1741 to 1745 in sports

Events in world sport through the years 1741 to 1745.

Boxing

Events

24 April 1741 — Broughton defeated George Stevenson after 35 minutes and in the 4th round of a fight in London. Stevenson's injuries were serious and he died a few days later.^[1]^{[better source needed]}
May 1741 — Upset by Stevenson's death, Broughton retired from the ring. He returned in March 1743; George Taylor reclaimed the title in 1741.^[1]^{[better source needed]}
16 June 1741 — Taylor defeated Prince Boswell at London after 2 hours and 15 minutes in the 4th round.^[2]^{[better source needed]}
1741 — Together with the aristocratic patrons of his boxing academy, Broughton proposed and eventually drafted a set of rules to improve ring safety.^[1]^{[better source needed]}
1743 — Jack Slack (the " Norfolk Butcher") defeated three local opponents and was recognized as the Norfolk county champion.^[3]^{[better source needed]}
10 March 1743 — Broughton opened his amphitheatre on Oxford Street.^[1]^{[better source needed]}
13 March 1743 — Broughton announced his comeback and reclaimed the Championship of England, which George Taylor had held since May 1741.^[1]^{[better source needed]}
13 March 1743 — George Taylor v Sailor Field was scheduled to take place in London but, for an unknown reason, was cancelled.^[2]^{[better source needed]}
16 Aug 1743 — Broughton published his Rules of the Ring (aka Broughton's Rules), in which Rule VII reads: "That no person is to hit his Adversary when he is down, or seize him by the ham, the breeches, or any part below the waist: a man on his knees to be reckoned down".^[1]^[4]^{[better source needed]}
1744 — Broughton successfully defended his title three times to 1746 against Chicken Harris, Jack James and Tom Smallwood and all fights were in London.^[1]^{[better source needed]}
1744 — Taylor closed his Amphitheatre and went to work for Jack Broughton at his place for several years. There, he took on all-comers and never lost a fight until 1750.^[2]^{[better source needed]}
24 June 1744 — Slack defeated Daniel Smith in a 20-minute fight in East Anglia.^[3]^{[better source needed]}
12 November 1744 — Slack defeated Daniel Smith at Framlingham in a 45-minute 18th round fight.^[3]^{[better source needed]}
1745 — Slack defeated several opponents in provincial rings.^[3]^{[better source needed]}

Cricket

Events

1741 — emergence of Slindon Cricket Club; its most outstanding player was Richard Newland.^[5]
1743 — first mention in the sources of the great Kent batsman Robert Colchin.^[6]
1744 — first codification of the Laws of Cricket, by the Star and Garter club of Pall Mall in London; these Laws do not say the bowler must roll the ball and there is no mention of prescribed arm action so, in theory, a pitched delivery would have been legal, although pitching was not introduced until the 1760s.
1744 — the earliest known scorecards were created for two matches this season but they did not come into regular use until 1772.^[7]
1745 to 1748 — single wicket cricket became increasingly popular and was the main form of cricket in England during this decade with lucrative contests taking place at the Artillery Ground in particular.^[8]

Horse racing

Events

c.1750 — Formation of the Jockey Club to establish rules for British racing.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Jack Broughton". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c "George Taylor". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Jack Slack". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "Broughton's Rules (1743)". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ McCann, pp. 20–21.
^ Maun, p. 121.
^ McCann, pp. 26–27.
^ Ashley-Cooper, At the Sign of the Wicket, 12 April 1900, pp. 36–52.

Sources

Ashley-Cooper, F. S. (1900). At the Sign of the Wicket: Cricket 1742–1751. Cricket magazine.
Buckley, G. B. (1935). Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket. Cotterell.
Maun, Ian (2009). From Commons to Lord's, Volume One: 1700 to 1750. Roger Heavens. ISBN 978-1-900592-52-9.
McCann, Tim (2004). Sussex Cricket in the Eighteenth Century. Sussex Record Society.
Waghorn, H. T. (1906). The Dawn of Cricket. Electric Press.