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92-698: The Magdalen Ground (also known as the Old Magdalen Ground ) was a cricket ground in Oxford , England. The ground was owned by the University of Oxford and used by Magdalen College , a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Originally forming the northern point of Cowley Marsh , the ground was initially associated with the Magdalen College School , whose students played cricket there. By 1829,

184-414: A field , at the centre of which is a 22-yard (20-metre; 66-foot) pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails (small sticks) balanced on three stumps . Two players from the batting team, the striker and nonstriker, stand in front of either wicket holding bats , while one player from the fielding team, the bowler, bowls the ball toward the striker's wicket from the opposite end of

276-456: A public school education who had then gone to one of Cambridge or Oxford University . Society insisted that such people were "officers and gentlemen" whose destiny was to provide leadership. In a purely financial sense, the cricketing amateur would theoretically claim expenses for playing while his professional counterpart played under contract and was paid a wage or match fee; in practice, many amateurs claimed more than actual expenditure, and

368-419: A century earlier. There is no certainty of a complete statistical record of any season until well into the 19th century, which is why Roy Webber and others have been reluctant to begin their first-class cricket statistics before the 1864 season , notwithstanding the official commencement of first-class cricket in 1895. The earliest century definitely recorded in a match generally regarded as first-class

460-654: A century is Nottinghamshire's 143 against Hampshire at Bournemouth in 1981, to which Clive Rice contributed 105* (73.4%) and his partners 35 (there were 3 extras) and Gujranwala's 143 against Bahawalpur at Bahawalpur in 2001–02, to which Rizwan Malik contributed 100* (69.93%) and his partners 41 (there were 2 extras). The lowest completed first-class innings to include a double-century is Namibia's 282 against Kenya at Sharjah in January 2008, to which Gerrie Snyman contributed 230 (81.56%) and his partners 43 (there were 9 extras). The lowest completed first-class innings to include

552-561: A collared shirt with short or long sleeves; long trousers; woolen pullover (if needed); cricket cap (for fielding) or a safety helmet; and spiked shoes or boots to increase traction. The kit is traditionally all white, and this remains the case in Test and first-class cricket, but in limited overs cricket, team colours are now worn instead. i) A used white ball. White balls are mainly used in limited overs cricket , especially in matches played at night, under floodlights (left). The essence of

644-454: A fence, part of the stands, a rope, a painted line, or a combination of these; the boundary must if possible be marked along its entire length. In the approximate centre of the field is a rectangular pitch (see image, below) on which a wooden target called a wicket is sited at each end; the wickets are placed 22 yards (20 m) apart. The pitch is a flat surface 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, with very short grass that tends to be worn away as

736-455: A fielder was by Eric Hollies , who got seven Nottinghamshire batters out clean bowled and three leg before wicket in his ten for 49 for Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston, Birmingham in 1946. The cheapest all-ten (and therefore the best innings bowling analysis in first-class cricket) was achieved by Hedley Verity in 1932 at Headingley, when he took ten for 10 for Yorkshire against Nottinghamshire. The most expensive all-ten recorded

828-544: A hat-trick in his début match. Other instances of two hat-tricks in a match have been achieved by Alfred Shaw (in 1884), Jimmy Matthews (1912 in a Test match), Charlie Parker (1924), Roly Jenkins (1949), Amin Lakhani (1978–79), and Mitchell Starc (2017-18). Four wickets in four balls is a rarer achievement, first done by Joseph Wells (father of science fiction author H. G. Wells ) for Kent against Sussex in 1862. Alan Walker , for Nottinghamshire in 1956, uniquely took

920-463: A hat-trick in his first over on first-class debut, for Madhya Pradesh against Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. In 1907, Albert Trott of Middlesex took four wickets in four balls, and another hat-trick, in the same Somerset innings. In 1963–64, Joginder Rao playing for Services took two hat-tricks in the same Northern Punjab innings during his second first-class match, after having also taken

1012-598: A highly popular format, putting the longer formats at risk. The new shorter format also introduced franchise cricket, with new tournaments like the Indian Premier League and the Australian Big Bash League . The ICC has selected the T20 format as cricket's growth format, and has introduced a T20 World Cup which is played every two years; T20 cricket has also been increasingly accepted into major events such as

