The Cricket Web Times
A Concise History of Cricket in the Nation
Down at Morkambe University, the CWBCC are putting on a series of lectures on the history of the CWXI, and now Jamee Gray, of Cricket Web Red "fame", as he likes to call it, presents a history of how the most cricket-crazed nation in the world, came to like the game just so much...
Jamee Gray
So let's go back to the very beginning. The first recorded organised cricket match in CWLand was a motley affair, a team representing Nixonstown facing off against an Edfield XI, in the capital, on the 14th October 1890. There is no recorded scorecard from the game, but sources indicate that Nixonstown won by 40 runs. Edfield then beat Nixonstown in a return fixture, 15 days later. After a series of Nixonstown-Edfield matches, Twybridge wanted in, and on the 31st January 1890, CWLand history was made as a "Mr F Dolton of Webcester" playing for Twybridge, scored 104* on his debut, and became the first player to make a century in CricketWeb Land.
By 1900, various other cities started playing, but there was still an elitist air about the sport. Nixonstown would only play against Edfield and Twybridge, and Edfield was the same. But slowly, the game was spreading, and 13 towns had official teams. Apart from Nixonstown-Edfield (Nixonstown 15-Edfield 13 at this point) one other big rivalry had sprouted, Youngshead-Pickford, which although the Pickford groundsman did his best, Youngshead were dominating the Pickford men.
On the 1st June 1911, the 16 chairmen of the 16 Cricket Clubs met, and arranged the first ever Cricket Web competition. The 16 teams would play a straight knockout tournament, in Nixonstown, over the week of 7th January - 13th January and the winner would be crowned Champion of Cricket Web Land.
The search for players went on for several weeks, and on the New Year's Day, all 16 squads were named, and the Cricket Web Cup was opened. The matches were set to be played over 2 days, and if the matches were drawn, first innings lead would count. The first match was drawn out of the hat as Nixonstown vs Robbham, and the newest cricket club in the land were romped by the oldest, as Nixonstown won by an innings and 21 runs. The teams were whittled down to the final 4, as Pickford, surprisingly playing well away from their home turf, Goffmouth, batting for whole days and settling for draws, Stedingham, the unknown quantity from the West, and Nixonstown, the home favourites. As expected, Nixonstown beat Stedingham confidently, but Picksford were looking forwards to a finals place, as with a first innings lead, they needed to bat out 3 hours, but were bowled out for just 49 in 79 minutes, and Goffmouth went on to the final.
In the final, Nixonstown batted first, and made 278, and at the end of the day, Goffmouth had scrambled to 104/5, with the opening batsman, Blewtein on 67*. The next day, Blewtein batted on and on, making 128* at lunch, and by tea 201*. The Goffmouth team were on 401/8, with the Number 8 having made 79. Blewtein, captaining the team as well, was taking no risks, and looked like his team was going to bat out the team, but when the Number 11 got out, the score was 471, and Blewtein was on 256*. Play was declared closed 12 minutes later, and Blewtein lifted the wooden trophy above his head and Goffmouth had won the first ever Cricket Web Cup.
The first ever captain to win the Cricket Web Cup, many people from that age talk about him as the greatest ever batsman to live in CWLand, and although he never won the Cup again, the innings is recorded as the start of mainstream cricket in CWLand, a legacy that I'm sure any player, nay, any person would be proud to have started.
The Cricket Web Cup was played every other year, up to 1939, when World War 2 broke out, and many of CWLand's cricketers went to fight. 8,135 of CWLand's citizens were killed in World War 2. 355 of them had played in the Cricket Web Cup at some point. 45 returned and died or were unable to play again through wounds. The war finished in 1945, and no competition was held in that year, as a mark of respect.
The Cricket Web Cup started up well in 1947, with Edfield winning, and after winning again in 1949 and 1951, they were set up to be the first team to win 4 consecutive Cricket Web Cup's (Nixontown won 3, 1921, 1923, 1925), but they were cut down in the semi-final, by a strong Pickford team effort. The trophy was spread around for many years, yet it's last final, was, fittingly won by it's first champion, Goffmouth, in a thrilling final, chasing down 90 in just 56 minutes, with a draw set to mean defeat.
