History of Cricket

History of Cricket

Cricket is a global passion, played everywhere from Test match arenas to village greens, tropical beaches, and dusty back lots. Just look at the varied cricket events sponsored by Royal London: star-studded internationals for men and women; Britain’s club championship pairing 256 community teams, and county cups for teens. It has a great history too…

The origins of cricket are not clearly documented but Cricket was first recorded in 16th-century England, and it was played in grammar schools, farm communities, and everywhere in between. But things really took off when 18th-century nobles realized that not only was it a great sport but also an excellent opportunity for betting.

With sky-high stakes being wagered, it was deemed necessary to come up with agreed rules. The oldest surviving set of Cricket laws date from 1744 – printed on a handkerchief, naturally. It’s now in the MCC Museum at Lord’s in London.

The oldest permanent fixture is the annual Eton v Harrow match, played since 1805. A young Lord Byron turned out for Harrow in the first match, though history doesn’t record how poetic – or “mad, bad and dangerous” – his bowling was.

Some of the more interesting or key dates are listed below. Further details may be obtained by reference to texts included in Recommended Reading.

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DATEEVENTS or RECORDS

1300	Documented evidence that Prince Edward played a game called Creag.
1344	A document in the Bodleian Library illustrates a cricket-like game being played. The Saxon word “cricce” or “cric” (a staff or crooked stick) may be the origin of the name.
1500 and 1598	Records at Guildford mention “Creckett” and refer to playing “crecket and other plaies” .
1611	Chichester Court – two men fined for playing cricket on Sunday.
1624	The first recorded fatality, when Jasper Vinall died after having been accidentally struck with a cricket bat.
17th century	Some evidence that cricket may have been played in public schools.

DATEEVENTS or RECORDS

1744	The Laws of the game first written down and printed.
1787	The formation of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
1788	The MCC revised the laws.
1864	The modern over arm style of bowling was made legal.

The game was further developed following improvements to the grounds as a result of the use of the “heavy roller”. Additionally, between 1850-1855 mowing machines were first used.

The latter half of the 19th century was the era of W. G. Grace who, during his career, made 54,896 runs and took 2,864 wickets. He retired in 1908.

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DATEEVENTS or RECORDS

1787	The first “county” club, Oxfordshire.
1853	The first county champions, Nottinghamshire. NB: At this time the press decided who were the champions.
1890	County Secretaries officially acknowledged the championships.

DATEEVENTS or RECORDS

1736	Sailors recorded as playing cricket near Lisbon.
1844	First international between USA and Canada.
1859	First tour by England of USA and Canada.
1861-62	First tour of Australia. 1876-77 First test matches played.
1878	Australians travel to England. 1880 First test match played in England.
1882	England beaten by Australia at the Oval. The Sporting Times reported “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.
1882-83	England beat Australia in Melbourne. Some ladies burned a bail, sealed the ashes in an urn and gave it to the English Captain. On his death the ashes were left to the MCC, and this is the basis of the Ashes competition.
1909	Imperial Cricket Conference established to administer cricket worldwide. 1965 The name was changed to the International Cricket Conference.
1968	The Test and County Cricket Board was established to run test cricket, and the National Cricket Association to foster interest in coaching and the recreational game. The MCC administers the Laws both at home and abroad. All three of the above form the Cricket Council, the governing body of the sport. There are also the Minor Counties Association, the Irish Cricket Union, the Scottish Cricket Union, and the Welsh Cricket Association.
1989	The International Cricket Conference was renamed the International Cricket Council.
1992	South Africa was re-admitted to international cricket.

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