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1104-539: A match was achieved by William Lillywhite for eleven Players against sixteen Gentlemen at Lord's in 1837, and by Henry Arkwright for MCC against Kent in a 12-a-side match at Canterbury in 1861, but seventeen is the most otherwise recorded in an eleven-a-side match. Apart from Laker's, there have only been two instances of seventeen wickets in a match since World War II, by John Davison for Canada against United States of America in an ICC Intercontinental Cup match in 2004, and Kyle Abbott for Hampshire against Somerset in

1196-472: A player with more than fifty first-class matches is almost certainly 2.63 by Francis McHugh of Yorkshire (three matches) and Gloucestershire (92 matches) between 1949 and 1956. McHugh batted in 111 innings for only 179 runs, with only four double figure scores. No other regular first-class cricketer is known to have had a batting average of under 3.00. Qualification: 2,400. Qualification: 275 wickets. The most wickets possible in an eleven-a-side innings

1288-402: A run, and finish with a batting average of 0.00. Seymour Clark (a wicket-keeper for Somerset in the 1930 season ) is believed to hold the record for most innings in a scoreless career with nine innings in his five matches, including seven ducks . The record for most matches in a career without ever scoring is believed to belong to John Howarth (a Nottinghamshire fast-medium bowler in

1380-508: A triple century is the Rest's 387 against Hindus at Bombay in 1943–44, to which Vijay Hazare contributed 309 (79.84%) and his partners 59 (there were 19 extras). The lowest completed first-class total to include a score of 350 is Otago's 500 against Canterbury at Christchurch in 1952–53, to which opener Bert Sutcliffe contributed 385 (77.0%) and his partners 86 (there were 29 extras). The highest percentage of runs scored in any completed innings

1472-416: A winner or tie.) The wicket-keeper (a specialised fielder behind the batter) and the batters wear protective gear because of the hardness of the ball, which can be delivered at speeds of more than 145 kilometres per hour (90 mph) and presents a major health and safety concern. Protective clothing includes pads (designed to protect the knees and shins), batting gloves or wicket-keeper's gloves for

1564-470: Is 105, MCC v Australians at Lord's, 1878. Qualification: 510. The highest individual score in first-class cricket is 501* scored by Brian Lara for Warwickshire in 1994. There have been ten other scores of 400 or more, including another by Lara and two by Bill Ponsford . Scorecards began to be kept regularly from the 1772 season which is now seen as the commencement of the statistical first-class record, though historical first-class cricket began

1656-429: Is 83.43% by Glenn Turner who scored 141* out of Worcestershire's 169 against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1977. The remaining batters scored 27 and there was one extra. In the 2007 English cricket season, Mark Ramprakash scored a record 30.02% of Surrey's runs excluding extras. In 16 matches he scored 2,026 runs at an average of 101.30, while his team mates managed 4,721 between them at an average of 26.08. Conversely,

1748-479: Is aimed at a mark (the wicket) and driven away from it". It is generally believed that cricket originated as a children's game in the south-eastern counties of England, sometime during the medieval period . Although there are claims for prior dates, the earliest definite reference to cricket being played comes from evidence given at a court case in Guildford in January 1597 ( Old Style , equating to January 1598 in

1840-449: Is certain that cricket was being played c.  1550 by boys in Surrey . The view that it was originally a children's game is reinforced by Randle Cotgrave 's 1611 English- French dictionary in which he defined the noun " crosse " as "the crooked staff wherewith boys play at cricket", and the verb form " crosser " as "to play at cricket". One possible source for the sport's name

1932-423: Is drawn four feet in front of the bowling crease and parallel to it; although it is drawn as a 12 ft (3.7 m) line (six feet on either side of the wicket), it is, in fact, unlimited in length. The return creases are drawn at right angles to the popping crease so that they intersect the ends of the bowling crease; each return crease is drawn as an 8 ft (2.4 m) line, so that it extends four feet behind

