The History of England

from Celts through 20th century

Archives for the ‘Sport’ Category

Sports and Games

Category: Sport

The British are proud that many sports originated in their country. These sports are football, golf, cricket, table tennis, lawn tennis and darts. The most popular sport in Britain is football. Football was invented in Great Britain in the 19th century. At present, the official name of the game is Association football, after the name […]



Soccer

Category: Sport

No one seems quite sure how football in Britain began. Certainly it was well established in the late Middle Ages, although the game in those days might almost have been classified as a blood sport. There were no holds barred, and the ball — usually a pig’s bladder — was kicked through the streets by […]



Cricket

Category: Sport

Cricket is unquestionably the English summer game.” It has been played since the dawn of the eighteenth century. By 1744 a written code governing the game was in existence. Since 1788 the acknowledged, though unofficial, fountain of all cricket legislation has been Marylebone Cricket Club, better known by the famous initials M.C.C. Lord’s, its ground […]



Golf

Category: Sport

More and more people in Britain are finding out that golf, after all, is not a good walk wasted, since it is a “walking’’ game. They are taking to the links* in numbers that may soon require a crash programme of new courses to meet growing demand. A total of 60 new courses — two-thirds […]



SPORTING EVENTS

Category: Sport

In England,  many  traditional  sporting  contests  take  place  at  approximately  the  same  time  every  year.  The  most  important  among  them  are: 1.The Oxford  —  Cambridge  Boat  Race  (end  of  March  or  beginning  of  April) 2. Bumping  Races  (usually  the  fourth  week  in  May) 3. The  Cup  Final  (usually  the  first  Saturday  in  May) 4. The  Grand  National  […]



THE OXFORD — CAMBRIDGE BOAT-RACE

Category: Sport

The  annual  contest  between  the  universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge  is  one  of  the  greatest  sporting  events  in  the  world.  It  is  held  on  the  River  Thames  at  the  end  of  March  or  in  early  April,  the  course  being  the  41/4  mile  stretch  of  river  between  Putney  and  Mortlake.  The  time  of  the  race  varies  […]



BUMPING RACES

Category: Sport

Eights  Week  at Oxford Eights  Week  at  Oxford,  usually  the  fourth  week,  in  May,  is  a  fine  spectacle  and  should  not  be  missed  by  anyone  inter­ested  in  old  customs.  It  is  the  time  when  the  main  bumping  races  of  the  year  are  held  and  the  college  eights  compete  on  the  River  Isis  (The  river  is  the  […]



Cup Final Glory (by R. Lynd)

Category: Sport

CUP  FINAL Cup,  Football  Association.  Silver  trophy  competed  for  annually  by  football  clubs  in  England  playing  the  Association  game.  Competition  for  the  cup  is  on  the  knock-out  principle,  and  is  played  in  two  sections:  a  qualifying  competition  and  the  competition  proper,  the  latter  consisting  of  six  rounds,  semi­finals,  and  finals.  The  46  clubs  forming  the  […]



HORSE-RACING

Category: Sport

Horse-racing  began  in  the  Arab  countries  many  centuries  ago.  It  spread  to  most  European  nations  by  the  eighteenth:  century,  and  to  the  United  States  soon  afterwards.  In  England,  ‘the  flat  racing  (As  opposed  to  steeplechase  racing  which  takes  place  in  winter  and  ;  spring.  Flat  racing  is  racing  over  a  flat  course)  season  from  March  […]



Football in England

Category: Sport

The  history  of  football  goes  back  almost  as  far  as  that  of  cricket.  Here  is  a  quotation  from  a  set  of  rules:  do  you  recog­nize  the  game? “The  players  form  two  sides,  and  the  game  is  started  by  throwing  the  ball  into  the  air  from  a  half-way  line  separating  the  teams.  As  soon  as  the  […]