{"id":1673,"date":"2024-05-03T18:24:29","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T18:24:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/?page_id=1673"},"modified":"2025-06-05T16:25:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T16:25:44","slug":"spectators","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/spectators\/","title":{"rendered":"The Spectator Experience"},"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\/1673?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-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/spectators\/#General\" >General<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/spectators\/#London\" >London<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/spectators\/#Hambledon\" >Hambledon<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/spectators\/#Early_MCC_era\" >Early MCC era<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/spectators\/#Footnotes\" >Footnotes<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"General\"><\/span>General<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the great developments of Eighteenth Century cricket was the emergence of the spectator as an important part of the game. This development went hand-in-hand with the growth in the game, fueled by the interest of the upper classes and the association of the game with high-stakes gambling. This led to the game acquiring an enhanced profile &#8211; no longer was the game a pastime of country folk and schoolboys; games became significant events, often advertised in the press before the game, with the outcome reported afterwards. The better players became professionals, often more or less freelance, able and willing to offer themselves to the highest bidder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"London\"><\/span>London<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>David Underdown in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/my-library-of-early-cricket\/#Start_of_Play_%E2%80%93_David_Underdown_2000\">Start of Play<\/a> discusses in some depth the range of public entertainments available in London at the time.<sup data-fn=\"e82bc36d-2e8d-416b-a5fb-177c48a1e185\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#e82bc36d-2e8d-416b-a5fb-177c48a1e185\" id=\"e82bc36d-2e8d-416b-a5fb-177c48a1e185-link\">1<\/a><\/sup> He mentions prizefighting, hurling, something called prison bars, horse racing and football. Not quite in the same category were executions &#8211; but these attracted crowds of up to 30,000. In this atmosphere, cricket was still the most popular sport, more widely played in London than any of the others. From the start of the Eighteenth Century, several Commons were being put to use to stage matches. Controversy often reigned due to the sums at stake. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/white-conduit-ground\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"442\">White Conduit Fields<\/a> staged a match between A London XI and Kent (represented by the &#8216;Punch Club&#8217; which resulted in a lawsuit to determine how to deal with the unfinished match. Underwood quotes many examples of disorder or disreputable conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so public interest grew. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/the-artillery-ground\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"600\">The Artillery Ground<\/a> emerged as the major ground for commercial cricket. The first lessor and manager of the ground we know of was Christopher Jones, who was landlord of the nearby Pied Horse Inn and took over around 1730. Jones&#8217; successor, both as ground lessor and pub landlord, was George Smith, noted for his entrepreneurship and successful promotion of the ground. The ground was fenced off, so he was able to charge for admission, generally 2d, even for big matches, the entrance being through the yard of the Pied Horse Inn. The ground, it seems, was often full for matches (attendances of up to 8,000 were reported), generally with working-class spectators rather than wealthy patrons, who nevertheless did attend and were accommodated in special seating areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ground was often crowded and uncomfortable. In a match between England and Kent in 1744, Smith took a whip to spectators who were invading the pitch, resulting in the HAC cancelling the next fixture. More stewards were used, and the price of admissions went up, but this didn&#8217;t work as expected &#8211; Smith went bankrupt. The crowds, though, were not simply interested in watching the contests &#8211; gambling was a big lure, and newspapers&#8217; reports at the time focused on this aspect of the match, much as horse racing papers do today. Bookmakers on site would move their odds around as the match progressed. Eventually, though, the appeal of cricket in London seemed to flounder. Perhaps it was the lack of engagement between the spectators and the teams, which were often put together for initial matches. Perhaps the Artillery ground was just too unruly. At all events, the shift of the focus of the game was to move back to the countryside, but now with the addition of spectator appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"596\" height=\"283\" src=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Mousleyhurst-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-350\" style=\"width:694px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Mousleyhurst-1.jpg 596w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Mousleyhurst-1-300x142.