Greatest Cricket Moments

Earliest Cricket Periodical: The Cricketer's Companion — 1823

1823-05-01n/aPublication of The Cricketer's Companion, May 18231 min readSeverity: Mild

Summary

In May 1823 a small-format periodical titled The Cricketer's Companion appeared in London — the earliest documented dedicated cricket publication in any language. It contained match reports, instruction, scoresheets and short articles on the laws. Only four issues were published before the venture folded; surviving copies are scarce. It is the foundation entry of cricket-specialist journalism.

What Happened

Cricket coverage in 1823 was confined to general sporting weeklies and to occasional features in newspapers. The Cricketer's Companion — published by an unknown London bookseller — was the first to attempt a dedicated cricket-only publication. Each issue ran to 24 octavo pages and cost sixpence. Subscriptions did not cover costs; the venture closed after four issues. The format anticipated, by twenty years, the Victorian cricket-magazine boom.

Timeline

May 1823

First issue of The Cricketer's Companion

Aug 1823

Final (fourth) issue

1841

John Wisden's first cricket Almanack predecessors begin

1864

Wisden's Cricketers' Almanack established

Aftermath

The Cricketer's Companion's failure left cricket coverage to general sporting press until the 1840s, when dedicated cricket annuals began to appear.

⚖️ The Verdict

The earliest documented dedicated cricket publication — a brief, premature precursor of cricket journalism.

Tags

#roundarm-era#press#cricketers-companion#publication#1823#iconic-moment

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