The Laws of the Game of Cricket

With the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) Museum lies a rare piece of cricket history - a dyed cotton handkerchief featuring The Laws of the Game of Cricket in cursive script around its outer edges. This is one of only three known surviving examples in the world.

The central illustration, a reproduction of Francis Hayman's painting Cricket in Mary-le-bone Fields, is considered one of the earliest known depictions of cricket and shows characteristics of the early game, such as the curved bats, underarm bowling and a two-stump wicket.

The original The Laws of the Game of Cricket were written at the Star and Garter public house in Pall Mall in 1744. A gathering of a group of players from various local cricket clubs set down the agreed upon rules for their game, many of which remain largely unchanged in the modern game.

The handkerchief offers an insight into a time when the game was growing cultural significance of cricket in English society. In the 1600s, cricket was considered a pastime more suited to the rural and working classes but by 1700, it was established as a favoured pastime of the aristocracy.

The game depicted in the handkerchief and described in the laws holds many similarities to the modern game, along with some striking differences.

In 1744 each 'over' lasted only four balls, a rule that continued until 1884. Today an over consists of six balls.

Originally there were no restrictions on the size of bats. Long, curved bats were common in the early games but have been much shorter since the mid-nineteenth century.

The leg before wicket rule also did not exist. Today this rule results in a batsman being declared out if his leg blocks a bowled ball from hitting the wicket.

While anyone familiar with cricket will recognise the game described through the laws, there some surprising omissions. There is no explanation of how a game is won or how many times a team may bat. It seems to be assumed that these are already known by the players.

Yet the game depicted in the image remains largely unchanged today. The eleven fielders stand in familiar places, with a wicket keeper, a man at slip and players placed at forward point, short cover and around the ground.

Perhaps the most unfamiliar aspect of the game shown here is the sight of the bowler preparing to deliver an underarm ball, something that is forbidden in the modern game. Underarm bowling remained common until firstly roundarm bowling and then overarm bowling were legalised in the mid-1800s.

The umpires as well are notable in their long coats and hats, and themselves hold bats as symbols of their officiating responsibilities.

The watchers on the hillside may appear to be mere spectators, yet they play a crucial role. The figure on the left holds a notched scoring stick, used to keep a tally of each run.

The scorer did so by cutting a notch for every run into a long hazel stick, making deeper cuts at every 20 runs scored. The term ‘notches’ instead of ‘runs’ was used for a long time in English cricket to refer to the score.

The handkerchief is an important artefact, documenting the evolution of the early game and providing valuable insight into cricket's growing cultural significance from the eighteenth century onwards.