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup><strong>Cricket at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/mousley-hurst\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"2181\">Mousley Hurst<\/a>, quite a modest crowd, scattered around <\/strong><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1743, The Gentleman&#8217;s Magazine, a very influential periodical, considered attendances at cricket matches. The following quotation is revealing, not just of the attitude of the gentry to the lower orders making arrangements for their leisure, but of the variety of people who watched and enjoyed the games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Cricket is certainly a very innocent and wholesome exercise yet it may be absurd if either great or little people make it their business. It is grossly abused when it is made the subject of public advertisement to draw together great crowds of people who ought, all of them, to be somewhere else. Noblemen, gentlemen and clergymen have certainly a right to divert themselves in what manner they see fir, nor do I dispute the privilege of making butchers, cobblers or tinkers their companions. But I very much doubt whether they have any right to invite thousands of people to be spectators to be spectators of their agility at the expense of their duty and honesty. The diversion of cricket may be proper in holiday time and in the country; but upon days when men ought to be busy, and in the neighbourhood  of a great city, it is not only improper but mischievous to a high degree. It draws numbers of people away from their previous employment to the ruin of their families. It brings together crowds of apprentices and servants whose time is not their own. It propagates a spirit of idleness at a juncture when, with the utmost industry, our debts, taxes and decay of trade will scare allow us to get bread. It is a most  notorious breach of laws as it gives the most open encouragement to gaming.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hambledon\"><\/span>Hambledon<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, as is the case with many subjects on this site, it is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/broadhalfpenny-down\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"594\">Broadhalfpenny Down<\/a> and the writings of John Nyren that we turn to find the most evocative accounts of spectators. \u00a0It was in the 1770s that the crowds would reputedly number up to 20,000, and it was then that they had regular matches against the rest of England. Let\u2019s consider John Nyren\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/the-cricketers-of-my-time-by-john-nyren\/\">famous description<\/a>\u00a0of the atmosphere of the games:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>There was high feasting held on Broad-Halfpenny during the solemnity of one of our grand matches. Oh! it was a heart-stirring sight to witness the multitude forming a complete and dense circle round that noble green. Half the county would be present, and all their hearts with us. Little Hambledon pitted against All England was a proud thought for the Hampshire men. Defeat was glory in such a struggle\u2014Victory, indeed, made us only \u2018a little lower than angels\u2019. How those fine brawn-faced fellows of farmers would drink to our success! And then, what stuff they had to drink!\u2014Punch!\u2014not your new Ponche \u00e0 la Romaine, or Ponche \u00e0 la Groseille, or your modern cat-lap milk punch\u2014punch be-deviled; but good, unsophisticated John Bull stuff\u2014stark!\u2014that would stand on end\u2014punch that would make a cat speak! Sixpence a bottle! We had not sixty millions of interest to pay in those days. The ale too!\u2014not the modern horror under the same name, that drives as many men melancholy-mad as the hypocrites do;\u2014not the beastliness of these days, that will make a fellow\u2019s inside like a shaking bog\u2014 and as rotten; but barleycorn, such as would put the souls of three butchers into one weaver. Ale that would flare like turpentine\u2014genuine Boniface!\u2014This immortal viand (for it was more than liquor) was vended at twopence per pint. The immeasurable villany of our vintners would, with their march of intellect (if ever they could get such a brewing), drive a pint of it out into a gallon. Then the quantity the fellows would eat! Two or three of them would strike dismay into a round of beef. They could no more have pecked in that style than they could have flown, had the infernal black stream (that type of Acheron!) which soddens the carcass of a Londoner, been the fertilizer of their clay. There would this company, consisting most likely of some thousands, remain patiently and anxiously watching every turn of fate in the game, as if the event had been the meeting of two armies to decide their liberty. And whenever a Hambledon man made a good hit, worth four or five runs, you would hear the deep mouths of the whole multitude baying away in pure Hampshire\u2014\u2019Go hard! go hard!\u2014Tich and turn!\u2014tich and turn!\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This account emphasises not merely gambling but also partisanship and consumption of robust refreshments. There would have been marquees for the upper echelons, but I doubt if there was much seating for the lower orders. The enthusiasm of the crowd seems to have been beyond question. Some, perhaps most, would have had a financial stake in the outcome. Others would have been there in the hope of witnessing a local victory or to enjoy the contest. The scoring rate would have been slow, and the scores rather low by today&#8217;s standards. By contrast, wickets would have fallen fairly regularly, so the game would move forward fairly quickly. There were no boundaries at this stage in history, so if the ball went among them, they would presumably have to get out of the way, much as golf spectators have to do today if the ball goes off the fairways. Incidentally, I have not come across any record of scoreboards being used, so we cannot be certain how they kept up with the score. Perhaps some spectators maintained a note themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"652\" src=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Village-match-1024x652.