{"id":132,"date":"2022-10-30T09:26:30","date_gmt":"2022-10-30T09:26:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/?page_id=132"},"modified":"2025-12-11T12:24:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T12:24:10","slug":"labybird-history-of-cricket","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ladybird Story of Cricket \u2013 Vera Southgate (1964)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pdfprnt-buttons pdfprnt-buttons-page pdfprnt-top-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132?print=print\" class=\"pdfprnt-button pdfprnt-button-print\" target=\"_blank\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/plugins\/pdf-print\/images\/print.png\" alt=\"image_print\" title=\"Print Content\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Introduction\" >Introduction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Club_ball\" >Club ball<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Stool_ball\" >Stool ball<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Shepherds_role_in_the_origin_of_cricket\" >Shepherd&#8217;s role in the origin of cricket<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Hole_in_the_ground_run_out_law\" >Hole in the ground run out law<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Umpires_holding_stick_run_out_law\" >Umpires holding stick run out law<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#The_Hambledon_Club\" >The Hambledon Club<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Christiana_Willes_and_overarm_bowling\" >Christiana Willes and overarm bowling<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#The_wide_bat_incident\" >The wide bat incident<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#MCC_and_the_Lords_Cricket_Grounds\" >MCC and the Lord&#8217;s Cricket Grounds<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#The_penalty_runs_law\" >The penalty runs law<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/labybird-history-of-cricket\/#Recognition_of_the_Ladybird_book\" >Recognition of the Ladybird book<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span>Introduction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ladybird children&#8217;s book, The Story of Cricket, was my first exposure to the history of the game, as it must have been for many boys. The Ladybird format was well established and very successful; a page of text would be faced by an illustration bringing the theme of the page to life. The pictures were lively and cheerful, and left the reader with a strong visual memory. Impressively, out of twenty-three pairs of pages, no less than ten are devoted to the very early history of the game. Women&#8217;s cricket also gets a feature in relation to the modern game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an aside, there is also a feature in the book about the indigenous cricket of Papua New Guinea, which I thought was in rather dubious taste; until that is, I found a superb documentary about the subject made in 1976, which showed it was very accurate. Watching this documentary made me think more than once of the early game of the Weald, especially with regard to pitch preparation &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SDql5LhHBRc\">it is well worth watching<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Returning to English cricket history, the features below generally reflect the traditional understanding of events; however, many of the episodes described have since been partially debunked, and some are regarded as outright myths. That should not detract too much from an overall appreciation of an appealing and influential contribution to the literature of cricket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Club_ball\"><\/span>Club ball<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"805\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB1-1024x805.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-133\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB1-1024x805.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB1-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB1-768x604.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB1-1536x1208.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB1-2048x1611.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments:<\/strong> This page (and the next one, on stoolball) reflects the information from <a href=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/148-2\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"148\"><em>The Sports and Pastimes of the People of England <\/em>by Joseph Strutt<\/a> (1801). Illustrated here seems to be a form of rounders which originated in Tudor times and was known as base-ball. For more about the origins of cricket, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/origins-of-cricket\/\">here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stool_ball\"><\/span>Stool ball<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"783\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB2-1024x783.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-134\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB2-1024x783.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB2-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB2-768x588.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB2-1536x1175.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB2-2048x1567.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments: <\/strong>all fair enough, I think. Stool-ball is still played in Sussex, though a bat is used now. Not sure why the fielders are attempting to fly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Shepherds_role_in_the_origin_of_cricket\"><\/span>Shepherd&#8217;s role in the origin of cricket<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"787\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB3-1024x787.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-135\" style=\"width:910px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB3-1024x787.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB3-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB3-768x590.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB3-1536x1180.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB3-2048x1573.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments: <\/strong>The view that shepherds started cricket is not commonly held these days. Generally, shepherding is a lonely life, they wouldn&#8217;t ordinarily get together with other shepherds for recreation. I love the illustration, though, especially the way the sheep are corralled while the bosses play. I don&#8217;t think that the leg slip is a good idea, though &#8211; judging by the batter&#8217;s set-up, a deep mid-wicket may be more useful.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hole_in_the_ground_run_out_law\"><\/span>Hole in the ground run out law<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"780\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB4-1024x780.