Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

We really cannot find room for any long details on the subject of cricket matches, which, however interesting to the parties engaged, are not of any very high importance to the public.

Comment

Comment

Via Paul Smith, who quotes from the Rev. Holmes (Holmes 1904):

the newspaper of that period (1737-1806) was a small sheet of four pages, issued once a week at the cost of sixpence. Consequently as it had to chronicle political, court and other news of national importance, along with all important communications from the Continent, and … advertisements … cricket had to be put into a very modest corner.

Also:

In a long and careful search through old Yorkshire newspapers dating from 1737 to 1806 … only a few items of interest have cropped up. Cricket is seldom mentioned, and for a very sufficient reason. It was not then nearly as popular as boxing, cockfighting, and pedestrianism (Smith 2013).

Also via Paul Smith, Joseph Lawson on cricket in Pudsey, perhaps at around the time of the Leeds Mercury‘s take:

We remember the time when cricketing was unknown in Pudsey, except as played mostly in the lanes or small openings in the village – with a tub leg for a bat, made smaller at one end for a handle, a wall cape, or some large stone, set on end for a stump (called a “hob “), and a pot taw or some hard substance covered with listing and sometimes sewed on the top with twine or band. They were all one-ball overs if double wicket was played; no umpires, and often those who cheated the hardest won. But see now to what perfection that game has attained! It was some time before the new style of cricket was played with the order and decorum we see today. When it first came into vogue village clanship was rather rife. Money was mostly played for, and frequent uproar, confusion, and even fighting took place, though the strict rules helped to curb all this very much, otherwise cricket between the different local clubs would have been impossible. Playing for money was ultimately given up, and looked upon as being low and degrading to the game. The winning club mostly got a new ball, and the various towns and villages continued to contend against each other for the mastery. As years have passed on, the behaviour of both players and spectators (especially the former) has become comparatively orderly. It is not uncommon now for the people of Pudsey to be seen applauding their opponents by clapping hands and by other marks of approval, when a good point is made in the shape of either hitting, bowling, fielding, or wicket-keeping. All this is as it should be, though very different to what one saw even thirty years ago. Cricketing has had a most wonderful influence for good on the young men of Pudsey – not only on the players, but on the spectators as well. By cricket, players are taught patience, endurance, precision, and courage. They are taught self-respect and gentlemanly conduct in bowing to the decision of the umpires, and derive physical benefit as well. The discipline taught by the game cricket is great and invaluable, and we wish it every success (Lawson 1887).

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Original

To Correspondents
We really cannot find room for any long details on the subject of Cricket Matches, which, however interesting to the parties engaged, are not of any very high importance to the public.

37 words.

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• Cricket (10) ·
• Leeds Mercury (18), leading Whig newspaper founded by John Hirst in 1718, bought by Nonconformist-Liberal Edward Baines in 1801 and used to advocate some types of social and political reform, remained in the family for two more generations ·
• Letter to the editor (1) ·
• 📌Pudsey (11) ·
• Yeadon (2) ·

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