Guyana native Joshua Safeek
is a profession executive and a fan of the sport of cricket. Over many
years that he has watched and played the sport, he has learned some
interesting facts about its history. These are some of his favorite
tidbits.
The game of cricket was first played in South East
England in the 1500s by children. Young English children would run up
and down the hillsides using sticks to bat a ball that was made out of
sheep's wool. The childhood sport became very popular in the country,
and actually caused men to get into legal trouble if they chose to miss
church on Sunday morning to play the game.
- The name cricket is derived from both Old English and Middle Dutch. The words cryce and rick, respectively, mean crutch and stick. Together they form the phonetic sound of the word cricket.
- The first official cricket bat was made in 1853 from a cane handle that was wrapped with rubber. First prototypes of the cricket bat were L shaped, similar to a hockey stick. Later, when the pitching style in the game was changed, the bat lost its ell and was only made in the common straight fashion.
- The first international cricket game where two different country's teams played against one another was held in 1844. However, Joshua Safeek tells his friends that the first official cricket rules were devised in 1788 in England. These rules are still used today around the world.
