18 January — the vacant Championship of England title was claimed by Tom Johnson following a win over William Warr at Oakingham in a 1 hour 20 minute fight or 1 hour 40 minute fight depending on the source. Johnson was then unbeaten in six known fights since 1783 and retained the title until 1791.[1]
June 1786 or 5 July, depending on source — Tom Johnson defended his title against William Fry at Kingston upon Thames, winning in 30 minutes or less depending on source.[1]
19 December — Tom Johnson defended his title against Michael Ryan at Wradsbury, winning in 24 to 30 minutes or less depending on source.[1]
Tom Tyne defeated the former champion George Meggs twice, but the fight locations are unknown.[2]
^ abNote that scorecards created in the 18th century are not necessarily accurate or complete; therefore any summary of runs, wickets or catches can only represent the known totals and the missing data prevents effective computation of averages