That final Cup, in 1969, was the end of one era, but the start of Grade, or as it was known for many years, Premier Division Cricket. It started in 1970, with 6 teams, Nixonstown, Edfield, Campsfield, Pickford, Twybridge and Goffmouth, playing each other in a league format. It marked the start of league cricket in CWLand, but more importantly, it marked the start of OD cricket in CWLand, as the teams played a 30 over League as well, on Wednesday evenings. The first league was won by Edfield, 4 points ahead of Pickford, and Campsfield beat Pickford in the 30 over League final. But this did not mean death for the 10 other towns, as they made leagues of their own, and soon every town and many villages made clubs of their own, and cricket mania spread across the land.
In 1978 2 more teams, after dominating lower levels were introduced into the Premier League, Greater Robbham and Stedingham, and the OD playoffs were properly introduced, with all 8 teams entering. 2 years later, in 1980, the newly formed CWBCC, Cricket Web Board of Cricket Control, took over PDC, Premier Division Cricket, and the CWCC, Cricket Web Cricket Council, and took full control over all Cricket Web Cricket. That year, 1980-81, the first ever team representing Cricket Web, the Cricket Web Select XI, flew over to Perth, and played 3 matches, 2 against Western Australia, and one against the Indians, they were flattened by the Asian team in the OD match, but managed to scrape home by 3 wickets against Western Australia in the shorter form, and then were playing well before the time limit came down on them.
Cricket in the land progressed steadily for many years, in 1983, the smooth transition to 3D cricket was made, and in 1987, Premier League Cricket saw the first team move, as Goffmouth moved down stream to Gofftown. In 1991 and 1992, a very gifted team from Stedingham won consecutive trebles (3D Title, OD League and Grand Final victories), with Anthony Stafe Williams, Lach Roberts and Cyril Smirf all playing important parts in the success.
In 1997, it was all change, with nicknames being incorporated and 2 new teams joining, the Davistow Darters and Garven Island Sharks. The other 8 teams took up the nicknames of: Gofftown Tigers, Stedingham Jets, Pickford Panthers, Campsfield Braves, Edfield Seahawks, Twybridge Titans, Greater Robbham Grooters, Nixonstown Foxes. But this time of Premier League Cricket was about to plummet out of the limelight. And it happened on the greatest ever day for Cricket Web Cricket.
20th of May 2003. South Africa vs Cricket Web XI. The first ever test for the nation. But that was not all that happened that day. The Development League was formed. A League, started by the CWBCC to test out their younger players. It was an instant hit, and the Premier Cricket League, was taken away from the public's mind and served as the second tier, and only really was watched by aficionados. You will all know how the Dev League and the International team went from strength to strength, but the Grade Cricket leagues, were plummeting, with attendance’s of less than 100 for Division 1 matches. The academies being set up, were poaching people and getting them straight towards the Dev League, and only people who really worked hard in the Grade Leagues would get there, myself, Jack McNamara, of the Colts and Sudeep Popat, who unfortunately is seriously injured now, have all come through, but new kids like Nathan Hoy, Xavier Rose, Michael Wilson and Sean Fuller, Season 9 Dev League OD MVP, have all gone straight through the academies.
But a mere 10 weeks ago, talks started, about putting money, and interest back in to Grade Cricket. My Dev League team mate, and good friend Håkon Mørk, decided to talk to the CWBCC about the issue, and now we have the between seasons tournaments, with the aim of getting Dev Leaguers playing in Grade Cricket, not only does this increase the standard of the Division 1, it also gives people the chance to see their hero's up close and personal, and the players obliged with passion, playing for their teams around Charity and Final commitments, with as much passion as anyone could have hoped for, with David Kennett looking jubilant as he lifted the Nibblets trophy above his head, signalling the last act of Cricket Web Cricket before the Season 9-10 off season.
But where to from here for Cricket Web Cricket? Grade Cricket should be able to look after itself, with the new introduction of extra interest, but the Dev League will be looking forward to a fascinating season, this winter the A team tours the West Indies, in search of victory, while the first team goes straight to the Champions Trophy. For Cricket Web Cricket, the future is rosy. But for the youngest Test team, the past is a long way away.
Remember Ian Blewtein, the Cricket Web Cup winner.
Remember Premier League Cricket, the start of Cricket Web Leagues.
Remember the 20th May, the start of the CWXI
Remember the Dev League, 5 teams competing for glory
Remember the land, from Pickford to Goffmouth
And remember, no matter what level, you're playing for something.
If it's the Champions Trophy final, with the kit on, you're playing for the nation. A nation of history, cricketing history.
The players may not know about what they're representing, but you do. The history of the nation.
A great nation.
CRICKET WEB LAND
