History of Cricket

Cricket is one of the oldest games in the world and it continues to thrive today. The game is said to have originated in
the 16th century with international matches being played since 1844. There is really no official documentation as to
when Cricket started or even where it started. Much of the information that has been piece together has state that
Cricket was a game that was thought up in the Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weal, this is a thick
area of woos an clearings in the South East area of England that is across Kent an Sussex.
Cricket started out as a child's game but the adult version of the game was said to have started in the 17th century.
Some speculate that Cricket is a take off of a games called Bowls or lawn bowling with the slight variation that a bat is
use to keep the ball from reaching the target almost similar to baseball. The basic tools use to play Cricket were
thought to be matte lump of sheep's wool to be use as the ball and a stick, crook or farm too was use as the bat.
The very first mention of the games was in a 1598 court case where ownership of a plot of land was being contested
in Surrey. An older man ha testified that he and his friends has played a game called creckett on the land over 50
years prior when they attended school there. In 1611, was the first time that an adult had mentioned playing the game
rather than attending a church mass. Since then there has been many mentioned of the game in the English Civil
War and then after the war ended a new Puritan Government had put a stop to more active sports like Cricket and
Football.
Cricket began to grow after the Restoration of 1660 and this is when the game first attracted gamblers to the game. In
1664, the Gaming Act was passed and it put a limit on the stakes of a game to 100 pounds. By the end of the 17th
century Cricket was a game that was betted on daily. In the 17th Century, North America was introduced to the game
through the English Colonies. By the 18th century it had passed through other parts of the world.
Today, Cricket is still a major sport that still attracts players, spectators and even media interest as well. The ICC or
the International Cricket Conference has over time expanded the development of the game and it hopes to produce
more national teams that are capable of competing at the Test level. In June of 2001, the ICC has brought the Test
Championship Table and in October 2002, the One Day International Championship Table was introduced.