1889 diary Cricket match analysis and drinking

[ShaunJ]

Thursday 3rd.

3 August 1889 was a Saturday

[ShaunJ]

"Stuart" Anthony is most likely Robert Stewart Anthony, son of the schoolmaster. He was hon sec of Culmington FC in 1889 ( mentioned as R Stewart Anthony in the Wellington Journal of 21 December 1889, page 6).

[Deskman]

Thanks Shaun J,

The corrected sentence is
The diary entry is dated 2nd August. The disastrous match against Winstanstow was on Saturday 3rd. As this is the last para of the entry it would seem that it was the Winstanstow match and written about the 5th August. The next entry is dated 7th Aug.

Yes 'Stuart' was Robert Stewart Anthony.

[ShaunJ]

The previous Culmington match was away on Saturday 27th July against Bedstone / Heath House. They lost by an innings and 19 runs, being the match with the pro?

Yes that must be the one. Presumably Culmington CC was struggling to put a team together and having to bring players in from other villages ("only two Culmington fellows"), even bringing in a professional to shore the team up.

[Deskman]

The match of Saturday 27th July against Bedstone / Heath House was played with only 10 a side. So yes really short of 'Culmington fellows'.

[CarolA3]

(Is carpet beating a traditional rustic entertainment?  My mother did it annually, but never for fun.)

There is a vulgar usage of the term carpet beating which, despite being an Essex Girl, I am not going to go into detail on here  . 
I have no idea if it was used back in the writer's days, though.

I used to live in Suffolk.  I have no idea what you mean

Culmington had thrashed (aka a carpet beating?) Winstanstow away on 8th June 9 (but then Easton was playing).

That was my first thought as to the meaning of 'carpet beating' too.  My old mum certainly thrashed the daylights out of our carpets!

Carol