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2024-635: Is known, through numerous references found in the records of ecclesiastical court cases, to have been proscribed at times by the Puritans before and during the Commonwealth . The problem was nearly always the issue of Sunday play, as the Puritans considered cricket to be "profane" if played on the Sabbath , especially if large crowds or gambling were involved. According to the social historian Derek Birley , there

2116-536: Is ten, and this has been achieved on a number of occasions. The first to do so was Edmund Hinkly in 1848 for Kent v England at Lord's. Perhaps the most famous early instance was two years later, when John Wisden , playing for the North of England v South of England at Lord's in 1850, clean bowled all ten South batters. In these early matches, the number of runs scored off each bowler was not recorded. The only other all-ten analysis not to contain any direct assistance from

2208-556: Is the Old English word " cryce " (or " cricc " ) meaning a crutch or staff. In Samuel Johnson 's Dictionary , he derived cricket from " cryce , Saxon, a stick". In Old French , the word " criquet " seems to have meant a kind of club or stick. Given the strong medieval trade connections between south-east England and the County of Flanders when the latter belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy ,

2300-488: Is the 136 scored by John Small in the 1775 season (see below). There can be little doubt that centuries had been scored before this but the records are either lost or the known details are incomplete. Some of the main instances of high scoring prior to 1772 are as follows: The following individual scores in first-class matches from 1772 are progressively the highest definitely recorded on contemporary scorecards: Ward's record survived for 56 years until W. G. Grace scored

2392-460: Is the earliest mention of adult participation in cricket and it was around the same time that the earliest known organised inter-parish or village match was played, at Chevening, Kent . In 1624, a player called Jasper Vinall died after he was accidentally struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex. Cricket remained a low-key local pursuit for much of the 17th century. It

2484-402: Is thought, a " wicket gate " through which sheep were herded), that the batter must defend. The cricket historian Harry Altham identified three "groups" of "club ball" games: the "hockey group", in which the ball is driven to and from between two targets (the goals); the "golf group", in which the ball is driven towards an undefended target (the hole); and the "cricket group", in which "the ball

2576-597: The All England Eleven between his first-class debut on 26 June 1865 against Surrey with a score of 9, which he did not surpass until scoring 15 in the second innings of his last match of 1870 for “ Richard Daft ’s XI” against the United North of England Eleven. This was equalled by Eric Hollies of Warwickshire and England between 20 July 1948, when he made 12 not out against Glamorgan , and 16 August 1950, when he made 14 against Nottinghamshire. Hollies also holds

2668-567: The Asian Games . The resultant growth has seen cricket's fanbase cross one billion people, with 90% of them in South Asia. T20's success has also spawned even shorter formats , such as 10-over cricket (T10) and 100-ball cricket , though not without controversy. Outside factors have also taken their toll on cricket. For example, the 2008 Mumbai attacks led India and Pakistan to suspend their bilateral series indefinitely. The 2009 attack on

2760-685: The British Empire had been instrumental in spreading the game overseas, and by the middle of the 19th century it had become well established in Australia , the Caribbean , British India (which includes present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh ), New Zealand , North America and South Africa . In 1862, an English team made the first tour of Australia. The first Australian team to travel overseas consisted of Aboriginal stockmen who toured England in 1868 . In 1876–77, an England team took part in what

2852-461: The Dukes of Richmond , exerted their honour code of noblesse oblige to claim rights of leadership in any sporting contests they took part in, especially as it was necessary for them to play alongside their "social inferiors" if they were to win their bets. In time, a perception took hold that the typical amateur who played in first-class cricket, until 1962 when amateurism was abolished, was someone with

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2944-600: The Oxford University Cricket Club had been given a part of the marsh where the College School played cricket. In 1851, it was purchased at auction by the University of Oxford and leased to the University Cricket Club. The ground operated as a first-class cricket venue from 1829 to 1880, hosting 69 first-class matches. The University Cricket Club left the ground following the 1880 season to play at

3036-644: The Oxford University Cricket Club , and the Magdalen Ground was established; the College School still continued to play at the ground alongside the University Club for a number of years after; hence, it is from this that the ground gets its name, and not Magdalen College . First-class cricket was first played at the ground in the second playing of The University Match between Oxford University played Cambridge University in 1829, which Oxford won by 115 runs. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) first played at