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB4-1024x780.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB4-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB4-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB4-1536x1171.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB4-2048x1561.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments:<\/strong> The hole in the ground rule seems very strange &#8211; the possibility of injuries is so obvious that it is hard to imagine anyone organising the game in this way. The sole source for this rule is John Nyren&#8217;s <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/the-hambledon-men\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"59\">Cricketers of My Time<\/a><\/em>. In the same paragraph, he suggests that the stumps were an implausible two feet apart, so there is room for doubt. Peter Wynne-Thomas questions the hole-in-the-ground rule, speculating that Nyren may be thinking of another game, Cat and Dog. The rule could, however, have been used in some localities as laws would not have been uniform throughout the game. For law development, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/rules\/\">here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Umpires_holding_stick_run_out_law\"><\/span>Umpires holding stick run out law<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"801\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB5-1024x801.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB5-1024x801.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB5-300x235.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB5-768x600.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB5-1536x1201.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB5-2048x1601.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments: <\/strong>This method of judging run-outs is the one that is mentioned in the poem <a href=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/in-certamen-pilae-about-a-ball-game\/\">In Certamen Pilae<\/a>, but neither Nyren nor anyone else suggests it replaced a hole-in-the-ground rule, although it certainly seems safer. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/rules\/#1744_1755_%E2%80%93_the_first_laws\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/rules\/#1744_1755_%E2%80%93_the_first_laws\">1755 printing<\/a> of the laws uses the modern method of breaking the stumps to effect run-outs. However, in paintings of cricket, umpires are invariably shown as carrying bats, which may be a relic of a defunct rule along these lines. There should, of course, only be two stumps at this point in history.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Hambledon_Club\"><\/span>The Hambledon Club<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"807\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB6-1024x807.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-138\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB6-1024x807.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB6-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB6-768x605.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB6-1536x1210.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB6-2048x1614.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments: <\/strong>1750 may not be the right date for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/hambledon\/\">Hambledon<\/a>&#8216;s formation. Neither is there any record of a Hambledon written code of the laws, these all came from the London cricket scene. Never mind. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The stick system for scoring was becoming obsolete at the start of the Hambledon era, at least for important matches, hence we have scorecards for many of their games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Christiana_Willes_and_overarm_bowling\"><\/span>Christiana Willes and overarm bowling<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"773\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB7-1024x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-139\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB7-1024x773.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB7-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB7-768x580.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB7-1536x1160.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB7.jpg 1888w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments:<\/strong> another slightly dubious story, I&#8217;m afraid. The first player to bowl round-arm was Tom Walker of Hambledon, who tried it briefly in the 1790s, but soon abandoned it. However, John Willes in 1807 was another &#8216;early adopter&#8217;. The source of this story is Willes&#8217;s nephew Richard, who, in his old age, wrote in a letter that his mother, Christiana, inspired John to try round-arm bowling by the way she bowled when they practiced together. Fair enough, perhaps &#8211; but Richard never actually mentioned the dresses, that detail was added later, and the story has become part of cricket&#8217;s folklore. Round-arm and later overarm bowling were gradually adopted over the course of the nineteenth century. For more detail, see the page on <a href=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/womens-cricket\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"608\">Women&#8217;s Cricket<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_wide_bat_incident\"><\/span>The wide bat incident<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"779\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB8-1024x779.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB8-1024x779.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB8-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB8-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB8-1536x1169.