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4189\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Village-match-1024x652.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Village-match-1536x978.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Village-match-2048x1304.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Village-match-300x191.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Village-match-768x489.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><sup><strong>This is a great picture of a cricket game with a fairly large crowd &#8211; the only one we have as far as I am aware. Notice how the spectators encroach on the field and are seated several deep. There may be a few hundred here, but some games would have attracted many more. The bar is shown, bottom left doing a good trade.<\/strong><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In<a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/my-library-of-early-cricket\/#Hambledon_%E2%80%93_The_Men_and_the_Myths_%E2%80%93_John_Goulstone_2001\"> Hambledon &#8211; The Men and the Myths<\/a>, John Goulstone considers the true extent of crowd disruption in the later part Eighteenth Century and in particular, the Hambledon era<sup data-fn=\"7dd2c59a-103a-470d-b1f7-0def3bce83e5\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#7dd2c59a-103a-470d-b1f7-0def3bce83e5\" id=\"7dd2c59a-103a-470d-b1f7-0def3bce83e5-link\">2<\/a><\/sup>. There are certainly instances of disorder, but only one, for instance, at a match involving Hampshire players, and that was during a single wicket game at The Artillery Ground in 1772. He makes the fair point that of several thousand matches recorded in the Eighteenth Century, only a tiny proportion of those seem to have experienced any disruption, and almost all of those were in the capital, and very often at the confined location of The Artillery Ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early_MCC_era\"><\/span>Early MCC era<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When the Hambledon era came to an end and cricket reestablished itself in London in the 1780s, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/dorset-square-the-first-lords-ground\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"597\">Lord&#8217;s Ground at Dorset Square<\/a> became the leading venue. Like the Artillery Ground, it had the advantage, from a commercial point of view, that it was fenced off so admission fees could be charged.<\/p>\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=\"1024\" height=\"1020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/image-768x765.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/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>Entrance was via a Public House owned by Thomas Lord; here is a drawing of it. The caption says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8216;Lords&#8217; The original Pay office to Thomas Lord&#8217;s Cricket Ground (now Dorset Square) being rear premises of the Allsop Arons corner of Marylebone Road and Upper Gloucester Place in 1810. Known as Allsop Arons Allsop Place.  <br><br>Thomas Lord rated occupier.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:21px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a sense, the balance between rural and urban cricket was now becoming set. The commercial element of the game would always be in the big cities &#8211; not just London, but Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and Leeds as well. Then Melbourne and Sydney, and more recently Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Footnotes\"><\/span>Footnotes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"e82bc36d-2e8d-416b-a5fb-177c48a1e185\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/my-library-of-early-cricket\/#Start_of_Play_%E2%80%93_David_Underdown_2000\">Underdown<\/a> chapter 4 <a href=\"#e82bc36d-2e8d-416b-a5fb-177c48a1e185-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"7dd2c59a-103a-470d-b1f7-0def3bce83e5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/my-library-of-early-cricket\/#Hambledon_%E2%80%93_The_Men_and_the_Myths_%E2%80%93_John_Goulstone_2001\">Goulstone<\/a> Chapter 9 <a href=\"#7dd2c59a-103a-470d-b1f7-0def3bce83e5-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>General One of the great developments of Eighteenth Century cricket was the emergence of the spectator as an important part of the game. This development went hand-in-hand with the growth in the game, fueled by the interest of the upper classes and the association of the game with high-stakes gambling. This led to the game [&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":"[{\"content\":\"<a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/my-library-of-early-cricket\/#Start_of_Play_%E2%80%93_David_Underdown_2000\\\">Underdown<\/a> chapter 4\",\"id\":\"e82bc36d-2e8d-416b-a5fb-177c48a1e185\"},{\"content\":\"<a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/my-library-of-early-cricket\/#Hambledon_%E2%80%93_The_Men_and_the_Myths_%E2%80%93_John_Goulstone_2001\\\">Goulstone<\/a> Chapter 9\",\"id\":\"7dd2c59a-103a-470d-b1f7-0def3bce83e5\"}]"},"class_list":["post-1673","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PdOpLv-qZ","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673","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=1673"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4884,"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1673\/revisions\/4884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.earlycricket.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}