3128-533: The Second Battle of Bullecourt in 1917. It is not unusual for a batter to dominate the scoring while he is at the wicket; it is more unusual for a batter to dominate his side's completed total if they are all out. The lowest completed first-class innings to include a fifty is Indians' 66 against Yorkshire at Harrogate in 1932, to which Nazir Ali contributed 52 (78.79%) and his partners 9 (there were 5 extras). The lowest completed first-class innings to include

3220-517: The University Parks from 1881. Cricket had been played by students at the University of Oxford since at least 1764, by members of the Bullingdon Club on their Bullingdon Green ground. However, the hosting of cricket matches became less favourable at Bullingdon Green, given its relative remoteness from Oxford and its reputation for unsupervised social gatherings, to which playing cricket

3312-466: The West Indies . Women's cricket , which is organised and played separately, has also achieved international standard. The most successful side playing international cricket is Australia , which has won eight One Day International trophies, including six World Cups , more than any other country, and has been the top-rated Test side more than any other country. Cricket is one of many games in

3404-590: The highest completed first-class innings not to include an individual century is 671 for nine declared by Surrey against Kent at Beckenham in 2022. Seven batters passed 50, and the top score was Ollie Pope 's 96. Qualification: 55 boundaries. Qualification: 3. Includes all scores of 300 or more. Entries in bold are for batters still playing first-class cricket. Qualification: 15. Includes all scores of 200 or more. Entry in bold denotes player still playing first-class cricket. Qualification: 115. Many cricketers with short first-class careers fail to ever score

3496-401: The "club ball" sphere that involve hitting a ball with a hand-held implement. Others include baseball (which shares many similarities with cricket, both belonging in the more specific bat-and-ball games category ), golf , hockey , tennis , squash , badminton and table tennis . In cricket's case, a key difference is the existence of a solid target structure, the wicket (originally, it

3588-407: The 1870s, it was an opinion amongst Oxford cricketers that the cricket facilities at the University of Cambridge , with their ground at Fenner's , were better than those that Oxford possessed at the Magdalen Ground; the pavilion at the Magdalen Ground dated from its foundation and did not afford the comforts and conveniences expected of a modern cricket facility of the time. Ranjitsinhji described

3680-630: The 1956 Australians). W. G. Grace also achieved a ten-for analysis twice, in 1873 and 1886; on the first occasion, he also scored a century, but the second occasion was in a twelve-a-side match. The most wickets ever taken in a first-class match is nineteen, by Jim Laker for England against Australia at Old Trafford, Manchester in 1956, in the fourth Test match of that year's Ashes series. His figures were nine for 37 in Australia's first innings, and ten for 53 in their second. Laker's feat has never been paralleled in first-class cricket. Eighteen wickets in

3772-451: The 1960s), whose thirteen matches included seven innings and four ducks. The longest sequence of consecutive scoreless innings is 12 by Mark Robinson for Northamptonshire in 1990, whose scores that season were 1*, 0*, 1, 0, 0*, 0*, 0*, 0*, 0*, 0, 0, 0, 0*, 0*, 0 and 1*. The most consecutive single-figure innings by a batter is 71, which has occurred twice. The first occurrence was by Jem Shaw who played chiefly for Nottinghamshire and

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3864-675: The 19th century. The game's governing body is the International Cricket Council (ICC), which has over 100 members, twelve of which are full members who play Test matches. The game's rules, the Laws of Cricket , are maintained by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London . The sport is followed primarily in South Asia , Australia , New Zealand , the United Kingdom , Southern Africa , and

3956-584: The First Division of the County Championship in 2019. Individual bowlers take great credit if they can capture five or more wickets in an innings. The earliest known instance of this was by William Bullen , who bowled five batters out when playing for All-England v Hampshire at Sevenoaks Vine in 1774. Scorecards were still uncommon at the time and bowling analyses were incomplete; bowlers were only credited with "bowled" victims, catches being awarded to

