// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy was village cricket bat angry? It had a pitch issue.

Village cricket is a term, sometimes pejorative, given to the playing of cricket in rural villages in Britain. Many villages have their own teams that play at varying levels in local or regional club cricket leagues.

Concept

When organised cricket first began in the 17th century, matches were played between rival parishes or villages and this form of competition endured. In representative cricket a team includes players from multiple parishes, for instance one that represents a county or a country.^{[citation needed]}

Village cricket teams may be made up of local residents only,^{[citation needed]} although other first XI can include players with connections to minor counties cricket clubs, and members of the academies of the county cricket club of the county in which the team lies.^{[citation needed]}

Cricket in this form might be played on a village green or other public space instead of a dedicated ground.^{[citation needed]}

As an adjective

In some non-professional cricket leagues, the adjective "village" is a descriptor used humorously, self-deprecatingly, or, sometimes, pejoratively to convey a sense of amateurishness of some aspect of the players' preparation, dress, conduct or play.^{[citation needed]}

Village Cup

The annual National Village Cup competition began in 1972^[1] and each year's competition is covered in detail (particularly the final) in the following Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. The Cricketer magazine is responsible for organising the competition.

It is open to teams from English, Scottish or Welsh villages with a population up to originally 2,500^[2] but as of 2019^[update], 10,000.^[3] The final is played at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.

In popular media

A "House vs. Village" cricket game plays an important role in The Go-Between (1953) by L. P. Hartley, set in the year 1900.^[4]^[5]
The Midsomer Murders episode "Dead Man's Eleven" has a sub-plot about two village teams playing against each other.
Outside Edge, a 1979 play by Richard Harris about a village cricket team; two TV adaptations were made.
"When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease" is a 1975 song by Roy Harper that captures the atmosphere of a village cricket match.
The BBC radio drama series The Archers follows the lives of characters in the fictional village of Ambridge. Life in summer includes village cricket, especially matches against the rival village of Darrington. Ambridge players include both men and women. The village also has an annual single wicket competition.

References

↑ Wisden 148 (2012) p 714
↑ "Rules and Conditions for the 2014 Davidstow Village Cup" (PDF). The Cricketer. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
↑ "Rules and Conditions - Eligibility Criteria - 2019" (PDF). The Cricketer Village Cup. The Cricketer. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
↑ "A game that inspires poetry in its motion". 15 August 2004 – via The Guardian.
↑ "Irish Papist: Thoughts on "The Go-Between" by L.P. Hartley". 4 May 2019.

External links

National Village Cup Home

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[1] Wisden 148 (2012) p 714

[R&C_2014-2] "Rules and Conditions for the 2014 Davidstow Village Cup" (PDF). The Cricketer. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2019.

[Eligibility2019-3] "Rules and Conditions - Eligibility Criteria - 2019" (PDF). The Cricketer Village Cup. The Cricketer. Retrieved 23 May 2019.

[4] "A game that inspires poetry in its motion". 15 August 2004 – via The Guardian.

[5] "Irish Papist: Thoughts on "The Go-Between" by L.P. Hartley". 4 May 2019.

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