On this day in 1751, the first reported cricket match was played in America. Both the New York Gazette and the Weekly Post Boy report the match between the London and New York “sides.” (New York won.)
Three years later, Ben Franklin picked-up a copy of the rules book in London, helping to regularize the game’s rules for American players. It is also believed that Washington’s troops played the game—then called “wickets”—during the summer at Valley Forge.
Though cricket is wildly popular in former British colonies, it is no longer a big draw in The States. But at one time, it rivaled baseball as America’s sport of choice.
The print above, by Sir William Nicolson, RA, is decidedly English. It was printed in 1898 and is framed in a period oak frame. Please click on the photo to learn more about it.