John Bryant (c.1720 â 1772) was an English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period who played for Bromley and Kent. He also represented various England teams. A top-class player, he made numerous appearances in important matches, both eleven-a-side and single wicket. He was the brother James Bryant, also of Bromley, where they were team-mates of Robert Colchin. In 1744, John Bryant and Colchin were named as two of "the six best players in England".
Bryant has never been recognised as a bowler, so it must be assumed he was a specialist batsman. It is not known if he was right- or left-handed. If he did bowl, he used an underarm action. The actual length of Bryant's career is uncertain, but there were 36 important matches between 1743 and 1756 in which he definitely appeared: 17 eleven-a-side, and 19 under single wicket rules.
Three of Kent v Three of England was a three-a-side single wicket game, played 11 July 1743 on the Artillery Ground. The six players involved, including Bryant, were publicised as "the best in England". There is no record of Bryant before 1743, but it is extremely unlikely that a new and inexperienced player would be rated as one of "the best". The teams were William Hodsoll (Dartford), John Cutbush (Maidstone), and Val Romney (Sevenoaks) playing as Three of Kent; and Richard Newland (Slindon), William Sawyer (Richmond), and Bryant (Bromley) playing as Three of England. Hodsoll and Newland were the captains.
The Daily Advertiser of Thursday, 7 July 1743 said Thomas Ridgeway of Sussex was to play alongside Hodsoll and Romney. Then, on Friday, 8 July, Cutbush, known to have been a clockmaker from Maidstone, was named instead of Ridgeway. Kent won by 2 runs, but individual performances are not on record. The London Evening Post says the crowd was computed to be over 10,000. A return match was arranged at Sevenoaks Vine on Wednesday, 27 July, but it did not come off.
One Bryant played for Surrey & Sussex v London at the Artillery Ground on 2 June 1744. Scored 5 & 10.
One Bryant played for England v Kent at the Artillery Ground on 18 June 1744. Scored 12 & 7.
See History of English cricket (1726âÂÂ1750)#England teams.
On Monday, 17 September 1744, a three-a-side match was billed as "Long Robin's Side v Richard Newland's Side". The participants were described as "the six best players in England". The teams were Robert Colchin ("Long Robin"), Val Romney, and Bryant against Richard Newland, Edward Aburrow Sr, and Joe Harris. Aburrow replaced John Mills, called the "famous Kent bowler", who was originally chosen. The stake was two hundred guineas. There was another "threes" match on Monday, 1 October, again "for a considerable sum" â Robert Colchin, James Bryant, and Joe Harris played against Bryant, Val Romney and Thomas Waymark.
The earliest known instance of a batsman being stumped was in 1744. J. Bryant (i.e., one of the brothers James or John) of England was dismissed by George Kipps, the noted Kent wicket-keeper. The match was England v Kent on the Artillery Ground. The surviving match scorecard is the first to include dismissal information.
A game between two "threes" was played Monday, 24 June 1745 in the Artillery Ground. The teams were William Hodsoll's Side, which was William Hodsoll (Dartford), Val Romney (Sevenoaks), and Richard Newland (Slindon) versus Long Robin's Side, consisting of Robert Colchin, Bryant (both of Bromley), and "J. Harris" (Addington). It is not known which of John or Joe Harris was playing. Hodsoll's Side won by 7 runs.
Two of the biggest matches of the 1745 season were played 26 June and 5 July on the Artillery Ground. The first was publicised as Long Robin's XI v Richard Newland's XI. Robert Colchin was nicknamed "Long Robin" because of his height. The teams for the first match were named, some of the players for the first time. No details of the scores were reported, but the result was a victory for Long Robin's XI by "over 70 runs". The match was "arranged by the noblemen and gentlemen of the London Club".
