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 GENTRYS
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.