THE VERY FIRST ORIGINS OF CRICKET WERE PLAYED

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.

From: - manoj. cd & nihal. cm