Cricket Scores and Biographies

Frederick Lillywhite started this famous series, publishing Volume I in 1862 and proceeding to compile three more volumes. Then Arthur Haygarth continued the series, completing ten more volumes, the last of which (Volume XIV) was produced in 1895. At the time, Haygarth expressed the intention of producing Volume XV “as soon as possible”. Eventually, F.S. Ashley-Cooper produced Volume XV in 1925, from some of Haygarth’s huge collection of manuscripts.

The first fifteen volumes contained over 10 000 scoresheets from 1746 to 1879 and over 1 000 biographies. They have become one of the most desirable sets of cricket books, regularly used by researchers and cricket aficionados. Roger Heavens, from 1996 to 2004, gave collectors a helping hand by producing a set of facsimile editions of the 15 volumes of Scores and Biographies, with each facsimile edition limited to 500 copies.

Haygarth’s voluminous set of manuscripts has been in the care of Marylebone Cricket Club for over 100 years. In 1997, Heavens was given permission to use the manuscripts to continue the series. He produced Volume XVI in 2003 in a limited edition of 500, continuing to Volume XX in 2016. Volume XVII was also limited to 500 copies, while Volumes XVIII to XX are each limited to 175 copies. The series is continued with Volumes XXI and XXII, bringing the scores up to 1885.

The Set on Offer

The set comprises a very nicely rebound original copy of Volume I, facsimiles of Volumes II to XV and original Volumes XVI to XX. There is also a set of indexes to the Scores and Biographies.