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB8.jpg 1888w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments: <\/strong>The illustration is magnificent, but not accurate, and neither is the text. Round-arm bowling, the predecessor to over-arm bowling, was not legalised until the nineteenth century. The revision to the rules following the wide-bat incident, however, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/rules\/#1744_1755_%E2%80%93_the_first_laws\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/rules\/#1744_1755_%E2%80%93_the_first_laws\">was formalised in 1774<\/a>. The illustration is a later period than when the incident took place &#8211; for instance breeches, not trousers would have been worn, it was still the two-stump era (the incident that brought the third stump in took place in 1776), top hats would have been introduced around 1785 and wicket-keeper pads didn&#8217;t come in until after 1800. But I do love the side-whiskers, not to mention the bow-ties. Note as well that the wide bat is shown with a cane handle, rather than just one piece of wood, not quite right, as the spliced bat did not appear until well into the nineteenth century. <br><br>The error about the bowling style is, however, understandable. The change that that happened was that bowlers has started to bounce the ball before the batsmen and make it lift towards them while still bowling underarm, rather than rolling it along the ground or skimming it to bounce several times &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/the-early-cricket-hall-of-fame\/#Edward_%E2%80%98Lumpy_Stevens_1735_%E2%80%93_1819\">Lumpy Stevens<\/a> of Kent and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/the-early-cricket-hall-of-fame\/#David_Harris_1755_%E2%80%93_1803\">David Harris <\/a>of Hambledon ware the main exponents of this type of bowling, which started to emerge in the 1760s. That is when bats changed from being shaped like a shoulderless curved club to the shape that is now familiar. <br><br>The incident illustrated comes from Nyren, and the player is identified as Thomas White of Reigate, not someone else called Shock White as was once thought. For more about this incident, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/hambledon\/#Bat_width\">here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:51%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1007\" height=\"597\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Edrich-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Edrich-1.jpg 1007w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Edrich-1-300x178.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Edrich-1-768x455.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1007px) 100vw, 1007px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:49%\">\n<p>I can&#8217;t resist this little aside. On 8 July 1976, John Edrich and Brian Close, both, in truth, survivors from another age, opened the batting against the West Indies at Old Trafford and, to say the least, struggled against extremely fast short-pitched bowling. In the second innings, Close made 20 off 108 balls and got hit about 20 times. A not-so-kindly spectator ran out onto the field and gave Edrich a wider bat, perhaps even inspired by memories of the Ladybird illustration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:24px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither Close nor Edrich ever played for England again. Two fine players, among the best cricketers of their era. My father was a great fan of John Edrich, and they died on the same day &#8211; 23 December 2020. RIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"MCC_and_the_Lords_Cricket_Grounds\"><\/span> MCC and the Lord&#8217;s Cricket Grounds<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"777\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB9-1024x777.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-153\" style=\"width:910px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB9-1024x777.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB9-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB9-768x583.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB9-1536x1166.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB9-2048x1555.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments:<\/strong> The text isn&#8217;t quite right; for many years before the Hambledon Club was formed, the main team in England was the London Cricket Club (an offshoot of the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/the-star-and-garter\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"868\">Star and Garter Inn<\/a>) who played at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/the-artillery-ground\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"600\">The Artillery Ground<\/a> in Finsbury, just north of the City. So the emerging prominence of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/marylebone-cricket-club\/\">MCC<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/dorset-square-the-first-lords-ground\/\">Lord&#8217;s Dorset Square<\/a> ground toward the end of the Eighteenth Century was a return to the old order.<br><br>On another point &#8211; look at the flat-based implement being used on the edge of the grassed area; implements like this are still seen in action at cricket grounds today, used to flatten out bowlers&#8217; foot-marks. Sometimes called a thumper. <br><br>And, being very picky, while Lords developed three cricket grounds, the second could not be said to be home to MCC, as they only played two matches there.<br><br>Strange though, that a pavilion is in place before the grass was laid&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_penalty_runs_law\"><\/span>The penalty runs law<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB10-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-154\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB10-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB10-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB10-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB10-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/LB10-2048x1535.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Comments:<\/strong> the five run penalty was introduced by MCC in 1798.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"205\" height=\"146\" src=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Crombie.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1775\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:75%\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Am I right in seeing a similarity to this caricature, produced by Charles Crombie in 1906?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recognition_of_the_Ladybird_book\"><\/span>Recognition of the Ladybird book<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" src=\"http:\/\/earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/LB11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/LB11.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/LB11-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The book&#8217;s importance was recognised by MCC in 2015 when it was the subject of an exhibition at the Lord&#8217;s Museum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction The Ladybird children&#8217;s book, The Story of Cricket, was my first exposure to the history of the game, as it must have been for many boys. The Ladybird format was well established and very successful; a page of text would be faced by an illustration bringing the theme of the page to life. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-132","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PdOpLv-28","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132"}],"version-history":[{"count":62,"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5277,"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/132\/revisions\/5277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}