The cricket historians insist that cricket was invented by shepherds in the English county of Kent before booming in the mid-18th century in Hampshire, notably Halfpenny Down in Hambledon.
But there is a rebellious school of thought which puts forward the idea that cricket may have its roots in France.
The main reason for this is a letter which purports to be the first recorded mention of the game. Except it doesn’t mention ‘cricket’ but ‘le criquet’.
The writer is a young man called Estiavannet and the reason we know that he sent it is because the letter, which was written to King Louis XI in October 1478, still exists in the French national archives.
Estiavannet was in Liettres, close to Calais, when he came across a game which he didn’t much care for, people playing with their ‘boules’ and a ‘criquet’ – a wooden post. The suggestion is that the post was, in effect, the wickets. The shepherds in Kent would also defend a post with their crooks.
Now we don’t know quite why it all went a bit wrong – perhaps Estaviennet didn’t much care for this new-fangled square cut – and made his opinion clear, much as they do in the Hollies Stand after a well-rinsed lunch.
Whatever caused it, a punch-up ensued and such was the depth of feeling that at the end of it one man lay dead on the square. Hence the letter of complaint to King Louis.
The theory that this was cricket has been played down by the Marylebone Cricket Club and also by the Wisden Almanack but given the history of the time it shouldn’t really be such a revolutionary thought.
Liettres is just 50 kilometres from Calais which from 1347 to 1558 lay under English rule. It is quite possible that the influence of those Kentish shepherds – not to be confused with former Kent and West Indies cricketer John Shepherd – had been slipped across the Channel to Calais whence it wearied down country tracks to infect the Frankish locals.
The letter to King Louis XI from 1478 which purports to provide the first recorded mention of cricket
We will never know for certain, of course, unless other letters concerning ‘le criquet’ are hidden in the French archives.
In the meantime, the village of Liettres is celebrating its curious standing with the cricket world by hosting a cricket festival across the weekend of October 3-4 at the chateau.
Four teams are taking part, three of them from France, Viperes de Valenciennes, Lille and ASPTT Arras, and one from Belgium, 12 Stars Brussels.
There will be a full medieval air to all of this with jugglers, firecrackers, pony rides and of course ‘Combats de Vikings’ – hopefully not a repeat of Estaviennet’s fatal punch-up.
Et voilà, it was over. After six months of sweat and five shows in Paris, London and Richmond, Rex has tucked his bat under his arm and retreated to the pavilion.
Innings closed. For the moment. Time for Rex to tuck into his tea – or his two-hour lunch – and reflect not just on the show but on what lies ahead, both for him and for French cricket.
Rex will be padding up again and we will keep you informed as to where and when.
We will have a play script plus bonus writing and background in the coming months – the MCC has already booked their copy – as well as other merch. These will obviously make outstanding Christmas presents for the cricket-loving member of your family.
We are also looking at other formats for the show.
The first thing to do, though, is to thank everyone who parted with their cash and came to one of the shows.
Whether you are family, friends, interested third-party it takes a little leap of faith to buy a ticket, especially in these economically-challenged times.
It has been especially touching to hear of the distances travelled to get to the gigs at the Camden Fringe.
We had people down from Leeds, Nottingham and Norfolk and all the way from Land’s End in Cornwall.
One came over from Dublin although the biggest gold star, I’m afraid, goes to one man who flew in from New York and came to two shows. Magnifique.
It’s incredibly humbling that anyone buys a ticket to see you on stage let alone to be able to hang the ‘SOLD OUT’ sign as we did on Wednesday at Canal Cafe. Apologies to those we had to turn away.
So, many, many thanks to all of you.
Thanks also to everyone who has helped us along the way, notably family and the three different venues, The Highlander in Paris, Canal Cafe in Little Venice and Old Deer Park in Richmond.
Each venue was different in size and mood but each also brought its own freshness to the show.
(Canal Cafe Photo: N Malkoutzis)
Thanks also to the MJC in Corbel-Essonnes who allowed us to rehearse on their main stage.
The game is in a difficult place at the moment but there is a desire to play cricket in France and see the game develop.
Rex’s simple suggestion is that cricket clubs partner with the local pétanque club: as he has discovered there is much that connects these two fine sports.
Stay tuned for further updates and thanks again for your support.
Why is it, Rex wants to know, that the French were more than happy to adopt rugby and rebrand it as their own while shunning the game of cricket? How come a nation that tunes in every July to watch three weeks of volcanic-calved men pedal through the French countryside considers a three-hour game of T20 too long?
And don’t mention a five-day Test. Even the attraction of a lunch break can’t pull our gallic neighbours out of the tailspin: “Forty minutes? Bof. Vous insultez le principe du dejeuner. Make it two hours and maybe we can talk.”
Poor old Rex, or to give him his full name, Rex Constantine Vaughan Williams.
He can be a bit irascible at times but in his own words he is a “cricket missionary on Mission Impossible”. He is also the central character in the one-man show ‘Vive Le Cricket’ which hits the London stage in August, his experiences as a cricket commentator in France, loosely based on my own.
It’s always a great icebreaker to drop the fact that you commentate on cricket but mentioning you do it in French can silence a room.
