Story: Cricket

Cricket on the Artillery Ground, Finsbury, 1743

Cricket on the Artillery Ground, Finsbury, 1743

This painting shows men playing cricket at Finsbury in London. By the 18th century cricket was a popular game that was well supported by the landed gentry of England, as can be seen by the two well-dressed gentlemen on the field.  Bowling at that time was underarm, the wicket had two stumps and the ball was white (over 200 years before white balls were reintroduced for one-day cricket). The scorer kept account of the runs with notches on a piece of wood.

Using this item

Private collection, Don Neely
Artwork by Francis Hayman

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How to cite this page:

Don Neely, 'Cricket - Early history to 1894', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/38283/cricket-on-the-artillery-ground-finsbury-1743 (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Don Neely, published 5 Sep 2013, updated 1 Apr 2016