Description:Thomas Francis, 3rd Earl of Lichfield (centre front) with a cricket eleven in Shugborough Park. On the right of the back row is legendary Indian batsman Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji ('Ranji' or 'Smith'), who was first selected to play for England in 1896, and whose elegant playing style and exotic aura made him something of a cult figure. 1912 was his last full season in Britain where he played for Sussex.
Cricket is first recorded at Shugborough in 1851, but it was the 2nd Earl who was truly passionate about the game. He inherited the Shugborough estate in 1854 and by 1856 regular matches were being played against neighbouring estate teams. In 1861 a new ground was laid out on parkland to the south west of the Hall and was surrounded by railings acquired from Stafford Cricket Club when it moved from Lammascotes to the Hough. This ground remained the home of Shugborough Park Cricket Club until it folded in 1963.
The 3rd Earl succeeded his father in 1892 and inherited his father’s love of cricket. In 1897 he was elected President of the M.C.C. Between 1904 and 1912 Shugborough hosted a notable series of matches involving I Zingari, one of the great touring sides of the ‘Golden Age’ of cricket.