County cricket being played in 1709, though an official County Championship was not instituted until 1890. Having already been badly hit by the Seven Years' War, county cricket ceased altogether during the Napoleonic Wars and there was a period from 1797 to 1824 during which no inter-county matches took place. Inter-county cricket was popular throughout the 18th century, although the best team, such as Kent in the 1740s or Hampshire in the days of the famous Hambledon Club, was usually acknowledged as such by being matched against All-England. The most successful county teams were Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. There was,
Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1948 Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1948 Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1948 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for seventy-seven years. It was their forty-fourth season in the County Championship and they won eleven matches to finish sixth in the County Championship. Derbyshire played 26 matches in the County Championship and one against the touring Australians. They lost to the Australians and in the County Championship won eleven matches and lost six to finish sixth. Edward Gothard was in his second season as captain and took the wicket of Sir Donald Bradman at Derby.