The Sport of Cricket

The bat and ball game of cricket is played with 2 teams of 11 players on a field, in the centre of which are two wickets set at each end of a 22 yard long pitch. One team will bat first, and it is their job to try to score as many runs as they can while the opposing team field. Every phase of play is an “innings”, and each innings ends when the ten batsmen on the batting team have been dismissed or, alternatively, a set amount of overs have been completed. At this point, the teams will swap roles and play continues. The team which scores the largest number of runs during their innings is the winner. The ICC (International Cricket Council) and MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) maintain the laws relating to cricket and there are several formats of the game. Usually, cricketers play in a white kit and sometimes, protective gear is worn to guard against accidental injuries caused by the cricket ball, which is made from compressed leather around a cork core.

The History of Cricket

The origins of this sport are not certain, however the first recorded mention of cricket dates from the 1500’s. Cricket was probably originally a game for children, however adults had begun participating by 1611 with the first village cricket match being held around that date. During the 1700’s, the game went through several developments, with rich patrons creating their own teams. Large matches were held from the middle of the 18th century in Finsbury with crowds attending to cheer on the teams. In 1760, bowling was changed from rolling into pitching and a straight bat was introduced instead of the existing hockey stick shaped one. In the 1760’s, the Hambledon Club was founded and it remained the focal point of the sport until the MCC was formed in the 1780’s. Other changes during the later half of the 18th century included the introduction of the LBW rule and the arrival of the three stump wicket.

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The Sport of Rugby

Rugby is a sport that is a variant of football. Originally created at the Rugby School in Warwickshire during the 1800’s, rugby was just one of several types of football that was played at public schools in England during the 19th century, however today it has grown into an extremely popular sport around the world. The two primary variants of rugby are Rugby Union and Rugby League, both of which have different rules. While originally Rugby League used the same rules as those used by Rugby Union, today they are entirely separate sports.

The Forms of Rugby

Rugby football split into two forms in 1895 – Rugby Union and Rugby League. Originally, the sports only differed in their administration, however within a short space of time, the rules that were used in Rugby League games were changed and the result was two completely different types of rugby. After a century, Rugby Union was recognized as a professional sport in 1995.

A Short History of the Sport

In ancient times, the Romans and Greeks played a number of ball games, some involving using the feet, and some of these are thought to be similar in style to rugby. However rugby as we know it today was not invented until 1830 when the pupils of Rugby School commonly ran with the ball during play. This style of playing gradually spread across the UK during the middle years of the century and the first official rugby match took place in Scotland in 1857. The first club known to be playing rugby outside the British Isles was the Montevideo Cricket Club which was founded in Uruguay in 1861. This shows the spread of the game across the world. The UK’s first rugby clubs were formed during the 1870’s and 80’s and the Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 with the first recognised international rugby match being played in the same year between Scotland and England.

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