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 1973 each against the touring New Zealanders and West Indians. They won three first class matches overall, two in the County Championship. Brian Bolus was in his first season as captain. Brian Bolus scored most runs overall, although Michael Page scored most in the County Championship. Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan took most wickets. Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1973 Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1973 was the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for one hundred and two years. In the County Championship, they won two matches to finish sixteenth in their seventy-ninth season in the Championship. They won