Wicket or wicket ball was a historical American form of cricket played until the late 19th century.[2][3][4]
History
editWicket came to America from England most likely during the late 17th century.[5] George Washington playing a match in 1778 during the Revolutionary War,[6][7] the sport was regularly played by soldiers as a way to maintain physical health.[8]
The 19th-century rise in popularity of baseball, which had a far shorter playing duration than contemporary forms of cricket, saw cricket’s decline as the most popular bat-and-ball sport of America. In response, cricket fans sought new ways to keep the sport relevant; with wicket pursued as a shorter and higher-scoring version of cricket. Rejected by many traditional cricket fans, the turn of the 20th century saw wicket disappear even from its stronghold of Connecticut.[5][9]
Rules
editWicket used a wicket which was much wider and shorter than a cricket wicket, and a bat that resembled a spoon. There were up to 30 fielders and 3 innings, making the game finish in an afternoon.[5]
The creases that batters had to run across to score runs were called "Tick Marks", scoring a run (which happened when the batters crossed each other running to the other wicket) could be called a "cross", and the cricket pitch where the ball was bowled was 75 feet (23 m) long[5] and called an alley. Run outs were known as "ticking [out]" the batter.[10] In some forms of wicket, a batter could be out in a way resembling leg before wicket if the ball hit them on the body (known as a "sham" or "shinning") thrice under certain circumstances.[11]
See also
editHistorical North American bat-and-ball games
editReferences
edit- ^ Thorn, John (2017-06-12). "The First Image of Bat and Ball Play in America". Medium. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
- ^ Thorn, John (2017-05-24). "The Old-Time Game of Wicket". Medium. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ Normen, Elizabeth (2018-11-02). "The Old Connecticut Game of Wicket". Connecticut Explored. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "Wethersfield's Glorious Baseball History". Wethersfieldhistory.org.
- ^ a b c d "Before There Was Baseball, There Was Wicket". Connecticut Public. 2013-10-31. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ "Where does the MLC stand in the chequered history of USA cricket?". Wisden. 2023. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ Moyeno, Victoria Marie (2022-03-03). "The Unexpected History of Cricket in New Jersey". Hoboken Girl. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
- ^ Grundy, Pamela; Rader, Benjamin G. (2016-06-16). American Sports. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-315-50924-2.
- ^ "How Cricket Struck Out". HistoryNet. 2018-09-12. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
- ^ "Friends of Vintage Baseball". 3.238.31.98. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ Thorn, John (2019-08-27). "An Old Yankee Ball Game". Medium. Retrieved 2024-06-21.