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John Derrick, Gentleman, "one of the queene's majesties coroners of the county of Surrey" gave evidence that "when he was a scholler in the free school of Guildeford he and several of his fellows did run and play there at crickett and other plaies."

The progress of the game was not rapid, nor without opposition. In 1620, Oliver Cromwell was denounced because he had participated in the "disreputable game of cricket," and the town of Maidstone was classified as "profane" because some youths played the game on Sundays.

Cricket, under attack in England for many years, won a great victory in 1748, when it was ruled as a legal sport by the Court of the Kings Bench, the decision being on a request from cricket enthusiasts. The court decided: "It (cricket) is a very manly game, not bad in itself, but only bad in the ill use made of it by wagering more than 10 pounds on it, wagering being bad, and against the law."

In earliest cricket play, there were no wickets. The players cut two circular holes in the turf. A batsman was put out by the ball being thrown into the hole before the bat was grounded into the "crease," which was a line 48 inches in front of the hole. A type of wicket was invented about 1700.

The first recorded match was played between Kent and Surrey in 1728 and there was a game of some importance in Gloucestershire in 1729.

In 1744, there was a revision of the rules that had governed earlier competition, the London Cricket Club sponsoring the changes. In 1777, three stumps were introduced. The measurements were 22 x 6 inches, increased to 24 x 7 in 1788, to 26 x 7 in 1816 and to 27 x 8 in 1817, with two bails (cross pieces) added. The dimensions now, after experiments of 8 inches minimum and 28 inches maximum and ratified in 1947, are 9 inches x 27 inches. The bails, 4 3/8 inches in length, must not project more than half an inch above the top of the stumps. The weight of the cricket ball, fixed at about 5'/z to 53% ounces in 1774, never has been changed. The width of the bat at its widest part, fixed at 41/4 inches in 1774, remains unchanged. The length must not be more than 38 inches.

Modern cricket stems from the historical the record in about 3 hours less time than the 13 hours 20 minutes it took Hutton to set the previous record. Hanif Mohammad of Pakistan set the record for the longest innings when he scored 337 in 16 hours 13 minutes. Australia won the "Ashes" in 1958 under the captaincy of Richie Benaud and continued to dominate until England retook the urn in the 1970s.