The 1880 English cricket season was the 17th since the legalisation of overarm bowling. The second tour by a representative Australian team was undertaken and they took part in the (retrospective) first Test match to be played in England. County cricket was dominated by the Nottinghamshire bowlers Alfred Shaw and Fred Morley.
Champion County
Nottinghamshire
Playing record (by county) County Played Won Lost Drawn Derbyshire 8 2 5 1 Gloucestershire 10 4 1 5 Hampshire 2 0 2 0 Kent 10 5 3 2 Lancashire 12 6 3 3 Middlesex 8 2 4 2 Nottinghamshire 10 6 1 3 Surrey 14 2 7 5 Sussex 8 2 4 2 Yorkshire 14 5 4 5 Wynne-Thomas, Peter; The Rigby A-Z of Cricket Records; p. 54
Leading batsmen (qualification 20 innings) 1880 English season leading batsmenFirst Class Batting in England in 1880 Name Team(s) Matches Innings Not outs Runs Highest score Average 100s 50sWG Grace GloucestershireEngland 16 27 3 951 152 39.62 2 5Lord Harris KentMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC)England 16 26 2 772 123 32.16 1 5Alexander Webbe MiddlesexEngland 14 24 1 708 142 30.78 1 2Ivo Bligh Cambridge UniversityKent 21 38 5 1013 105 30.69 1 8Billy Barnes NottinghamshireMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC)England 28 47 4 1220 143 28.37 2 5
Leading bowlers (qualification 1,000 balls) 1880 English season leading bowlersFirst Class Bowling in England in 1880 Name Team Balls bowled Runs conceded Wickets taken Average Best bowling 5 wicketsin innings 10 wicketsin matchAlfred Shaw NottinghamshireMarylebone Cricket Club (MCC)England 8532 1589 186 8.54 8/31 14 5Frederick Jellicoe Oxford UniversityHampshire 1045 301 32 9.40 7/23 3 1George Nash Lancashire 1501 471 49 9.61 8/31 4 2Arnold Rylott Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) 1162 394 39 10.10 7/43 6 1Dick Barlow Lancashire 2439 639 62 10.30 7/16 4 1
Notable events
The first Test match in England was played at The Oval from 6 to 8 September and England won by five wickets. Alfred Shaw achieved the lowest-ever average by any bowler taking over 100 first-class wickets.Webber, Roy; The Playfair Book of Cricket Records; p. 173. Published 1951 by Playfair Books No bowler has had a single-figure average for over 100 wickets since.
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 John Lillywhite's Cricketer's Companion (Green Lilly), Lillywhite, 1881 James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual (Red Lilly), Lillywhite, 1881 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1881
Further reading