EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
By Ian Hodgson
It is hard to
say when and where cricket first originated. The best pictorial evidence is
from around 1300 - an illustration of a man demonstrating a stroke with the
stump. There are also later references in the Tudor period and in the mid-1600s.
In this early
period, cricket would have been played on a small scale. Stumps were probably
made out of sticks. The distance between the two sets of stumps would vary and
the material used for the ball could have been anything. Since then, equipment
and clothing has improved vastly, which has helped the sport to develop.
By looking at
picture one (below), which was after Broad Oak Cricket Club won the Sykes Cup
in 1930, we can see how basic the kit is. Some of the cricketers are wearing
what looks like a white school shirt and the man on the left of the front row
looks as if he is wearing black socks.
It is likely
that teams would only have had a first Xl side rather
than the two or even three sides that clubs may have today. As the photos get
older, we can see that the size of the squad increases. This is a sign of how
interest in the sport has increased over the decades and
centuries and the growth of the game. By 1953 we can see blazers being worn -
which are now a distinguishing feature at each and every club.
The photo taken
in 1957 after the Paddock Shield defeat (below) shows us some post-war
equipment: batting pads.
Before this,
players would use scarves, hats and padding to protect various parts of their
body. Graham Yallop was the first to use a helmet in
a Test match while playing for
Whatever the
opinions, cricket has moved on. For example, it is now compulsory at all levels
for under-19s to wear helmets while batting and fielding if they are within 15
yards of the batsman. The game gets faster and more ferocious so authorities
and clubs have to adapt to this. It is evident that this has been the case both
in professional and amateur cricket.