Derbyshire County Cricket Club

• in Team

Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen major county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Derbyshire. Its limited overs team is called the Derbyshire Falcons in reference to the famous peregrine falcon which nests on the Derby Cathedral (it was previously called the Derbyshire Scorpions until 2005 and the Phantoms until 2010). Founded in 1870, the club had major cricket status from its first match in 1871: i.e., classified as an unofficial first-class team by substantial sources from 1871 to 1887. Because of poor performances and lack of fixtures in some seasons, Derbyshire then lost its status for seven seasons until it was invited into the County Championship in 1895. Derbyshire is classified as an official first-class team from 1895 by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the County Championship clubs; classified as a List A team since the beginning of limited overs cricket in 1963;[5] and classified as a major Twenty20 team since 2003.

Earliest cricket in Derbyshire
Cricket may not have reached Derbyshire until the 18th century. The earliest reference to cricket in the county is a match in September 1757 between Wirksworth and Sheffield Cricket Club at Brampton Moor, near Chesterfield.

Origin of club
The formation of Derbyshire County Cricket Club took place on 4 November 1870 at a meeting in the Guildhall, Derby. The Earl of Chesterfield who had played for and against all England was the first President, G. H. Strutt was Vice-President and Walter Boden, who had campaigned for the club’s foundation for three years, was secretary. When Chesterfield died the following year, William Jervis became president.

Derbyshire’s opening season was 1871 when the club played its initial major match versus Lancashire at Old Trafford Cricket Ground on 26 and 27 May 1871 and joined the (then unofficial) County Championship.

Ground history

Records