THE VERY FIRST ORIGINS OF
CRICKET WERE PLAYED WITH A
STRAIGHT BAT. THE BATTER USE
TO HIT THE BALL OFF A STOOL TO
THE WAITING FIELDERS
SURROUNDING. THEN A NEW
GAME CALLED ‘STOOL’ WAS
PLAYED WHERE THE BOWLER
WOULD AIM TO GET THE BATTER
OUT BY HITTING THE STOOL
BEHIND THE BATSMEN.
THE FIRST CRICKET GAMES WHERE VERY SIMPLE.
THEY WERE PLAYED IN THE COUNTRYSIDE WITH
FENCES OR HEDGES WERE USED AS BOUNDARIES.
THE BOWLER WOULD BOWL UNDERARM AT 2
WICKETS. BOTH MEN AND WOMEN PLAYED AND IT
WAS ALSO PLAYED BY BOTH UPPER AND LOWER
CLASS.
THE FIRST GAMES OF CRICKET WERE PLAYED BY
FARM WORKERS AS THE GENTRY ALLOWED THEM
TO PLAY AFTER THEIR LONG DAYS ON THE FARMS.
AFTER A WHILE THE GENTRY DECIDED TO
ORGANISE MATCHES BETWEEN THE FAMILIES OF
THEIR ESTATE AND FAMILIES FROM ANOTHER.
THIS LED TO SOME OF THE LOWER CLASS BEING
APPOINTED PROFESSIONALS, WHO WOULD
PREPARE THE BATS, MAKE THE BALLS, COACH THE
GENTRY’S CHILDREN AND PLAY WHEN REQUIRED.
THE VERY FIRST ARTICLES
OF AGREEMENT (RULES)
WERE WRITTEN.
THE SECOND MORE EXTENSIVE
RULES WERE WRITTEN AND
PRODUCED.
THE MARLEYBORNE CRICKET
CLUB SET OUT ‘THE LAWS OF
THE NOBLE GAME OF CRICKET’.
NEW ARTICLES OF THE
GAME OF CRICKET
WRITTEN. STATE SIZES
AND NUMBER OF
WICKETS, MADE 6
BALLS AN OVER AND
OTHER NEW RULES.
OVER ARM BOWLING MADE
LEGAL IN MATCHES.
The Hambledon Cricket Club, considered by many as the first ever
cricket club, was formed in 1750. And in a comparatively short time,
cricket developed from a casual pastime to something akin to the
internationally prestigious game of today. It was here that the rules
were developed. The middle stump was added, the width of the bat
defined and, for a time, disputes on the rules, resolved. It was here
that the skills of cricket were perfected. At the teams peak it could
take on and beat on the rest of England. Large crowds of 2,000
would watch and wager on the outcome.
Richard Nyren, captain of the Hambledon Cricket Club and landlord
of the Bat & Ball Inn, was the first to think about the game and how
it could be best played. He combined talent with the rare ability to
lead and inspire other players. Richard Nyren first, and after him
Tom Walker, had the vision and skill to devise and develop length
bowling.
Full name: William Gilbert Grace
Born: July 18, 1848, Down end, Bristol
Died: October 23, 1915, Mottingham, Kent (aged 67 years 97 days)
Major teams: England, Gloucestershire, London County
Also known as: The Doctor, WG, Doc
Batting style: Right-hand bat
For a man who played his cricket in an era of poor pitches and limited preparation, Grace
was a phenomenon. Over the course of 43 years, William Gilbert scored 54,896 first-class
runs, 126 centuries and took 2,876 wickets. It is just a shame his myriad of skills were on
the wane by the time he made his Test debut at the age of 32. It was the allure of the
Australians that saw him take the step up in class and he scored 152 on his debut. Two
years later, the father of the game was part of England's first home defeat.
Despite top-scoring he could not stop a loss that marked the "death" of English cricket and
the birth of the Ashes. He was also the first English captain to surrender the urn when
England lost in 1891/92 - his only overseas series. But those lows were far outweighed by
the magnitude of his achievements. The doctor was powerfully efficient, aggressive and
orthodox even in later years when he remained revered throughout cricketing circles.