The first ever game of cricket was played by the students of Royal Grammar School, Guildford, in the year 1550. In 1611, two young men were taken into questioning by the police who were later punished for not going to the church. The boys had preferred to play cricket rather than attending the sermon. These men were from Sussex. In the year 1646, the first match of cricket was played at Coxheath in Kent, England.
Cricket, in the beginning, flourished as much as a betting game. People used to gamble large amounts of money on the matches played in those days. In this manner, the game started to get attention. In the 17th century, cricket became famous for betting. In the year 1679, nets as high as 50 guineas were placed per side.
In the 18th century, game of cricket struggled due to the excessive amount of money coming from in sponsors and the betting mafia. On June 29, 1709, the first match between two counties was held in England. The said match was played at Dartford Brent between Surrey and Kent.
The 18th century saw the emergence of two kinds of cricket players. They categories included either retained players or individual players. Largely, the retained players were servants of the lord while individual players were free to play anywhere in the country.
The Marylebone Cricket Club commonly known MCC came into existence in the year 1787 in London. The MCC from its very beginning turned into a well-known entity in world cricket. The elite class in the beginning dominated the game of cricket but it later turned into the national game of England.
The later years of the 18th century are considered the most important years of cricket in Britain. Cricket got recognition all over the world owing to the imperialist East India Company and its expansion. The game of cricket went wherever the English Army went. The first international game of cricket was played between Canada and the United States in the year 1844.
Presently, cricket has its own fan following. The International Cricket Council, famously known as the ICC is the governing and regulating body of cricket around the world. The ICC was founded on June 15, 1909. All laws pertaining to One Day Internationals and Test Cricket are framed and implemented by the ICC.
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