After the initial round of “But the French don’t play cricket” (to which the answer is: “Well they may actually have invented the game back in the 15th century”) come the inevitable glossary posers.
“So what do you call the wicket and the keeper?” That’ll be le guichet if you mean the stumps or elimination if you mean a dismissal … a keeper is the gardien de guichet.
“What about bouncer? Yorker? And googly?” Sorry to disappoint but these are le bouncer, le yorker and le googly, all done with a stage French accent, naturellement.
“So are the slips just les slips?” Erm, no that would be underpants, or knickers, depending on who is fielding there.
Dave Crossan (UEFA)
My late and much lamented Eurosport colleague Dave Crossan took first dig on French commentary in the 2009 T20 World Cup when England famously lost to the Netherlands.
David, a fervent Essex fan who never quite forgave his mum for accidentally washing the Nasser Hussain signature off his sunhat, was a consummate professional who wrote that his job was “to clarify and simplify”.
“I know the intricacies of jambe devant guichet (LBW) will be too much for the audience to handle.”
I was a little further down the batting order, making my French debut behind the mic in the T20 Champions League in 2012 – a first sight of a young Joe Root – when they paired a Frenchie who was fluent in, er, French with an Anglo who was fluent in cricket.
Some of our gallic counterparts were excellent, well-briefed and enthusiastic, others less so. One, who felt he was fluent in both, began each innings by spending the powerplay reading the definition of cricket on the French Wiki, including each and every method of dismissal, while neglecting the action on the field.
To my eternal shame, this resulted in a petulant stand-off during the 2012 T20 World Cup final with each of us flicking the other’s mute button in order to deliver our own version of the commentary.
– CRICKET MISSIONARY –
After Eurosport ended its coverage in 2015, Sport En France padded up with the European Cricket Network’s T10 competitions which featured either France or a French club team. Slap bang wallop but all over in 90 minutes, the football time slot that fans and broadcasters can still grasp.
The highlight of this was the evening in March 2023 when French side Dreux beat English village winners Hornchurch to become T10 European club champions.
Le match du siecle de l’annee at Hoedic (Pierre Gay)
There were no Hallelujahs in the cafes but it was a sign that, in spite of unrest around the federation (which needs an article all of its own) the game does have more than a light pulse, bolstered by the passion of the Asians.
The game has certainly moved on since the days when 12 players from the Standard Athletic club pulled on the whites to play for France against Great Britain in the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris.
Never mind that they were all English and lost a two-innings game by 158 runs, France remain the reigning Olympic silver medallists, at least until LA 2028.
Rex is proud of that and visits Meudon to gaze on the medal. It is here that he meets Pierre, a living, breathing Frenchman who cares passionately about the game.
“I see myself as a cricket missionary,” says Pierre who grew up in Bromsgrove and spent childhood days Hick-watching on the boundary at New Road.
Rex does his homework
Pierre is certainly doing his bit for the game: every year in his home island of Hoedic off the south coast of Britanny, he hosts ‘Le match du siècle de l’année’ (The match of the century of the year), a billing that would have delighted master of the absurd Samuel Beckett, another cricket tragic who came to live in France.
On top of that, he part-owns The Pub, an English-themed tavern close to the Marais in Paris. Take note of the name as he is currently looking to negotiate those periods between World Cup football matches by screening England’s summer Tests as well as county cricket.
If it comes to pass it will mark another small step forward for the game which genuinely feels as if it finally has some roots. The women have already reached the European play-offs for the 2021 T20 World Cup and it is not such a daft thought now to imagine France competing in the not-too-distant future in other World Cups. Should that come to pass, Rex will no doubt be grinning proudly behind the mic.
@Barney Spender 2026
This article first appeared in the June issue of County Cricket Matters
Vive le Cricket! will make its debut on stage in Paris on July 30, just four days before it premiers in London at the Camden Fringe Festival.
Parisians will get first chance to see the play, which is predominantly in English, downstairs at The Highlander at 8 Rue de Nevers, close to St Michel and Pont Neuf metro stations.
The audience is limited to 50 although the public should be aware that there may not be seating for all. The play is 55 minutes long. Entry is free but because of the limited space please reserve your tickets here.
The performance begins at 19h30 although the downstairs bar will be open from 19h00. If you arrive early the upstairs bar will be open from 17h00. the downstairs bar will remain open until 22h00.
Vive le Cricket! is a one-man show which follows the fortunes of Rex, an Englishman in Paris who commentates on cricket for French television, as he attempts to convert France to the summer game.
In the course of his odyssey, he picks at the roots of the game in France and the missed opportunities for it to flourish while encountering a number of other characters, most of whom don’t seem to share his love for the game.
It even touches on the current scandal going on within the French game.
“I am thrilled to be kicking off in Paris, it is the spiritual home of the show,” said Barney Spender who plays Rex and co-created the show with NG Bristow.
“The Highlander is a terrific pub and the cellar makes for a wonderful wee auditorium. I was lucky enough to be involved with a poetry night there in January and it was terrific.
“Judging by the people who have said they are coming there will be plenty of journalists and commentators in the room looking to compare notes. But you don’t have to be in the trade or even a cricket fan to enjoy this one.”
Spender plays Rex – and all the other characters – in his return to the stage after a 38-year absence during which, among other things, he commentated on cricket in French!
