The first definite mention of cricket in connection with the county is a highly controversial match in 1724 between Chingford and Edwin Stead's XI, which is recorded in The Dawn of Cricket by H. T. Waghorn. The venue is unknown but, if it were at Chingford, it is also the earliest reference to cricket being played in Essex as well as by an Essex team.
The first documented instance of cricket in connection with the county is a highly debated match between Chingford and Edwin Stead's XI in 1724, as described by H. T. Waghorn in "The Dawn of Cricket." The location remains unknown but if it occurred at Chingford, it would also signify the earliest evidence of cricket being played in Essex and by an Essex team.