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The precise origins of cricket, and even of its name, remain unclear. Some manuscripts from theThe precise origins of cricket, and even of its name, remain unclear. Some manuscripts from the 12th12th12th12thandand 13th13th13th13thcenturies show diagrams of early forms of cricket. The Royal Wardrobe accounts forcenturies show diagrams of early forms of cricket. The Royal Wardrobe accounts for 1299129912991299--1300130013001300report that £6 was paid out for the 15-year old Prince Edward to play creag and other games, though there is no evidence that this creag was a form of cricket. Certainly little was heard of the game for the next 300 years. Nor is there any record of any commercial interest in the game from innkeepers or other entrepreneurs. Cricket, if it was played at all, was not of sufficient popularity or disruptive enough to be subject to a specific prohibition, although some club and ball games were banned in England. For example, a statute ofreport that £6 was paid out for the 15-year old Prince Edward to play creag and other games, though there is no evidence that this creag was a form of cricket. Certainly little was heard of the game for the next 300 years. Nor is there any record of any commercial interest in the game from innkeepers or other entrepreneurs. Cricket, if it was played at all, was not of sufficient popularity or disruptive enough to be subject to a specific prohibition, although some club and ball games were banned in England. For example, a statute of King Edward IVKing Edward IVKing Edward IVKing Edward IVin 1477–8 (17 Edw. IV. c. 3) made the playing of Hands in and hands out illegal because it interfered with the compulsory practice ofin 1477–8 (17 Edw. IV. c. 3) made the playing of Hands in and hands out illegal because it interfered with the compulsory practice of archeryarcheryarcheryarchery..

In 1598In 1598In 1598In 1598 there was a dispute over a school's ownership of a plot of land in which a 59-year old coroner, John Derrick, testified that he and his schoolfriend had played "creckett" at the site fifty years earlier. This is generally considered to be the first mention of cricket in the English language - the school was thethere was a dispute over a school's ownership of a plot of land in which a 59-year old coroner, John Derrick, testified that he and his schoolfriend had played "creckett" at the site fifty years earlier. This is generally considered to be the first mention of cricket in the English language - the school was the Royal Grammar School, GuildfordRoyal Grammar School, GuildfordRoyal Grammar School, GuildfordRoyal Grammar School, Guildford. In the same year. In the same year John FlorioJohn FlorioJohn FlorioJohn Florio, in his Italian-English dictionary defined the verb sgillare as "to make a noise as a cricket, to play cricket-a-wicket, and be merry"., in his Italian-English dictionary defined the verb sgillare as "to make a noise as a cricket, to play cricket-a-wicket, and be merry".

The game was mostly a child's game. The first refernece to it being played as an adult sport was inThe game was mostly a child's game. The first refernece to it being played as an adult sport was in 1611161116111611, when two men were prosecuted for playing cricket instead of going to church. There are other mentions of cricket prosecutions in the years that followed, as cricket slowly emerged from just being played by children to being played by adults for money. In, when two men were prosecuted for playing cricket instead of going to church. There are other mentions of cricket prosecutions in the years that followed, as cricket slowly emerged from just being played by children to being played by adults for money. In 1646164616461646an organised game for a bet of a dozen candles gave rise to a lawsuit.an organised game for a bet of a dozen candles gave rise to a lawsuit.

After theAfter the English Civil WarEnglish Civil WarEnglish Civil WarEnglish Civil War, which ended in, which ended in 1648164816481648, the new Puritan government clamped down on unlawful assemblies, in particular the more raucous sports such as football. Also, laws meant there needed to be a stricter observance of the Sabbath than there previously was. As the Sabbath was the only time the lower classes had, cricket's popularity waned. However, it did flourish in the public fee-paying school such as Winchester and St Paul's., the new Puritan government clamped down on unlawful assemblies, in particular the more raucous sports such as football. Also, laws meant there needed to be a stricter observance of the Sabbath than there previously was. As the Sabbath was the only time the lower classes had, cricket's popularity waned. However, it did flourish in the public fee-paying school such as Winchester and St Paul's.

