 Sheffield generally held first-class status, depending on the quality of their opponents, from 1827 to 1855.The earliest known references to cricket in Yorkshire are in 1751.These relate to local matches in Sheffield and to a game on or soon after Monday, 5 August at Stanwick, near Richmond, between the Duke of Cleveland’s XI and Earl of Northumberland’s XI (the same teams had earlier played in Durham and this is Durham's earliest cricket reference).