4048-571: The Middle Dutch phrase for hockey, " met de (krik ket)sen " ("with the stick chase"). Gillmeister has suggested that not only the name but also the sport itself may be of Flemish origin. Although the main object of the game has always been to score the most runs , the early form of cricket differed from the modern game in certain key technical aspects; the North American variant of cricket known as wicket retained many of these aspects. The ball

4140-560: The Sri Lankan team during their tour of Pakistan led to Pakistan being unable to host matches until 2019. In 2017, Afghanistan and Ireland became the 11th and 12th Test nations. In cricket, the rules of the game are codified in The Laws of Cricket (hereinafter called "the Laws"), which has a global remit. There are 42 Laws (always written with a capital "L"). The earliest known version of

4232-500: The University Cricket Club, to let the ground to the cricket club, enabling them to become permanent lessees of an enclosed cricket ground; this began a trend for other colleges to become lessees of their own enclosed grounds within Oxford. The most famous first-class match held on the ground came in 1877 when Oxford played the MCC. Played before a large crowd and fair, but cold, weather, Oxford won

4324-454: The ball hits the striker's wicket and dislodges the bails, and by the fielding side either catching the ball after it is hit by the bat but before it hits the ground, or hitting a wicket with the ball before a batter can cross the crease line in front of the wicket. When ten batters have been dismissed, the innings (playing phase) ends and the teams swap roles. Forms of cricket range from traditional Test matches played over five days to

4416-466: The ball, which is a hard, solid spheroid made of compressed leather with a slightly raised sewn seam enclosing a cork core layered with tightly wound string. The earliest known definite reference to cricket is to it being played in South East England in the mid-16th century. It spread globally with the expansion of the British Empire , with the first international matches in the second half of

4508-449: The batting team are on the field at any given time. The order of batters is usually announced just before the match, but it can be varied. The main objective of each team is to score more runs than their opponents, but in some forms of cricket, it is also necessary to dismiss all but one of the opposition batters (making their team 'all out') in their final innings in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn (not ending with

4600-421: The bowling crease, but is also, in fact, unlimited in length. Before a match begins, the team captains (who are also players) toss a coin to decide which team will bat first and so take the first innings . "Innings" is the term used for each phase of play in the match. In each innings, one team bats, attempting to score runs , while the other team bowls and fields the ball , attempting to restrict

4692-479: The code was drafted in 1744, and since 1788, it has been owned and maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London . Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played on a cricket field (see image of cricket pitch and creases) between two teams of eleven players each. The field is usually circular or oval in shape, and the edge of the playing area is marked by a boundary , which may be

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4784-548: The derisive term "shamateur" was coined to describe the practice. The game underwent major development in the 18th century to become England's national sport . Its success was underwritten by the twin necessities of patronage and betting. Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and, in the middle years of the century, large crowds flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury . The single wicket form of

4876-424: The different proposals that have been made for the starting date of the statistical records, ranging from the 17th century to 1895. Records shown here are quoted by either CricketArchive or Wisden Cricketers' Almanack , unless otherwise stated. Qualification: Innings and 550 runs. Qualification: 575 runs. There have been 33 ties in first-class cricket since 1948. Before then, a tie was sometimes declared where

4968-405: The earliest known contest that is generally considered a First Class match. The patrons and other players from the gentry began to classify themselves as " amateurs " to establish a clear distinction from the professionals, who were invariably members of the working class , even to the point of having separate changing and dining facilities. The gentry, including such high-ranking nobles as

5060-456: The existence of players like him who were nominally amateur but, in terms of their financial gain, de facto professional. Grace himself was said to have been paid more money for playing cricket than any professional. The last two decades before the First World War have been called the " Golden Age of cricket ". It is a nostalgic name prompted by the collective sense of loss resulting from

5152-412: The fielder only. Tich Freeman took five wickets in an innings a record 386 times. Wilfred Rhodes achieved it 287 times. It is a notable achievement for a bowler to capture 10 wickets in a match , and the feat is usually highlighted in career statistics. The earliest known instance was by Thomas Brett of Hampshire against Surrey at Laleham Burway in 1775. Brett's victims were "all bowled" as he