The fixture was repeated on 5 July, but the players were not named. It was between the same teams but it was publicised differently as "Sevenoaks, Bromley & Addington versus Slindon, Horsmonden, Chislehurst & London". As before, the match was "arranged by the noblemen and gentlemen of the London Club". No details of the play are known, but the result was another win for Long Robin's XI, this time by 5 wickets.
In 1745, a combined Addington & Lingfield team were due to play twice against Surrey on 22 July and 16 September, both matches on the Artillery Ground. Bryant and Little Bennett were to be given men for Surrey. Other matches with no reports were Croydon v Lambeth, 23 July on Kennington Common; Kingston v Lambeth, next day, also on the Common; Addington v Lingfield, 3 August at Addington Hills; and London v Kingston, 7 August on the Artillery Ground.
On 23 June 1746, Kent and Surrey were scheduled to play on the Artillery Ground. Kent's team consisted entirely of players from Bromley, Bexley, and Sevenoaks; these included Bryant, Robert Colchin, George Kipps, John Bowra, James Bryant, and Robert Eures.
On 6 August 1746, there was a three-a-side game between Long Robin's Side and Stephen Dingate's Side in the Artillery Ground involving "six players esteemed the best in England". The teams were Robert Colchin, Bryant (both Bromley), and Joe Harris (Addington) versus Stephen Dingate (Surrey), Val Romney (Sevenoaks), and Richard Newland (Slindon). Dingate's team won the match. Hundreds of pounds were lost and won over the game. Newspapers pre-announcing the event named John Harris in Long Robin's team, but it was his brother Joe who actually played.
Two games between Kent and England were due to be played at Bromley Common on Monday, 29 June, and at the Artillery Ground on Wednesday, 1 July, but both matches were "deferred on account of the gentlemen subscribers being engaged at several Elections". The parliamentary election of 1747 resulted in a Whig government under Henry Pelham (1694âÂÂ1754). In those days, voting was limited to male landed gentry.
The match on the Artillery Ground was re-arranged for 31 August, and the Bromley Common one for 2 September. Most of the players were from one of eight clubs: Addington, Bexley, Bromley, Dartford, Hadlow, London, Sevenoaks, and Slindon. The Daily Advertiser announced the teams on 31 August:
The source also carried a statement by George Smith, the Artillery Ground keeper: "The Town may be certain that the taking Six-pence Admittance is out of no avaricious Temper. Two-pence being greatly insufficient to the Charge that attends the Matches, which Mr Smith is ready and willing to make appear to any Gentleman".
Both matches are "result unknown".
If it was played, one of the biggest matches of the 1747 season might have been Long Robin's Nine v William Hodsoll's Ten on the Artillery Ground. Planned for 9 July, it was a "scratch match" arranged by members of the London club. The players were mostly from London, Bromley, Dartford, Hadlow, and Slindon. Long Robin's Nine were Robert Colchin, all threeâÂÂAdam, John, and RichardâÂÂNewland brothers, bothâÂÂJames and JohnâÂÂthe Bryant brothers, Little Bennett, John Bowra, and Thomas Jure. Hodsoll's Ten were William Hodsoll, Allen, John Bell, Thomas Bell, Broad, Tom Faulkner, oneâÂÂeither Joe or JohnâÂÂof the Harris brothers, and three players from Hadlow who were John Larkin, Jones, and one unnamed team-mate.
In early August 1747, there were two single wicket matches at the Artillery Ground which were organised by the 2nd Duke of Richmond. In the first, three of his employees Stephen Dingate, Joseph Rudd, and Pye defeated Little and Tall Bennett, and William Anderson. In the second, the same threes were to play again but in a "fives" match with the twoâÂÂJames and JohnâÂÂBryant brothers added to the Duke's team, and with Tom Faulkner and oneâÂÂeither Joe or JohnâÂÂof the Harris brothers to their opponents. The result of the second game is unknown.
Bryant is recorded from 1748 to 1752. The final references to him are in September 1756 when he played, as a given man, in two matches for London against Dartford.