Zusammenfassung der Ressource
The Rationalisation of Cricket
- PRE-INDUSTRIAL CRICKET
(POPULAR RECREATION)
- Summer Festival
- Localised
- Locally adapted i.e. played differently in different
places, up until the est. of the MCC in 1755 (who
later developed the Articles of Agreement ((AOA))
- Inclusive
- Both men and women played and both classes
played
- Roles within the game: gentry and wealthy = batsmen;
lower class = bowler ('serve' the ball)
- Employment
- Because played by both classes, it led to
employment i.e. a good lower class cricketer
would be employed by the wealthy as
gardeners or games keepers so you could play
in their cricket team = PATRONAGE.
- Early Rules
- Interest by gentry lead to a standardisation of the rules.
The MCC wrote the ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT i.e. the rules
of the game. For example:
- Introduced the middle stump, to make 3 stumps, rather than just 2
outer stumps.
- 6 balls in an over before changing ends.
- Bowling could be under OR overarm.
- Banned charging into a fielder
if going to catch you out!
- Limited Equipment
- Simple
- Pitches were uneven and unrolled.
- Scores were kept by 'notching' on wood.
- No Real Boundaries
- The game developed on the
spaces that were available.
- Rural
- 'Home Counties' cricket e.g. Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex
- Played on village greens.
- Hambledon CC
- 1756 - First real
pioneers of cricket
- Played out of a pub called 'The Bat & Ball Inn' in
Hambledon, Hampshire.
- They beat everyone they played and the team became nationally renowned.
- Because of the high standard of cricket being played, people
came to watch.
- Attracted large crowds of up to
2000 SPECTATORS!
- Players were paid to play.
- The Hambledon CC played for large
amounts of money.
- Payment
- Players were paid to play.
- Non-Violent
- A civilised game - which could be attributed to
the involvement of the upper classes.
- BUT you could get a batsman / runner
out by throwing the ball at them
between the wickets!
- MCC
- Formed in 1788.
- Employed Hambledon players as coaches and/or players.
- Moved to current site in St. John's Wood in 1811 - LORDS (Home of Cricket).
- Wagering
- A LOT of wagering on result!
- Gentry to show wealth and/or status.
Peasants to make money (rags to riches).
- PUBLIC SCHOOL CRICKET
- Popular because of the characteristics it developed.
- Athleticism
- Trust
- Teamwork
- Leadership
- Courage
- Honesty
- Prowess
- Endeavour
- Loyalty
- High Status
- Very popular
- House Fixtures
- ...and later INTER-SCHOOL FIXTURES
as transport developed.
- Enabled by the ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT.
- Loyalty to the 'house' and to the 'school'.
- MASTERS
- Employed Cricket Masters.
- Often working class people e.g. high
performing players of Hambledon CC.
- MORAL DEVELOPMENT
- Linked with 'athleticism' which strengthened
crickets popularity and high status.
- POST-INDUSTRIAL CRICKET (RATIONAL RECREATION)
- Transport
- The industrial revolution improved transport - the
development of transport meant people could travel.
- This saw the development of touring
teams such as the WILLIAM CLARKE
ALL ENGLAND XI
- William Clarke All England XI
- William Clarke was an entrepreneur who
employed professional cricketers.
- The team toured England and competed in
matches all over the country.
- Would sometimes play 'DOUBLE TEAMS' i.e. their 11
players would play against 22 players of their
opponents!
- Attracted huge crowds - SPECTATORS.
- Popularity / Regularity
- Cricket became more popular and county cricket took
over from touring sides.
- As a result more frequent matches were organised.
- The County Championship was est. in 1890
- This is the dominant form of regular cricket still today.
- W.G. Grace
- First cricket super star - still known today
for his batting prowess.
- He dominated the game.
- He became 'bigger than the game itself' e.g. he
once overruled an early dismissal at the Oval
saying, "The spectators have come to watch me
bat, not you umpire!"
- Ashes
- International games became viable
due to transport improvements.
- First Ashes event took place in 1882 - Australia beat England at
The Oval, in their first Test defeat on English soil.
- Some Australian women burned a bail and gave the
ashes to the English Captain.
- England beat Australia away the following winter.
- Improvements in Technology
- Factories were able to mass produce materials and
resources, enabling....
- ...stadia to be built for spectators / better pitches
- Better equipment e.g. bats, pads etc.
- Amateurs & Professionals
- Strict class divide - middle / upper class amateurs
/ working class professionals.
- Treated very differently.
- Names appeared differently on programmes e.g.
Mr J Bloggs (amateur) v Bloggs (professional)
- Ate separately.
- Travelled separately.
- Entered field from different door.
- Captain usually an amateur (ALWAYS an amateur at national level).
- 'Shamateur'
- Players who were supposed to be amateurs who earned £50 per game.
- W.G. GRACE was a 'shamateur' - he earned £120,000 from cricket (between 1870 and 1910).
- Travel & Transport
- Car, rail and air use enabled players and spectators
to travel to matches and still does today.