Skip to main content

Cricket During The World Wars – In Pictures

Throughout the history of humankind, tragedies of all kind have taken place, and as bad as the current situation may seem, perhaps no tragedy in our history has been as awful as World War 1 or 2.

Young men and women around the same age as many of our cricketing heroes were being sent off to fight in battles all around the world, not battles where series and wickets were at stake, but peoples’ lives.

Over the course of the two wars, millions died, including those from almost every major cricketing nation - and some scars from the two conflicts may never heal.

However, cricket was a positive force in those turbulent times.  Members of the armed forces enjoyed playing the game we love in their time away from the front line. It gave those in a war-torn world a crumb of comfort, a chance to take their minds away from the horrors of the time.

Members of the royal navy enjoy a spot of cricket in
Malta during the second world war

A group of female auxiliary corps prepare for a cricket match on
the Western front

 A soldier prepares to face a delivery in 
Étaples, France

Impromptu cricket during the second world war in Italy,
 a packed slip cordon lying in wait

Troops from Britain and New Zealand prepare for a cricket
match in May, 1918

A beach in Trinidad provides the backdrop for a game between 
naval volunteers from the island during September, 1944

Underarm bowling is on the cards at a cricket match between
female auxiliary corps and recovering soldiers

This article is dedicated to the 500+ international and first class cricketers that lost their lives during the bloodiest and most fatal wars in our history. Lest we forget.





Comments

  1. Good good article ����

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Poignant, moving and nicely written.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Share your thoughts here

Popular posts from this blog

Cricket Around The World - In Pictures

From rainforests to rooftops, beaches to temples, little can stand in the way of fans' feverish passion for cricket - and a round the world the game is played and watched from some of the most stunning places on the planet.  The breathtaking Marina Bay Sands Hotel dominates the scenery at the Padang Park Cricket Ground in Singapore A sandy beach and driftwood stumps provides the pitch & wicket for an impromptu game... A different viewpoint - Roof climbers soak in the action as the sun sets over the Adelaide Oval As the tide recedes, a family enjoy a game of beach cricket at Mousehole Harbour in Cornwall, England With the Taj Mahal at deep midwicket, a group of young men play a cricket match in Agra, India The Indian Ocean and a lush rainforest provide the perfect backdrop for a game of cricket    High up in the Indian mountains, a batsman attempts a risky single As the sun heads down over the horizon, a group of boys cool off in the ocean after a long day's cricket A stack

Cricket in the US - An Exciting Future?

In 1751, the New York Gazette carried the story of the first public cricket match in North America; a game contested between a London side and a local eleven, the latter coming out on top in the historic contest. This game took place 40 years before the first known mention of baseball in the continent, but it’s fair to say that most Americans have taken to the sport played on a diamond much more kindly; Major League Baseball pulled in an average crowd of 28,199 fans per game last season, but there isn’t a single professional cricket league in the entire nation. However, cricket has begun to surge in popularity in the States, a place that the world’s second most popular sport has never quite been able to reach. Until now. An influx of West Indian and South East Asian immigrants to North America has helped to create a buzz around cricket in the country.  But the game isn’t just played by expats in the US, others have embraced the sport too, with baseball comparisons being used to help be

World Class Cricketers That Play For Countries Without Test Status

As cricket continues to spread around the world, more and more superstars have begun to emerge from less-traditional cricketing nations, not just the 12 sides with test status. T20 franchise competitions give players the chance to play cricket professionally without representing their nations. Some of the larger white ball competitions attract the very best players and coaches in the world and give players from any country the chance to play cricket at an exceptionally high level. Increasing numbers of international white ball fixtures for smaller cricketing nations have also helped cricketers that play for countries without test status to compete on the global stage. While a large number of cricketers that play for the emerging nations may never be able to create a full time career from playing the sport they love, some have the skill, talent and perhaps luck to do so and a few players that represent more minor cricketing nations are among the best in the world. Ryan Ten Doesc