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Throughout
the English countryside, each year in late April and early May, that
familiar sound of leather (ball) against willow (bat) can once again
be heard, signifying the start of a new cricket season. For American
readers - this is the name of England's premier summer sport and not
some noisy bug! A game, which could perhaps be described as a cross
between baseball and chess. A game, which takes five days to play
and more often than not ends in a draw. A game which has found
devotees, followers and lovers in all of the far-flung reaches of
the old British Empire including Australia, New Zealand, West
Indies, South Africa, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
 The exact
origins of cricket are unknown, but is believed to date back to the
16th century, the name deriving from the Anglo-Saxon word
cricc, meaning a shepherd's staff. It is thought that the
first players were English shepherds, who used their criccs as
bats and the wicket gate of the sheep pens as a target for the
bowlers or pitchers.
The game’s
rules were formalised by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1797.
The MCC became the supreme authority on the complex rules of the
game and its base, Lords (named after a founder member of the club,
Thomas Lord) in St. Johns Wood, London, remains the spiritual
home of the game.
For anyone
visiting England during the long hot summer months: remember that to
fully appreciate your trip to our shores, please do not rush about
from one tourist site to the next, simply find a local cricket
match, sit back, relax a little and enjoy! In order to assist your
enjoyment and appreciation of the game, particularly when you are
sharing those magical video moments with others back home, we have
attempted to simply and condense the complex rules of the game, as
formalised by the MCC, as follows:
You
have two sides, one out in the field and one in.
Each
man that's in goes out and when he's out, he comes in and the next
man goes in until he's out.
When
they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's
been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out.
When
both sides have been in and out, including the not outs --- that's
the end of the game.
If you have any
questions concerning the details of these rules please remember,
like many things in England, pints are not compulsory but may assist
with your enjoyment. One or two will most certainly help when
explaining the intricacies and finer points of the game!
© Historic UK
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