ETON v HARROW A HISTORY

The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an English social phenomenon: how else can one describe a school match attended at its peak by 15,000 spectators on each of its two days?

Eton, founded by King Henry VI in 1440, was endowed with riches from the start. Harrow, founded by a local landowner, who in his wisdom left his not inconsiderable wealth to the maintenance of two roads to London, was always going to be the poor relation. And yet a rivalry developed, which found its expression in a cricket match

THE ORIGIN IS OBSCURE. In the days before organised games, inter-school matches were rare, and few before 1800 were representative in the sense that we know today. However, there is evidence of informal contests being played, probably between teams raised by the initiative of particular individuals, often in the school holidays. These were the days of curved bats, underarm bowling, rough wickets and heavy gambling. Score sheets were rarely kept. If there were records, they were lost in the fire that destroyed the Lord’s pavilion in 1825. Thus, the early history of the match is restricted to casual references in the memoirs of some of the players.

It was in just such a memoir that a record of the 1805 match has survived because Lord Byron (Harrow 1801² ), the poet, was a participant. The match was played on Thomas Lord's first ground, now Dorset Square, next to Marylebone Station. Byron seems an unlikely choice as he had a club foot. A contemporary wrote, 'Lord Byron insisted upon playing and was allowed another person to run for him, his lameness impeding him so much'. Byron himself wrote: 'We have played the Eton and were most confoundedly beat; however, it was some comfort to me that I got 11 notches in the first innings and 7 in the second, which was more than any of our side except Brockman and Ipswich could contrive to hit.' It was no surprise to find that the score sheet, discovered some years later, credited Byron, never one for self-effacement, with scores of 2 and 2.

It is said that the idea of a match taking place in term time was opposed by the two Head Masters because they feared for the behaviour of their spectator pupils. This seems to have been a wise judgement, as Byron’s memoir goes on to describe how 'after the match we dined together and were extremely friendly, not a single discordant note was uttered by either party. To be sure we were most of us rather drunk and went to the Haymarket Theatre, where we kicked up a row as you may suppose, with so many Harrovians and Etonians met at one place. I was one of seven in a single Hackney Coach, four Eton and three Harrow fellows; we all got into the same box, the consequence was that such a devil of a noise arose that none of our neighbours could hear a word of the drama, at which not being highly delighted they began to quarrel with us and we nearly came to a battle royal...'

The fear of “boys behaving badly”, especially within the frame of a press photographer, has dogged head masters ever since.

After the match, the victorious Etonians send an epigram to their opponents:

‘Adventurous boys of Harrow School, of cricket you’ve no knowledge, Ye played not cricket but the fool with men of Eton College.’

The reply, attributed to Byron, read:

‘Ye Eton wits to play the fool Is not the boast of Har row School. No wonder then at our defeat: Folly like yours can ne’er be beat.’

The match became a regular fixture from 1818 and, by the second half of the century, it had become a major event with all the national newspapers printing prospects in columns on the day and reports on the next two days. By 1870 a crowd of 10,000 was usual, rising to 15,000 by the early years of the 20th century. Men wore top hats and morning coats, Harrow supporters sporting a cornflower button hole, Eton a white carnation tinted pale blue, and the ladies in summer hats and dresses –often featuring the colours of the school their escort was supporting. The crowd was a mix of those that cared passionately about the outcome and the large majority who had no interest in the cricket at all, let alone which side might win. Many of the spectators would be in parked carriages round the ground: 1200 carriages were counted at the 1896 match. The lunch interval was host to a promenade across the outfield where the ladies could show off their hats and dresses, and people could see and be seen.Young ladies, known as debutantes, whose parents had social aspirations, would be paraded with the hope of identifying their quarry.

Harrow cricket had been shaped by two passionate Old Harrovians, Robert Grimston (The Grove 1828³ ) and Frederick Ponsonby, Earl of Bessborough (Mr Evans 1830² ), who travelled from London each day of the summer term to coach the boys. Edward Bowen and John Farmer, the two creators of Harrow songs, dedicated Willow the King to them in 1867, five years before they wrote Forty Years On

When Harrow won in 1888, Head Master Weldon (1885-1898 ) gave Bowen three days off school to write another song in celebration of Stanley Jackson's (The Head Master’s 1884³ ) achievements. The result was A Gentleman’s a-Bowling. The following year, Jackson’s XI included Archie Maclaren (Moretons 1886¹ ); both were later to captain England.

Stories abound of triumph and disaster on the field. One that Harrovians choose to forget is that of 1910, known as ‘ Fowler’s match’ , when Eton snatched an extraordinary victory from the jaws of defeat.

Such was the fame of the event that a telegram addressed to ‘ Fowler’s mother, London’ was delivered promptly to her hotel.

After World War II, everything changed: not only were these the ‘austerity years’ but they seemed to have bred an altogether more defensive attitude to cricket. ‘Lord’s’ became too important a match to lose and the supposedly weaker side invariably adopted over-cautious tactics. By the late 1950s, the crowds had begun to disappear, morning coats and top hats became a rare sight, the ‘debs’ were no longer. However, at an evening performance of the musical Free as Air on the first day of the 1957 match, there was still enough awareness for a performer to bowl an orange across the stage to shouts from the audience of Har-ROW! and E-TON!

But, as the non-cricketing Bob Dylan observed in 1964, the times they are a-changin’. Lord’s has now become a stadium holding over 30,000 people; the two-day match was reduced to a single day in 1982 and a 55-over per side format was adopted in 2000.

The sword of Damocles hangs over the “oldest match at Lord’s”. It has been given an extension until 2027.

Top row left to right: Lord's challenge letter 1805; Lord's 1822; Lord's crowd 1937; MD Watson leading the team out in 1938 RAA Holt (second left) scored 111 in the match.

Middle row left to right: Old Lord's Pavilion pre-1889; Lord's 14 July 1928; Lord's 1957 AJ Anderson (Rendalls 19522) batting; Lord's 1957 Wicket keeper AB Cable (The Knoll 19533) and MJH Weadon (Druries 19542).

Below: Sam Northeast (The Head Master's 20033) Lord's 2008

Outfitters

(formerly Harrow School Outfitters)

23 High Street, Harrow On The Hill

Middlesex, HA1 3HT

45-47 High Street, Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex, HA1 3JA

Our Shared History

Billings & Edmonds have been the Outfitter to Harrow School since before the First World War, when we served parents from our West End store. After the Second World War we acquired a tailors, known as Stevens, located at Harrow on the Hill. This shop would become, Stevens, Billings & Edmonds and since the 1980s, it has been simply known as Billings & Edmonds. We have collaborated with Harrow School over the last century to evolve the uniform and sportswear.

Service & Quality Ethos

Since 1896 our Company’s founding ethos has been to deliver excellent quality clothing with first class personal service. Today, by offering excellent value for money and maintaining strong relationships with House Masters and Matrons, we continue to deliver Harrow boys excellent service throughout the year. Billings & Edmonds strives to showcase British craftsmanship and where possible, we purchase uniform from British suppliers. Most recently we were recognised by being awarded Best UK Schoolwear Retailer runner up.

Memorabilia & Award Items

We stock a very comprehensive range of Harrow School memorabilia, including House cuff links, Old Harrovian silk ties and socks. In addition, we stock over one hundred society and award ties, as well a Harrow golf society clothing. Our spacious store, which includes a sports shop, is located at the southern end of the Hill opposite the green verge and we have a small customer car park at the rear of the shop that you are very welcome to use.

Solving your problems and championing your ambitions, we work together to make a positive and lasting difference.