Cricket gained in popularity as a betting game, with the only problems arising as a result of gaming laws that declared made bets greater than £100, and later £10 illegal. InCricket gained in popularity as a betting game, with the only problems arising as a result of gaming laws that declared made bets greater than £100, and later £10 illegal. In 1748174817481748, a London magistrate accepted that cricket is a "manly game" that was not bad in itself, but condemned its "ill use" by betting above the £10 legal limit. All the law did, however, was to force the bets to be for "eleven pairs of gloves" or "eleven velvet caps". These sound innocuous enough, but in reality would be very valuable items., a London magistrate accepted that cricket is a "manly game" that was not bad in itself, but condemned its "ill use" by betting above the £10 legal limit. All the law did, however, was to force the bets to be for "eleven pairs of gloves" or "eleven velvet caps". These sound innocuous enough, but in reality would be very valuable items.

First-class cricketFirst-class cricketFirst-class cricketFirst-class cricketis said to have started inis said to have started in 1815181518151815, at the end of the, at the end of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsNapoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars..

Derivation of the name of "cricket"

A number of words are thought to be possible sources for the term cricket, which could refer to the bat or the wicket. In oldA number of words are thought to be possible sources for the term cricket, which could refer to the bat or the wicket. In old FrenchFrenchFrenchFrench, the word criquet meant a kind of club which probably gave its name to, the word criquet meant a kind of club which probably gave its name to croquetcroquetcroquetcroquet. Some believe that cricket and croquet have a common origin. In. Some believe that cricket and croquet have a common origin. In FlemishFlemishFlemishFlemish, krick(e) means a stick, and, in, krick(e) means a stick, and, in old Englishold Englishold Englishold English, cricc or cryce means a crutch or staff., cricc or cryce means a crutch or staff.

Alternatively, the French criquet apparently comes from the Flemish word krickstoel, which is a long low stool on which one kneels in church which may appear similar to the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket, or the early stool in stoolball. The word stool is oldAlternatively, the French criquet apparently comes from the Flemish word krickstoel, which is a long low stool on which one kneels in church which may appear similar to the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket, or the early stool in stoolball. The word stool is old SussexSussexSussexSussexdialect for a tree stump, and stool ball is a sport similar to cricket played by thedialect for a tree stump, and stool ball is a sport similar to cricket played by the DutchDutchDutchDutch..

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Perhaps there is nothing else in the entire world that can bring together citizens from throughout the Caribbean but a classic West Indian cricket match. It seems to be the very heart and soul of a true West Indian. Whether the West Indian team is up against the best team in the world or even the weakest, thousands of fans turn out throughout the West Indies to support their home team. In highlighting this incredible game we also wish to bring forth two of the many cricketing heroes who have made us proud to be part of the Caribbean.

BRIAN CHARLES LARA

Brian Charles Lara (born May 2, 1969) is an outstanding West Indian cricketer.He is a talented left-handed batsman with an exceptional ability to build massive innings. Lara is the world record holder for the highest individual score in both first-class cricket (501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994) and Test cricket (400 not out for the West Indies against England on 12 April 2004). In scoring the innings of 400 not out, he became the first man to reclaim the Test record score, having scored 375 against England in 1994 (a record that stood until Matthew Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003). The score also meant that he was the second player (after Donald Bradman) to score two Test innings of more than 300, and only the second ever (after Bill Ponsford) to score 400 or more in two first-class innings.

Lara captained the West Indies from 1997to 1999. He was reappointed as captain against the touring Australiansin 2003, and struck 110 in his first Test match back in charge, showing signs of him returning to his best. In September 2004, West Indies won the ICC Champions Trophy in England under his captaincy and seemed to have finally started their comeback from years of poor performance.

Biography

Brian was born to Bunty and Pearl Lara in Cantaro, Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago.

He began his cricket career while at school in Fatima College. When he was 14, he played in the under-16 and First Divisions of national schoolboys' cricket. He amassed 745 runs in the schoolboys' league that year at an astounding average of 126.16 per innings. Immediately afterwards he was selected on the Trinidad national under-16 team.

[edit]

Career highlights

• Lara showed his talent in his 5th Test, striking 277 runs against Australia in Sydney, his maiden Test century. It remains the fourth highest maiden Test century by any batsman [1] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/HIGHEST_MAIDEN_TONS.html).

