Olympic Cricket
The sport of cricket is very popular in many parts of the world, though it has only made one appearance at the Olympic Games, in Paris 1900 (though it is making a comeback, being played at the 2028 LA Olympics). There is also evidence that cricket may have also been played as a demonstration sport in 1896.
Olympic cricket in 1900 was only a single twelve-a-side game (not 11 players per team as is the usual case), in which an English team beat a team from France.
The Great Britain team comprised players from Blundell’s School in Devon and Castle Cary Cricket Club in Somerset. The French team (L'equipe francaise) was ironically made up mostly of Englishmen: British Embassy staff who secured a few days off from the office!
Teams from The Netherlands and Belgium were also initially included amongst the entries, but they withdrew leaving only two teams to play against each other.
The lack of competing nations and the one-sided affair did not bode well for further inclusion in the Olympic Games, and it has not been seen on the Olympic program again.
Other Olympic cricket trivia is that on June 29, 1948, the day the London Olympic Games began at Wembley Stadium in London, the famed Australian 'Invincibles' cricket side was finishing off England in a test at nearby Lord's, winning by 409 runs.
1900 Results
A 12-a-side match was played at the Velodrome de Vincennes on the 19th and 20th August. It was a very one-sided match, with England winning by 158 runs. England scored 117 & 145 for 5 declared against France's 78 & 26. England won with just five minutes left on the second day.
Team Players
- Great Britain: C B K Beachcroft, John Symes, Frederick Cuming, Montagu Toller, Alfred Bowerman, Alfred Powlesland, William Donne, Frederick Christian, George Buckley, Francis Burchell, Harry Corner, Arthur Birkett.
- France: T H Jordan, A J Schneidau, R Home, Henry Terry, F Rogues, W Anderson, D Robinson, W T Attrill, W Browning, A McEvoy, Philip Tomalin, J Braib.
Related Pages
- Was cricket played at the 1896 Olympic Games?
- About Cricket at the Olympics
- Full list of all Discontinued Sports
- About the Velodrome de Vincennes, a stadium in France
- Cricket pages
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