69 † 1889 1895 3 6 3 0 0 2 0 70 1889 1895 3 6 0 0 0 2 0 71 1890 1890 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 72 1895 1895 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 73 1895 1895 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 74 1895 1895 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 75 1895 1895 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 76 1895 1895 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 77 1895 1895 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 78 1895 1904 2 4 0 1 2 1 0 79 1904 1904 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 80 1904 1904 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 81 1904 1904 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 82 1904 1904 1 0 1 0 83 1904 1904 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 84 1904 1904 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 85 † 1904 1904 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 86 1904 1904 1 2 0 1 0 0 0
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