1896 was the seventh season of County Championshipcricket in England. Yorkshire won the championship title having lost only losing three of their 26 matches, setting a points percentage record with 68.42. Yorkshire's team did not possess the greatest performers statistically, such as Sussex with Ranjitsinhji, or Gloucestershire with W. G. Grace, but a well-rounded squad with four bowlers taking more than 70 wickets in the Championship and five batsmen scoring over 1000 runs gave them the title. Playing against Warwickshire at Edgbaston in May, Warwickshire scored 887 in their first innings, which is still the highest total in the history of the County Championship.[1]
The highlight of the season, however, was the Australian tour, where Australia won their first Test match in England since 1888, and gave England a fight up until the third Test. On a rain-affected pitch, however, England hauled in a 66-run third test victory thanks to Bobby Peel, who took six for 23. The win sealed the Ashes in favour of England by 2 wins to 1.[2]
Wisden (Five Cricketers of the Season) - Syd Gregory, Dick Lilley, K S Ranjitsinhji, Tom Richardson, Hugh Trumble)
County Championship[]
Main article: 1896 County Championship
Final table[]
County Championship 1896 - Final Standings
Team
P
W
L
D
Pts
GC1
Pts/GC (as %)
1
Yorkshire
26
16
3
7
13
19
68.42
2
Lancashire
22
11
4
7
7
15
46.67
3
Middlesex
16
8
3
5
5
11
45.45
4
Surrey
26
17
7
2
10
24
41.67
5
Essex
12
5
4
3
1
9
11.11
6
Nottinghamshire
16
5
5
6
0
10
0.00
7
Derbyshire
16
4
6
6
-2
10
-20.00
8
Hampshire
16
5
8
3
-3
13
-23.08
9
Kent
18
5
9
4
-4
14
-28.57
10
Gloucestershire
18
5
10
3
-5
15
-33.33
11
Somerset
16
3
7
6
-4
10
-40.00
12
Warwickshire
18
3
8
7
-5
11
-45.45
13
Leicestershire
14
2
8
4
-6
10
-60.00
14
Sussex
18
2
9
7
-7
11
-63.64
1 Games completed
Points system:
1 for a win
0 for a draw, a tie or an abandoned match
-1 for a loss
Total points were then divided by the number of games completed, which determined the ranking
Most runs in the County Championship[]
1896 County Championship - leading batsmen
Name
Team
Matches
Runs
Average
100s
50s
Ranjitsinhji
Sussex
17
1698
58.55
7
6
WG Grace
Gloucestershire
18
1565
53.96
4
6
John Brown
Yorkshire
24
1556
45.76
4
7
Bobby Abel
Surrey
26
1516
42.11
4
6
Frank Sugg
Lancashire
22
1278
39.93
3
4
Most wickets in the County Championship[]
1896 County Championship - leading bowlers
Name
Team
Matches
Balls bowled
Wickets taken
Average
Tom Richardson
Surrey
25
6163
191
15.46
Arthur Mold
Lancashire
21
4836
130
17.20
Johnny Briggs
Lancashire
22
6884
122
19.77
J.T. Hearne
Middlesex
16
5294
118
17.95
Charlie Townsend
Gloucestershire
18
3685
101
21.84
Ashes tour[]
Main article: Australian cricket team in England in 1896
See also: History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900) § Trott tours England 1896
England won again, but this time faced a series-decider in the final match at The Oval, without George Lohmann of Surrey and William Gunn of Nottinghamshire, who went on a strike over match fees allegedly received by the amateur WG Grace. In the first Test at Lord's, England won by six wickets, chasing 108 to win, but Australia recovered to win the second Test at Old Trafford, despite 154 from Ranjitsinhji on debut - as the first Indian to play Test cricket, and only the second to score a century on Test debut. The third Test was ravaged by rain, and in poor playing conditions England won by 66 runs. The highest individual score in that match was 47 from Australian Joe Darling.