the sport of cricket

[Angel of Mercy]

Does anyone know how popular the sport of Cricket during the 1860s was? And did the soldiers ever play it in their camps? did civilians play it at home?

Thanks!

[Virginia Mescher]

Re: the sport of cricket

This is Virginia's spouse chiming in.

Cricket was one of the games I addressed in my presentation on men's entertainments at the Ladies and Gentlemen of the 1860's conference this past March.

It is surprising that the game of cricket still had many players at the time of the Civil War. From newspaper articles, it seemed that it was primarily a sport of urban areas and baseball was becoming more popular elsewhere. But in the cities, they had cricket leagues so it was more than just a pick-up game.

I didn't see any mention of it in camps but it is conceivable that some of the officers could have brought the equipment with them if they had some wagons to transport their stuff. For the enlisted men that, for the most part, had to walk, the bulky specialized equipment would almost certainly have gone into a ditch during the first five mile of marching.

Michael Mescher

[Angel of Mercy]

Re: the sport of cricket

Mr. Mescher,
Thank you for your information. I take it this was mostly a 'men's only' sport?

The reason I ask is becuase Victoria Kent and I are looking for period games to purchase and have civilians play with at the September Storm event. Which would be appropriate for men, women and children to play out doors?

I will definitely be looking into the games page your site!

[vbetts]

Re: the sport of cricket

DAILY CHRONICLE & SENTINEL [AUGUSTA, GA], March 4, 1860, p. 2, c. 1

Open Air and Exercises.

Our school boys, and girls too, in the country are accustomed to boisterous romps, and out door play, which are very commendable, and very beneficial, not only to health of body, but to a healthy and proper development of the mental faculties. Other things being equal, those of the most robust health will usually develop the intellect, if not most rapidly, at least most substantially, safely and soundly. Children who are not romps and tom-boys may be precocious, but they will be remarkable only for precocity, not for sound judgment, and solid, practical acquirement of useful knowledge.

Then we should all encourage children to open air sports, not only in the country, but also, and more particularly, in the towns. Let them soil and tear [?] their clothes and hands, and brown their faces, if need be. What are all these and much more, in comparison to sound health, sweet sleep, and vigorous constitution? How many a poor little Miss, and how many a delicate nervous little boy, have been reared to ill health, to physical pain and misery, by the foolish dread of parents that they may make themselves "little frights?" How many lives cut short, how much real mental development prevented, by putting out-door sports under the ban?

But what shall we say of "children of a larger growth?" Do not they also, men and women both, need exercise and recreation--would they not be better, happier and healthier for them?--There can surely not be a doubt about it. Grown up people, as well as boys and girls, must have sport and amusement of some sort. In the country there is fox hunting for the men, and women too, if they would only make up their minds to undertake it--at least a good free gallop occasionally, even if without the excitement of the chase, may be had, and is of great benefit. In the towns, we believe ladies very seldom ride horseback, and while the men seek the card-tables and the billiard saloons, the ladies, the fairer and better part of creation, are self-condemned to dawdling in their drawing rooms, and an occasional street walk.--Walking does very well occasionally, but it is not the right kind of exercise for those who are not already rather robust. It develops mainly the lower limbs, and, on account of peculiarities of dress, tends to produce a dragging sensation along the spine, and to develop spinal disease, to which American women seem peculiarly liable. Dancing is better, but that is not the full measure of exercise our countrywomen should have. They need open air exercise, and that which brings into play the muscles of the arms and expands the chest. What shall it be? It must be something that is not only pleasant, but graceful, and which may be made also fashionable--ah, that is it. While our young men have their cricket and base ball, can not the ladies organize a yachting club? It strikes us that rowing would be the very thing for them--pleasant, cool, delightful, and may be made the means of quite a display. What more agreeable sight than to see our river covered with gay barges and swift gliding wherries, in the gray twilight, or in the soft moonlight, with the mothers and daughters, not reclining on the cushions, but pulling sturdily at the oars? What more exhilarating and exciting than a boat race, and can it not be made fashionable? Who will set the fashion, who will take the first step to organize a ladies "Regatta Club?"

DAILY TIMES [LEAVENWORTH, KS], September 15, 1860, p. 3, c. 2
Cricket Club.—The members of the Occidental Cricket Club are desirous of forming a full field, and therefore appeal to the young men of Leavenworth to come forward and join in this noble game. So all who wish to join the Club will be admitted within the next two weeks without any initiation fee. The Queen City of the Missouri River should have the champion club of the West. Come forward and join. Apply at W. H. Coolidge & Co.'s drug store, under Stockton's Hall, or of Orpheus Stockton.

DAILY TIMES [LEAVENWORTH, KS], May 4, 1862, p. 4, c. 1
Have Base, Town Ball, and Cricket become obsolete games of which we retain but the memory? There is no recreation more healthful, no out door sports more interesting than those old time-honored games of ball, and the present weather is charmingly adapted therefor [sic].

