WG Grace is rolling in his grave on hearing about a claim by the French that they in fact invented cricket..and not England as the history books tell us. French historians state that the small village of Liettres, Pas de Calais in northern France hosted the first known game of cricket in 1478, more than 50 years before historians say that it was played in England, where it’s always been thought it was invented by shepherds using their crooks.
A letter written in 1478 to King Louis XI, also known as Louis the Prudent, mentions the word “criquet” in describing a game played in Liettres complaining about an incident in which a man was killed during a match. The note, preserved in France’s national archives, mentions ‘boules’, or balls, and ‘criquet’, a wooden post, in a description of a game played at that time.
A letter written in 1478 to King Louis XI, also known as Louis the Prudent, mentions the word “criquet” in describing a game played in Liettres complaining about an incident in which a man was killed during a match. The note, preserved in France’s national archives, mentions ‘boules’, or balls, and ‘criquet’, a wooden post, in a description of a game played at that time.
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