5244-631: The first limited overs Cricket World Cup in 1975 . Sri Lanka joined the ranks in 1982. Meanwhile, South Africa was banned by the ICC due to apartheid from 1970 until 1992. 1992 also brought about the introduction of the Zimbabwe team . The 21st century brought with it the Bangladesh Team , who made their Test debut in 2000. The game itself also grew, with a new format made up of 20-over innings being created. This format, called T20 cricket , quickly became

5336-409: The first triple-century in first-class cricket in 1876. The table below shows the progressive world record from 1876. Qualification: 40,000. Qualification: 20,000 runs, average 54. The highest first-class batting career average of all is 207.00, by Norman Callaway , who aged 18 scored 207 in his only first-class innings on his début for New South Wales against Queensland in 1914–15. He died during

5428-450: The game at county level led to the creation of the county clubs , starting with Sussex in 1839. In December 1889, the eight leading county clubs formed the official County Championship , which began in 1890. The most famous player of the 19th century was W. G. Grace , who started his long and influential career in 1865. It was especially during the career of Grace that the distinction between amateurs and professionals became blurred by

5520-424: The game progresses (cricket can also be played on artificial surfaces, notably matting). Each wicket is made of three wooden stumps topped by two bails . As illustrated, the pitch is marked at each end with four white painted lines: a bowling crease , a popping crease and two return creases . The three stumps are aligned centrally on the bowling crease, which is eight feet eight inches long. The popping crease

5612-432: The game quickly grew from 500 tests in 84 years to 1000 within the next 23. Cricket entered a new era in 1963 when English counties introduced the limited overs variant. As it was sure to produce a result, limited overs cricket was lucrative, and the number of matches increased. The first Limited Overs International was played in 1971, and the governing International Cricket Council (ICC), seeing its potential, staged

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5704-421: The greatest Test batter of all time. To curb his dominance, England employed bodyline tactics during the 1932–33 Ashes series . These involved bowling at the body of the batter and setting a field, resulting in batters having to choose between being hit or risk getting out. This series moved cricket from a game to a matter of national importance , with diplomatic cables being passed between the two countries over

5796-493: The ground had played host to 69 first-class matches. One further first-class match, in 1912 against the South Africans , was played at the Magdalen Ground. After the departure of the University Cricket Club, minor matches continued to be played by Magdalen Cricket Club and Cowley St. John Cricket Club. In the 1890s, the ground was a venue for inter–college football matches. During the First World War , there were talks to turn

5888-425: The ground in 1832, with a side that featured Jem Broadbridge , William Lillywhite , and Ned Wenman . This match marked the beginning of the MCC's long association with the Magdalen Ground, typically playing a "grand match" there against Oxford annually until 1880. Neither the College School nor the University Cricket Club formerly owned the land, which by 1850 remained a part of Cowley Marsh. Under an Enclosure Act ,

5980-632: The ground over to agricultural use to help negate the growing food shortages caused by the German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare . To this end, negotiations with the local allotment association began at the beginning of 1917, with the ground being acquired by the Oxford Land Cultivation Committee in February 1917. The tenancy of the Oxford Land Cultivation Committee expired in March 1923, with

6072-441: The ground subsequently being built over by residential housing later in the 1920s. 51°44′37″N 1°13′46″W  /  51.7435°N 1.2295°W  / 51.7435; -1.2295 Cricket First-class cricket One Day International Limited overs (domestic) Twenty20 International Twenty20 (domestic) Other forms Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on

6164-529: The hands, a safety helmet for the head, and a box for male players inside the trousers (to protect the crotch area). Some batters wear additional padding inside their shirts and trousers such as thigh pads, arm pads, rib protectors and shoulder pads. The only fielders allowed to wear protective gear are those in positions very close to the batter (i.e., if they are alongside or in front of him), but they cannot wear gloves or external leg guards. Subject to certain variations, on-field clothing generally includes

6256-515: The incident. During this time, the number of Test nations continued to grow, with the West Indies , New Zealand and India being admitted as full Test members within a four-year period from 1928 to 1932. An enforced break during the Second World War stopped Test Cricket for a time, although the Partition of India caused Pakistan to gain Test status in 1952. As teams began to travel more,