• He became the first man to score seven centuries in eight first-class innings, the first being the historic record 375 against England and the last being the record 501 not out against Durham.

• He is the all-time leading run scorer for West Indies and the 4th leading run scorer in all of Test cricket [2] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/TEST_BAT_MOST_RUNS.html). He also holds the world record for the fastest 10,000 runs, a feat achieved in 111 matches and 195 innings.

• He has scored 26 centuries (the most for a West Indian and 7th for all Test cricket), of which 7 are double centuries (surpassed only by Bradman) [3] (http://usa.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/LEADING_BATSMEN_TEST_200S.html). He has scored centuries against all Test-playing nations except Pakistan.

• Lara fought many lone battles as the West Indies collective batting strength slumped over the years. He has scored an astonishing 19% of his team runs [4] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2004/JUN/159724_COL-STATS_02JUN2004.html), a feat surpassed only by Bradman (23%) and George Headley (21%). Lara scored 688 runs (a record 42% of team output and the second highest aggregate runs in history for a three-Test series) in the 2001-02 tour of Sri Lanka [5] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/HI_AGG_RUNS_IN_SERIES.html).

• He also scored a century and a double century in the third Test in that same Sri Lanka tour, a feat repeated only five other times in Test cricket history [6] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/100_EACH_INNS_TEST.html).

• A devastating batsman when in form, Lara holds the world record of scoring most runs (28) in a single over in Test cricket [7] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/BATTING/TEST_BAT_MOST_RUNS_OVER.html).

• He is fourth all-time in the category of most catches in a career by a non-Wicketkeeper [8] (http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/TESTS/FIELDING/CATCHES_CAREER.html).

• In 1994, he was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award. In 1995, he was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

• Comfortably averaging over 50 per innings (the benchmark for batting greatness in Test cricket), Lara has often been ranked the number one batsman in Test cricket according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Cricket Ratings [9] (http://www.pwcratings.com).

• Lara has played some of the most brilliant innings in recent years. Wisden published a top 100 list in July 2001, a distillation of the best performances from 1,552 Tests, 54,494 innings and 29,730 bowling performances. Three innings by Lara were placed in the top 15 [10] (http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2001/jul/30bat100.htm). His heroic 153 not out in Bridgetown, Barbados, during West Indies' 2-2 home series draw against Australia in *1998-1999 was deemed the second greatest Test innings ever played, behind Bradman's 270 against England in the Third Test of the 1936-1937 series at Melbourne. On 13 October, *2003, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ratings team published a list of top innings since 1990 under their own methodology. Lara's 213 against Australia in Kingston, Jamaica in 1999 came out to be the top innings. His 375 was placed 8th and his three other innings, including the 153 not out, were not far behind.

Batting average

Lara's batting average in Testsis over 52 an innings and in One-day Internationals he averages over 42 an innings at a strike rate (% of runs scored per ball) of close to 80. The following four graphs show his test batting average over the years in four chronological sections:

1. The beginning: his first 55 Test innings, from December 1990 to April 1996, with an average of 60.32

2. The first drop of his batting form: innings #56 to #103, November 1996 to March 1999, with an average of 36.00

3. Then second drop of his batting form: innings #108 to #138, April 1999 to April 2001, with an average of 30.58

4. The rise of his form in recent years: innings #139 to #197, April 2001 to August 2004, with an average of 64.93

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Sir FRANK WORRELL: Father Figure of WEST INDIES CRICKET

He was not just a great cricketer, though that by itself would have earned him an entry in the hall of fame. He was an ambassador of the game, a man who through his cricket sent across a political signal about the winds of change that were sweeping across the Caribbean.

Not many people can shoulder such a responsibility. But Frank Worrell did it with aplomb. In his quiet, unassuming way Worrell epitomised the emergence of the black cricketer - and through him the black personality as such - as master in his own house after more than a century of subservience to the King Emperor across the sea.

That in itself was a major turning point in the annals of international cricket. A new black force had emerged which had to be taken seriously not just on the field but in the councils of the sport. We tend to take that for granted these days, but it hardly looked that obvious when West Indian teams had to be led by white men.

Most of the transformation was due to one man. Worrell welded the disparate elements that go into the making of a West Indian team into a cohesive force, so that nobody could ever say again that only a white man could keep those players together. And all this in a brief life which was cut short at 42 by leukaemia, when Worrell could still have contributed so much more to the game and to its organisation.

