CRIKIPEDIA

What is History?

The origins of history lie deep in the annals of history, buried in dusty historical tomes that deal with history. History is the study and interpretation of the record of people, societies and civilisations. The term history comes from the Greek historia, "an account of one's inquiries," and shares that etymology with the English word story. The history of cricket is relatively short but rich in fascinating characters and events, although Crikipedia aims to present it in a light hearted but well intentioned way and, it should be noted, much of the information provided is false.

This page was last updated Thursday, 24 May 2007

Featured article

The TV soap "Crossroads" (its star, actress Noele Gordon, pictured) may have helped change the fortunes of a Grades cricket club.

In recent years, many cricket historians have been sent scurrying to the dusty bookcases in their studies to try and trace the true origins of certain cricket clubs names. Many of these clubs had existed for millennia, known by one nom de guerre, whilst secretly maintaining a secret identity. One such club is Stonehaven Thistle C.C. (whose "Thistle" appendage is merely a frivolity). Another is Ellon, who, in recent times, have been revealed as Ellon Gordon.

So what is the genesis of the Gordon annex? You may be surprised.(More...)

Featured picture

Donald Bradman - perhaps the finest batsman ever to grace a cricket field. At least that's how history traditionally presents him. Now, modern day "revisionist" historians are picking the legend apart.

Did you know...

...that in 1868, Parliament attempted to pass law that would have forbidden the playing of cricket in Scotland? The then Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone, famously said at the time, "The notion that such a bastion of English civilization be corrupted by the unwashed Scottish hordes, is as abhorrent to me as is the company of the French!".

...that in the Magna Carta, signed by King John in 1215, Clause 54 states "...that no man may be imprisoned on the testimony of a woman except on the death of her husband or, if he be her husband, shouldst such a man doth play cricket on a Sunday."?

...that the odd name of the popping crease refers to the early history of the game of cricket, in that batsmen used to have to 'pop' their bats into a small hole that was located in the middle of the crease for a run to count. For a player to run a batsman out he had to pop the ball into the hole before the bat was grounded in it. (note: this fact is actually true!)

Recent additions

The Crossroads Hypothesis

The Sheddocksley haunting

Khiriqet

The map of Guam incident

On this day

1899 - as the second Boer War rages in the Transvaal, British commander, Lord Kitchener, orders that troops be issued earplugs to diminish the demoralizing effect of the quickfire and abusive chattering utilised by the Boers. (This "chattering" was dubbed "Schledjen" by troops and is thought to be the root of the modern cricket term "sledging").

1670 - King Charles II bowls the first recorded instance of a bouncer during a game of Stickball (a precursor to modern day cricket). When his mistress, Nell Gwyn, hands him an orange to bowl with (rather than the traditional bulls testicle) the monarch responds angrily by throwing the ball to the ground causing it to bounce and hit the "sticksman" at the time, the Earl of Chiswick, flush on the forehead. (The Earl responded by "juicing" the King, an act that would, it is believed, lead to the Earls execution a year later).

1266 - Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, brother and uncle of Marco Polo reach Kublai Khan's capital Khanbaliq (now Beijing) in China, where they participate in a game, popular with the Mongol people, called Khiriqet. (Although the Polos were largely unimpressed by the game, it was the origin of the modern game of cricket although the Mongol custom of using their enemies heads as balls was not retained for the modern version).