6348-553: The land which made up Cowley Marsh was put up for auction by the Parish of Cowley . It was purchased under the Vice-Chancellorship of Frederick Charles Plumptre for the University of Oxford , with an Act of Convocation dated 30 May 1851 authorising the purchase for the special purpose of enabling members of the university to play cricket. The following month, an agreement was signed between Plumptre and William Ridding , steward of

6440-632: The main buildings of the university. Therefore, with the encouragement of the Vice-Chancellor The Reverend Evan Evans , a petition was started by Thomas Case (then treasurer of the University Cricket Club) for the cricket club to move to a new ground in the north of Oxford at the University Parks . This was realised in 1881, when the cricket club left the Magdalen Ground for the University Parks. Up until that point,

6532-413: The modern calendar). The case concerned ownership of a certain plot of land, and the court heard the testimony of a 59-year-old coroner , John Derrick , who gave witness that: Being a scholler in the ffree schoole of Guldeford hee and diverse of his fellows did runne and play there at creckett and other plaies. Given Derrick's age, it was about half a century earlier when he was at school, and so it

6624-541: The name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch (in use in Flanders at the time) " krick " ( -e ), meaning a stick (crook). Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word " krickstoel " , meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church that resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket. According to Heiner Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University , "cricket" derives from

6716-448: The newer Twenty20 format (also known as T20 ), in which each team bats for a single innings of 20 overs (each "over" being a set of 6 fair opportunities for the batting team to score) and the game generally lasts three to four hours. Traditionally, cricketers play in all-white kit , but in limited overs cricket , they wear club or team colours. In addition to the basic kit, some players wear protective gear to prevent injury caused by

6808-449: The official rulings). The performances noted in this article include several which occurred in earlier years but it is understood that all were achieved in matches that are retrospectively recognised by most historians or statisticians as first-class (i.e., unofficially so). Some matches have not been universally accepted as first-class for statistical purposes and there are thus variations in published cricket statistics , mainly because of

6900-445: The pitch. The striker's goal is to hit the bowled ball with the bat and then switch places with the nonstriker, with the batting team scoring one run for each of these exchanges. Runs are also scored when the ball reaches the boundary of the field or when the ball is bowled illegally . The fielding team tries to prevent runs from being scored by dismissing batters (so they are "out"). Means of dismissal include being bowled , when

6992-448: The record for most consecutive innings without reaching 20, playing a total of 284 innings between 23 August 1939 when he made 22 against Gloucestershire and 19 May 1954, when he almost doubled his previous highest first-class score in making 47 against Sussex . Billy Bestwick of Derbyshire did not reach 20 in his last 258 first-class innings after making 20 against Warwickshire on 9 August 1906. The lowest career batting average by

7084-418: The scores were level when scheduled play ended, but the side batting last still had wickets in hand. Matches where this happens are considered a draw today, and a tie is now recognised only where the scores are level and the side batting fourth is dismissed. Qualification: 900. Qualification: 15. The lowest aggregate for a completed first-class match where the winning side bowled their opponents out twice

7176-412: The scoring and dismiss the batters. When the first innings ends, the teams change roles; there can be two to four innings depending upon the type of match. A match with four scheduled innings is played over three to five days; a match with two scheduled innings is usually completed in a single day. During an innings, all eleven members of the fielding team take the field, but usually only two members of

7268-443: The sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match, its popularity peaking in the 1748 season . Bowling underwent an evolution around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch (bounce) the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batter. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old "hockey stick" shape. The Hambledon Club

7360-413: The sport is that a bowler delivers (i.e., bowls) the ball from their end of the pitch towards the batter who, armed with a bat , is "on strike" at the other end (see next sub-section: Basic gameplay ). The bat is made of wood, usually Salix alba (white willow), and has the shape of a blade topped by a cylindrical handle. The blade must not be more than 4.25 inches (10.8 cm) wide and

7452-430: The toss and elected to bat. They were dismissed for 12 runs in 43.2 four ball overs in their first innings, which remains the second lowest first-class score of all time ; Fred Morley , who would go on to play Test cricket for England , took figures of 7 for 6 in the Oxford first innings and figures of 6 for 8 in their second innings. His return of 13 for 14 remains the most outstanding match analysis of all time. By