Ironically, this was the man who was branded a rebel and dropped from the first West Indies team which toured India in 1948-49 even though, in an unusual gesture, the Indian Board had specifically asked that he be included. Worrell's crime was his demand for more money. Worrell had been twice to India earlier with Commonwealth teams.

In many ways nothing epitomised the new ethos in West Indian and international cricket as the Caribbean tour of Australia in 1960-61, when Worrell took over as the first black captain of the side. The term Calypso cricket was coined then, and far more than the performances and results was the pure enjoyment which the West Indians gave to the crowds.

That culminated in a moving farewell at Melbourne which was akin to New York's ticker tape parade. In recognition of the wonderful nature of cricket in the series the Australian Cricket Board immediately decided to institute the Frank Worrell Trophy for contests between the two teams, and one of the enduring photographs in cricket albums is that of Worrell polishing the trophy on his coat sleeve before handing it over to Australian captain Richie Benaud for winning that series.

The most memorable part of that series was, of course, the tied Test at Brisbane, which left millions of cricket fans around the world and not just in the two nations nonplussed after decades of dull, plodding cricket. This was only the first Test of the series, but the interest did not slacken right through. Collectively the West Indians proved that, even at the highest level of international sport, it was not so much whether they won or lost but how they played the game that mattered. The farewell parade at Melbourne proved that.

One incident among many stands out in that memorable match. When last man Kline came to the crease two balls remained. With no apparent show of emotion, Worrell sauntered over from midoff to Wesley Hall and whispered: "Whatever you do, don't bowl a no-ball Wes or they won't you let back into Barbados."

Whether the remark registered on Hall is unclear, but his foot was well behind the crease when he sent down that delivery. It resulted in the most famous run-out in history, one of three in the innings, when Meckiff was a shade slow as Solomon shattered the stumps from square-leg.

That was Worrell for you - cool and unflappable and yet wielding full authority over his temperamental charges. Worrell was a shrewd and intelligent man and cricketer, able to read the game as well as he could read people. Besides, the fact that he was the first black man to lead a touring West Indian side helped, for that was also a period of political change back home, through the West Indies Federation. Yet, it was his personality which was the major factor.

Worrell was an aggressive batsman whose Test record of 3,860 runs perhaps did not do full justice to his talent. Besides, he was a three-in-one left arm bowler who could bowl medium pace as well as both varieties of spin.

In that, Worrell predated Garfield Sobers, who was picked out by Worrell himself. After that tour Worrell insisted on Sobers replacing Collie Smith as the captain of the side, and how wonderfully Sobers was to repay that gesture.

Another player to be singled out for consideration by Worrell was Lance Gibbs. Quite often it was Gibbs to whom Worrell would toss the ball rather than the more experienced Sonny Ramadhin, then at the fag end of an illustrious career.

During the war years domestic cricket in West Indies was not affected, though there was no question of any international contacts. In this period Worrell, playing for Barbados, was involved in two massive partnerships against Trinidad - one of 502 unbroken for the fourth wicket with John Goddard for the fourth wicket and of 574, also for the fourth wicket, with Clyde Walcott..

Worrell and Walcott, a massively built man, were subsequently joined in the Barbados middle order by another batsman whose surname began with letter W - Everton Weekes, a ruthless accumulator of runs. Thus began a three-way partnership which acquired international fame as the three Ws.

On his retirement from the game Worrell received a knighthood. Later he was made a senator in Barbados. He could well have been a roving ambassador for all that was pristine and pure in the game had not death snatched him away so early in life.

Present day cricketers have icons bordering on aggro and unruly behaviour. They would do well to refer to the deeds of Frank Worrell, who achieved so much without having to raise his voice.

Test batting performance of F.M.M.WORRELL

Matches	Innings	Not outs	Runs	Highest	Avg	100's	50's
51	87	9	3860	261	49.48	9	22

Test match bowling performance of F.M.M.WORRELL

Balls	Maidens	Runs	Wkts	Avg	Best	5W	10W	S/r	E/r
7141	274	2672	69	38.72	7-70	2	-	103.4	2.24

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