The exact time and place that Cricket was invented is not known but it’s believed that it originated as a child’s game around the 16th century in the south-east of England. The earliest instances of adults playing the game are around the early 17th century when two men were arrested for playing Cricket instead of going to church. It’s believed the game derived from bowls whereby someone with a stick would try to block the ball from reaching the target.
Cricket moved from England to North America via the English colonies which settled there in the 17th century and in the 18th century Cricket spread to the West Indies, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
The Laws of Cricket were drawn up in 1744 and then revised in 1774 where Leg Before Wicket (LBW), the middle stump and the maximum bat width were added. These laws were created by the “Star and Garter Club” who went on to found the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) who have been revising and modifying the rules of Cricket ever since.
In the 19th century all the modern day county clubs were formed, starting with Sussex in 1839. With the help of the railway network, cricket grew dramatically as teams and fans were able to travel across the country to play and watch different teams. The overarm bowling technique was legalised in cricket in 1864, the same year the famous Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack was first published.
Although cricket never really caught on in Canada, mainly due to the popularity of baseball, the first international game of cricket was played in 1844 between Canada and the USA. In 1859 an English team was put together to tour north America and in 1862 the English team travelled to Australia for its first tour there.
Originally, each over consisted of 4 balls, but an extra ball was added in 1889 but was changed in 1900 to the now-common 6 ball over. Some countries tried out an 8 ball over and in 1922 this was made permanent in Australia and caught on in New Zealand and South Africa in 1924 and 1937, respectively. In the 1939 English cricket season, the 8 ball over was trialled but due to the Second World War, first-class cricket was suspended and when the war was over and cricket returned, the game revert back to the 6 ball over.
Technology was introduced to cricket in the late 20th century by including a third umpire. The third umpire is called upon to decide runout appeals, stumping’s, catches and boundaries, all via the use of television replays.
Cricket is full of legends, but when you compare it to other sports, such as Football and Rugby, it’s memorabilia isn’t very sought after. Here’s a run down of the 10 most expensive cricket items sold at auction (you may be surprised at some of the prices!) -
10 – 1953 Ashes Cap worn by Keith Miller – $40,775
Keith Miller, regarded as one of Australia’s greatest all-rounders, played the summer of his life in 1953. His legendary two double-centuries meant his Ashes Cap was sold in 2004, the year of his sad passing, for a significant sum of money.
9 – 1968 Sobers’ “Six Sixes” Cricket Ball $50,000
In 1968 Garfield “Gary” Sobers became the first person to ever hit six sixes in one over from six consecutive balls. Sobers was playing for Nottinghamshire, as captain, against Glamorgan and the poor bowlers name was Malcolm Nash. The only other person to equal this record is Ravi Shastri who completed the impressive feat in 1984.
8 – 1946-47 Ashes Cap worn by Don Bradman – $64,500
Don Bradman is a legend in the cricketing world but he was criticised about his decision to keep playing cricket after the war, as one person put it- “”I have seen today the ghost of a once great cricketer”. Bradman’s wife encouraged him to keep going and he put himself up for the Ashes team. He subsequently went on to make a century in the first test and three half-centuries in the rest of the series.
7 – 1907-11 test cap worn by Victor Trumper – $83,000
Trumper is a true legend in the cricketing world, not for his drunken nights out, but for his actual ability- “He had no style, and yet he was all style. He had no fixed canonical method of play, he defied all orthodox rules, yet every stroke he played satisfied the ultimate criterion of style — the minimum of effort, the maximum of effect.” Nothing more to be said!
6 - Sachin Tendulkar’s 2009 Cricket Bat – $93,619
Tendulkar is widely regarded as the second best batsman of all time, behind Bradman. In 2009, Tendulkar broke Brian Lara’s world record for the most Test runs and his bat went up for auction a year later. His current tally stands at 15562 runs.
5 – Garfield Sobers’ 1958 Cricket Bat – $129,250
In 1958 Sobers beat Len Huttons world record of364 runs in one Test, by one run, to make 365 runs. He scored 38 fours but didn’t score any sixes!
4 – Complete Wisden Almanacks from 1864-1984 – $148,500
120 years of Wisden’s were sold for well over the $100,000 estimated final price and I hope the winner has carried on the collection.
3 – MS Dhoni’s 2011 World Cup Winning Cricket Bat – $160,000
In July 2011 Dhoni captained his Indian side to victory to win the World Cup with an incredible batting performance. Dhoni decided to promote himself up the battling order to create a right-left batting combination with Gautam Gambhir and also bat against his IPL team mate Muttiah Muralitharan, whom he knew very well. This proved very fruitful and Dhoni finished 91 not out off 79 balls.
2 – Don Bradman’s 1948 “Invincibles” tour cap – $350,000
In 1948 Bradman made cricket history by touring the whole of England with his Australian side and beating every opposing team they came across, they then gained the nickname “The Invincibles” and are regarded as the greatest cricket team ever assembled.
1 – Cricket Scorebooks Written by Samuel Britcher – $590,000
Between 1795 and 1806 Samuel Britcher was the first official Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) scorer and his collection of four cricket scorebooks when for over half a million dollars! His annual scorecards were published under the title “A complete list of all the grand matches of Cricket that have been played in the year ____” – Catchy!
