The 1867 English cricket season was the fourth since the legalisation of overarm bowling. Yorkshire achieved a perfect season in first-class cricket, something not likely to be equalled on covered pitches due to the high frequency of drawn matches, and even beforehand much more difficult due to the increased scoring after 1870, produced by the usage of a heavy roller and the disappearance of the abundant shooters, which previously made batting very tough.Green, Benny; Wisden Anthology 1864–1900 p. 604

The season is, however, best known for a schism between the northern and southern professionals that led to the North v South game, one of the major "representative" fixtures of the time, being suspended for several years because northern professionals refused to play in London for want of better conditions.

Events 30 May: In the first county match of the season, James Ricketts, on his first-class debut, scores 195 not out. At the time it was the highest score in purely county cricket, and it was the highest score by a batsman on debut in first-class cricket between Tom Marsden's 227 in 1826 and Norman Callaway scoring 207 in his sole first-class match in February 1915.Webber, Roy; The Playfair Book of Cricket Records; pp. 60–62. Published 1951 by Playfair Books. 13 June: Charles Robertson Young becomes the youngest to play first-class cricket in England until Barney Gibson in 2011 when he played for Hampshire against Kent at fifteen years 131 daysBrindall, Bill; The Guinness Book of Cricket Fact and Feats; p. 90. A schism between the northern professionals (Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire) and their southern counterparts,Baily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes, Volume 12 (1867); pp. 203–204 led by veteran batsman George Parr, who demanded improved remuneration and guaranteed benefits for their services, dominated the season.Rae, Simon W. G. Grace: A Life; pp. 73–79. This schism, which had roots dating back to 1864, meant that in 1867 and 1868: the annual match between the All England Eleven and the United All England Eleven, which had been played since 1857 in London was played very early in the season at Old Trafford - then in its infancy as a first-class venue - then permanently cancelled. The United All England Eleven later divided into the "United North of England Eleven" and "United South of England Eleven", with the latter being dominated by W. G. Grace. the northern professionals were not seen at Lord's or The Oval and the Players' elevens for the two annual Gentlemen v Players games in London was composed of Surrey and Marylebone players only, and their attraction to the public was materially reducedBaily's Magazine of Sports & Pastimes, Volume 13 (1867); p. 290 the North v South game was replaced by "North of the Thames v South of the Thames" Yorkshire County Cricket Club won all seven of its matches played. Except for Sussex in 1871 and Lancashire in 1872, who both played only four games against weak opponents, no county since has equalled this "perfect season", though Gloucestershire in 1877 came within one wicket of doing so and Nottinghamshire in 1884 within three. Since the official County Championship began in 1890, the nearest approaches to winning every game have been: Surrey in 1892 with thirteen wins, two losses and a draw in sixteen games Surrey in 1894 with thirteen wins, two losses and a tie in sixteen games Nottinghamshire in 1907 with fifteen wins, four draws and one abandoned game in a twenty-game schedule Surrey in 1955 with 23 wins and five losses in a twenty-eight game schedule Warwickshire in 1995 with fourteen wins, two losses and one draw in seventeen games

Playing record (by county) County Played Won Lost Drawn Cambridgeshire 4 1 3 0 Hampshire 3 0 2 1 Kent 8 3 3 2 Lancashire 5 0 3 2 Middlesex 4 0 3 1 Nottinghamshire 4 3 1 0 Surrey 10 3 3 4 Sussex 5 3 2 0 Yorkshire 7 7 0 0 Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Rigby A-Z of Cricket Records; p. 53

Leading batsmen (qualification 10 innings) 1867 English season leading batsmen Name Team Matches Innings Not outs Runs Highest score Average 100s 50sRichard Daft NottinghamshireAll England Eleven 6 12 6 377 111 not out 53.85 1 2George Lyttelton Cambridge University 6 10 1 341 114 37.88 1 1Roger Iddison LancashireYorkshire 10 17 3 460 71 not out 32.85 0 4Bransby Cooper Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)Middlesex 6 10 1 288 86 32.00 0 2Tom Hayward senior CambridgeshireAll England Eleven 7 13 3 300 55 not out 30.00 0 2

Leading bowlers (qualification 800 balls) 1867 English season leading bowlers Name Team Balls bowled Runs conceded Wickets taken Average Best bowling 5 wicketsin innings 10 wicketsin matchTom Emmett Yorkshire 954 368 48 7.66 6/7 7 2George Freeman Yorkshire 2255 552 66 8.36 7/10 7 2George Tarrant Cambridgeshire 1380 383 44 8.70 7/33 5 2Luke Greenwood Yorkshire 1211 368 34 10.82 8/35 4 1George Wootton Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)Nottinghamshire 4950 1644 142 11.57 8/15 16 6

Notes

References

Bibliography

Annual reviews John Lillywhite's Cricketer's Companion (Green Lilly), Lillywhite, 1868 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1868

Further reading