DAILY TIMES [LEAVENWORTH, KS], May 8, 1864, p. 3, c. 2
We understand that a grand cricket match is about to come off on the Blue Grass pasture, near the Fort, in a short time. Those who wish to take a hand in this truly healthy and interesting game, can obtain any information wanted upon the subject by calling at Cooter's Saloon, on Third street, between Shawnee and Delaware.

Vicki Betts

[riptailedroarer]

Re: the sport of cricket

I am no expert on the subject, but I can remember being told that the modern way of bowling, that is, over-arm, was adopted in the 19thC. to allow ladies to play. The earlier method was under-arm ( a bit like softball!) but this was not practical because of the ladies skrits.

http://content-www.cricinfo.com/cricketer/content/story/216594.html

As was said, the proble of carring lots of gear made it impracticle (not impossible) for the army, which made have lead to the popularization of baseball that basicly needs just a stick and ball:D

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: the sport of cricket

How was "Town Ball" played? Any official rules? -Johnny ;)

[vote4jakub]

Re: the sport of cricket

Krystin,

I know the East Coast was a hotbed of Cricket even into the 20th Century; there were British touring "Elevens" that visited the States and were given an occasional "hiding" by the Colonials (Philly being a long time haven for the sport, it's two oldest and nobby-est tennis clubs are still named Germantown/Philadelphia Cricket Club!). I have a fair collection of books on the game BUT most are in storage and unreachable. I worked in Australia many years and played heaps of "pick-up" games and all one needs is a bat and a ball (just like the game of Base), for stumps (the 3 sticks surmounted by 2 small wooden turned bales) we often used garbage cans (a bit Farby, I fear), but stumps could be 3 small branches hammered in the ground, and for batters boxes we often dug a "trench" with a stick (to mark the boundaries of the safe zone for the batter and runner, and the foul for the bowler. The cost of a proper Bat may be outrageous, they're making cheap composite ones as starter models but they, like the real wooden ones are ablaze with advertisements plus some garish colors; the handle wrappings are also quite different today... I've seen many cricket balls in antique stores, used-not-too-abused for $10-15. The rules aren't too strange though the vocabulary of the sport is tre' arcane (I swear I watched it on telly for hours before I understood what -in-blazes they were on about!!) Cricket is the mother-ball-game for the British World, and we were off on our own for quite a while by the 1860's, but I reckon the Upper and Middling sort of Eastern city folk would have a passing aquaintance with the Grand Dame. Remember you need a large roundish field, well mowed , real bowling pitches are rolled hard to avoid bizarre jumps of the ball with the wickets set up in the center (I'll look up the distance between stumps for you), two bats are normal (the off runner uses one to extend his reach to the safe/base) but the runner could use a bat-length stick instead. I'll look for a simple rule book if you are interested, and I KNOW if you and Vix promote it, the game will have many male participants!! Good luck! To simplify your work-load have you considered Croquet? You'd have to look up the dates for it's prominence but I know it was popular enough in England that the hallowed Wimbledon grounds were originally the All-England Croquet Club (the & Tennis was added in 1877). Hope to see you Yankees by August....
Y.O.S.
Dutchy
Scott Leatherman
6th La. Coy G

[Virginia Mescher]

croquet

Krystin,

To simplify your work-load have you considered Croquet? You'd have to look up the dates for it's prominence but I know it was popular enough in England that the hallowed Wimbledon grounds were originally the All-England Croquet Club (the & Tennis was added in 1877).

Scott Leatherman
6th La. Coy G

Unless you are doing an event that is dated after 1864, croquet would not be a good idea. I've been researching croquet for some time in preparation for a publication. Although it was introduced in England in the early 1850s it didn't become established in the US until the mid-1860s. There are a few advertisements for equipment in newspapers (1864) and rules appear in Godey's (1865) and Peterson's (1864). The 1864 edition of the _American Boys' Book of Sports and Games_ (which we carry on our web page) has rules for croquet. Milton Bradley patented and manufactured the first croquet equipment in the US in 1866 and published the first book in the US in 1866.

Despite the fact that the game did not seem to appear in the US until the mid-1860s, the correct equipment is difficult to obtain. The mallets were 34 to 36 inches long and different shapes from modern mallets.

There were many croquet manuals published in the US after the mid-1860s, some of which were exact copies of English croquet manuals.

[Angel of Mercy]

Re: sporting activites for civilians outdoors

The September Storm event is the 145th Commemoration of the battle of South Mountain and Antietam (1864). So I assume Croquet would be improper to play at this event since it is earlier?

We were thinking of tug-of-war, graces, hoop & stick, trapball, lawn bowling, quoits/ring toss, and shuttlecock/Horn Book Battledore. Any we are missing that civilians and soldiers would enjoy?

Thank you all for your information!