Yohan Blake, Olympic silver medalist in the 100 and 200 metre sprint, wants to take up Cricket professionally and is calling for Cricket to be included in the next Olympics. Blake says “I would like to see T20 as an Olympic sport and I would definitely want to play in that I could do that as well as run the 100m, 200m and the relay.” Such a strange mix, I wonder if he and fellow Jamaican strinter, Usain Bolt, could pull it off?
Blake said he can “bowl around 85-90 mph, which is definitely quicker than Usain (Bolt)”. Bolt is, obviously, quicker running between the wickets, but Blake is a faster bowler, but theres nothing disputing them both as great fans of cricket.
After Blake had expressed his desire to play proffesional cricket, the Sydney Sixers have been pursing him to see if it’s all just talk.
Usain Bolt has also told reporters that he would love to play proffesional football and joining his favourite team, Manchester United, would be a dream come true. No news yet on Sir Alex offering him a trial, but if he has the skills, no one would be able to catch him running down the wing!
Back to Blake and his love for cricket, he even lists cricket above athletics as his favourite sport! Tony Conelley, Austrailian agent, is trying to broker a deal with Blake which could see him playing in the next Big Bash. Obviously, Blake would be a great tool for marketing purposes if he were to sign, but the big question is- can he REALLY play?
Only time will tell.
If anybody has watched Golf on the TV, they will know that it actually a brilliant spectator sport. I will always remember the time the Europe beat the Americans in the Ryder cup. But how do we emulate our TV idols, and improve out game? Let’s have a look.
Golfing is a relaxing and fun sport to undertake. You don’t have to be wealthy to be a golfer; all you need is a set of clubs and a place to play. There are also driving ranges to practice your skills. People enjoy golfing because it takes their mind off of their everyday problems.
A helpful tip when it comes to golf is to make sure that you are aware of the type of concessions provided on the course – if any. This is important, because you will need to bring snacks or beverages, if none are available on the course. You don’t want hunger pangs half way through a round!
Do not neglect the basic fundamentals of club grip when you experiment with changing your swing. Your thumbs should always point down when you grip your club, and your hands should touch each other. There are plenty of minute changes you can make to your grip, but do not abandon the core requirements of a good grip.
If you have a tough time keeping a firm grasp of your club because of arthritis or other ailments that make it hard to keep hold throughout your swing, consider regripping your clubs with thicker grips. Grips with a larger diameter make it easier to hold if you have sore hands, and they will give you added control through the swing. If you really struggle you can get realistic computer games these days, played brilliantly in front of a large LED TV.
It is important to make sure that you rotate your hips when you are hitting a golf ball. Golf requires you to use your entire body when you are trying to make a shot. How you rotate your hips can make a big difference in where and how far the ball goes after you hit it.
When you are golfing and you find yourself stuck in a sand trap, make sure that you hit the ball with the same force that you would use to throw a handful of sand out onto the green from wherever you are positioned. This will ensure you will get out!
Aim for the ground in a sand trap. If you find your ball stuck in a sand trap, aim lower. When you hit the sand under the ball, it will pop the ball up into the air, and back onto safe ground. You will not get much distance, but you will be out of the trap saving you precious strokes in the long run.
To practice the best grip on your club, use a clapping hand test. Take your golf stance and then place your hands in front of you with palms together as though clapping. This should be the positioning of your hands when holding your club. As you grip your club, look at your hands and make sure your palms are parallel as they were without the club.
Rich or poor, golf is a great sport to take up. With practice and dedication, you may even be able to become a pro at it, but it is more likely you will end up playing PGA Tour 2012 with your mates in front of the Plasma TV. Some people just do it for fun too, so don’t worry too much if you’re not at the skill level of a pro golfer, but you could be with enough practice!
Ever wondered why Cricketers insist on wearing full shiny white gear to participate in sport? I hear it is because white reflects the light, therefore they do not overheat on the pitch (not that they are really exhorting much energy). But what a nightmare for the players mum’s, wives and girlfriends when the men come in from their game of cricket! The stains are a nightmare, with even the toughest of washing machines struggling to get them out, which is why 59% of people in a recent survey voted Cricket the number 1 worst sport for ruining clothes. Let’s look at the rest of the list.
Rugby Kit – 27%
With less than half the votes the rugby kit is second. Blood, mud, sweat and if you are in the French team, tears, all make this one tough kit to wash!
Iron Man Triathlon Kit – 10%
In third place, and quite randomly we find iron man triathlon. To be fair, having to go through a muddy lake, miles of road and then run through the street is enough to get any kit dirty. Fair play for the effort too!
Football Kit 3%
Of course, it had to feature somewhere. Now we all know that footballers are a bunch of big girls blouses, but they do slide around on mud and grass for 90 minutes, which makes washing their cloths a real chore.
Snooker 1%
Now I will be honest, there were a number of sports on 1%, but the reason given has mean I want to put this one forward.
It is as follows:
Snooker kit, because they are so smartly dressed even the slightest stain ruins the whole effect, therefore they may not actually be able to use it again.
To be fair, valid point.