7544-461: The total length of the bat not more than 38 inches (97 cm). There is no standard for the weight, which is usually between 2 lb 7 oz and 3 lb (1.1 and 1.4 kg). List of first-class cricket records#Lowest totals Officially, there was no "first-class cricket" in Great Britain before 1895 or in the rest of the world before 1947 (see First-class cricket for details of

7636-407: The turf at the ground as "magnificent", but that it required fine weather to remain so; with the Oxford cricket season being played mostly in the spring, the ground was often wet and flooding could occur; the 1843 University Match had to be moved to Bullingdon Green due to this problem. Chief amongst complaints from students was that they found the location of the ground was inconveniently situated from

7728-523: The war, but the period did produce some great players and memorable matches, especially as organised competition at county and Test level developed. In 1844, the first-ever international match took place between what were essentially club teams, from the United States and Canada , in Toronto ; Canada won. In 1859, a team of English players went to North America on the first overseas tour . Meanwhile,

7820-651: Was bowled underarm by the bowler and along the ground towards a batter armed with a bat that in shape resembled a hockey stick ; the batter defended a low, two-stump wicket ; and runs were called notches because the scorers recorded them by notching tally sticks. In 1611, the year Cotgrave 's dictionary was published, ecclesiastical court records at Sidlesham in Sussex state that two parishioners, Bartholomew Wyatt and Richard Latter, failed to attend church on Easter Sunday because they were playing cricket. They were fined 12 d each and ordered to do penance . This

7912-538: Was a "great upsurge of sport after the Restoration " in 1660. Several members of the court of King Charles II took a strong interest in cricket during that era. Gambling on sport became a problem significant enough for Parliament to pass the 1664 Gambling Act, limiting stakes to £ 100, which was, in any case, a colossal sum exceeding the annual income of 99% of the population. Along with horse racing , as well as prizefighting and other types of blood sport , cricket

8004-592: Was founded in the 1760s and, for the next twenty years until the formation of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the opening of Lord's Old Ground in 1787, Hambledon was both the game's greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket . New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century include the three-stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw). The 19th century saw underarm bowling superseded by first roundarm and then overarm bowling . Both developments were controversial. Organisation of

8096-507: Was not credited with wickets falling to catches. He took seven in the first innings and four in the second (but Surrey still won by 69 runs). Tich Freeman took ten wickets in a match a record 140 times. Charlie Parker achieved it 91 times. A hat-trick is when a bowler takes three wickets from three consecutive deliveries . Doug Wright achieved the most hat-tricks in first-class cricket with seven. Tom Goddard and Charlie Parker each took six. In 2019–20, Ravi Yadav uniquely took

8188-490: Was perceived to be a gambling sport. Rich patrons made matches for high stakes, forming teams in which they engaged the first professional players. By the end of the century, cricket had developed into a major sport that was spreading throughout England and was already being taken abroad by English mariners and colonisers—the earliest reference to cricket overseas is dated 1676. A 1697 newspaper report survives of "a great cricket match" played in Sussex "for fifty guineas apiece",

8280-471: Was retrospectively recognised as the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia . The rivalry between England and Australia gave birth to The Ashes in 1882, which remains Test cricket's most famous contest. Test cricket began to expand in 1888–89 when South Africa played England. The inter-war years were dominated by Australia 's Don Bradman , statistically

8372-458: Was secondary. The distance and a serious need to focus on cricket necessitated the requirement for a cricket ground closer to Oxford. The land on which the Magdalen Ground is situated was formerly part of Cowley Marsh . Cricket was first played there when the Reverend H. Jenkins of the Magdalen College School took his students there to play cricket . By 1829, he had handed over part of the ground to

8464-415: Was ten for 175 by Eddie Hemmings playing for a touring International XI against a West Indies XI at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica in 1982. The only bowlers to take all ten wickets in an innings more than once were Tich Freeman (three times in 1929, 1930 and 1931), John Wisden (twice, in 1850 and 1851), Vyell Walker (1859 and 1865), Hedley Verity (twice, 1931 and 1932), and Jim Laker (twice, both against

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