Canada's Colourful Cricket History

The earliest known reference to cricket in Canada is of matches played at Ile-Ste-Helene in the Province of Quebec in the year 1785 on the site where the Montreal Exposition buildings now stand. Historical records do not divulge when cricket was first played in Canada, but it is generally assumed that the game was introduced into the country by British soldiers following the historic battle at the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City, between the armies of General Wolfe and General Montcalm in 1759.

The roots of Canadian cricket spring mainly from the regions of Upper Canada and in particular from around the little town of York, now known as Toronto, in the Province of Ontario. During the early years of the nineteenth century the game was encouraged in the town by George A. Barber, a young English schoolmaster. Today he is considered to be the father of Canadian cricket.

Barber was a man of many talents - he was publisher of the Toronto Herald and also a master at Upper Canada College. In 1827 he helped found the prestigious Toronto Cricket Club and in 1829 played a large part in introducing cricket into the newly established college. It was Barber who instigated the historic series between the Toronto Cricket Club and Upper Canada College in 1836. These matches are still played annually, and through the years both clubs have turned out a host of talented cricketers who have gone on to represent their country.

In the year 1844, Canada and the United States of America met in their first international at the St.George?s Club in New York on the site where the New York University Medical Centre is now located. This was over thirty years before the famed England versus Australia series began and historians believe the contest is the oldest international sporting fixture in the world.

George Parr brought the first touring team to Canada from England in 1859 and although the tourists were far too strong for the locals, the visit was a great success, becoming the first cricket tour in history. A product of the tour was the fascinating book describing the adventure by Fred Lillywhite entitled ?The English Cricketers? Trip to Canada and the United States?. It is one of the earliest books on the sport and is now a prize in any collector?s library.

By the time Canada became a nation in 1867, the game was so popular it was declared the national sport of the fledgling country by the first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald and his colleagues, according to Canadian cricket historian Donald King in the columns of ?The Canadian Cricketer? in April 1973. However, with the advancement of baseball in the United States following the Civil War (1861-65), cricket began to decline, despite tours by Australian and English teams.

In 1872 the third English touring side arrived under the leadership of R. A. Fitzgerald. In the ranks was none other than the immortal Dr. W. G. Grace. The good doctor lived up to his colossal reputation by scoring a magnificent 142 against the Toronto Cricket Club. This innings was to stand for over one hundred years, as the highest individual effort by an English batsman in Canada, until eclipsed by David Gower at Winnipeg, against Manitoba, during the 1876 tour by the D. H. Robins XI.

During the same year, Toronto cricketer Ross McKenzie hurled a cricket ball 140 yards, 9 inches to get a world record. Twelve years later, Englishman Robert Percival achieved a distance of 140 years, 2 feet at Durham Sands racecourse, but McKenzie?s mighty throw still ranks as the second greatest of all time.

The first Australian team to tour Canada was the 1878 side led by Dave Gregory. It included such greats as Charlie Bannerman, Fredrick Spofforth, W. L. Murdoch and John MacBlackham. In a match played at Montreal, Bannerman scored 125. It will be remembered he made 165 retired hurt in the first test match at Melbourne in 1877.

During these years of healthy cricket activity in the east, the game was spreading rapidly in the west. In 1864 the North West Cricket Club was formed in Winnipeg and in 1876 the famous Victoria Cricket Club was founded on the west coast. Following the formation of these two historical clubs, other teams appeared in the Prairie Provinces and in Alberta and British Columbia. The game was now beginning to take a strong hold west of Ontario and the sport was being played nationwide.

In the summer of 1880, the first team to leave Canadian shores journeyed to England under the captaincy of Thomas Dale. The tourists were not considered to be official by local authorities and in addition, the side ran into several problems. Dale was arrested during the match against Leicestershire and accused of being a deserter from the British Army. The Rev. T. D. Phillips sailed from Canada and took control of the team, but unfortunately the tour collapsed and the hapless Canadians returned home.

The year 1887 saw the first official tour undertaken by a Canadian team. A capable side under the captaincy of Dr. E. R. Ogden toured the British Isles and took on several of the counties on level terms. The team far from disgraced itself, recording wins over Ireland, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Edward Ogden, who was an all-rounder, had a sensational tour. He hit up scores of 98 against Durham and 133 against Hampshire, and captured 9 for 83 against the M.C.C. at Lords.

In 1892 a major step forward was taken when the Canadian Cricket Association was formed to control the game on a national basis. One of the earliest provincial associations was that of Ontario which was formed in 1880. Other provinces followed, including Manitoba 1895, Quebec 1902, Alberta and Saskatchewan 1910, British Columbia 1922, Nova Scotia 1967 and New Brunswick 1980.

During the 1890s the Canada versus United States matches surged to a new popularity with the emergence of the two greatest all-rounders in the history of North American cricket, in John Barton (Bart) King of the United States and John M. (Jack) Laing of Canada. These two talented players dominated the local scene for almost twenty years and sizeable crowds gathered to see them play.

The performances of King with bat and ball were nothing short of spectacular. He humbled the best batsmen of England and Australia, and in 1909 took all ten wickets for the gentlemen of Philadelphia in a fixture against Ireland, to finish with 10 for 33. Three years earlier in 1906 he had scored a mammoth 344 not out for Belmont against Merion to set a North American batting record which still stands. The season before he had established the previous record when he scored 315 for Belmont against Germantown.

John M. Laing appeared on a total of 13 occasions for Canada against the United States, Ireland, Australia and England. During his international career he captured a total of 77 wickets with his fast swerving deliveries, and experts of the day considered him to be world class.

	Canada's Colourful Cricket History Kevin E. Boller, Public Relations Officer [Part 1] - - - - Part 2 - - - - Part 3 The earliest known reference to cricket in Canada is of matches played at Ile-Ste-Helene in the Province of Quebec in the year 1785 on the site where the Montreal Exposition buildings now stand. Historical records do not divulge when cricket was first played in Canada, but it is generally assumed that the game was introduced into the country by British soldiers following the historic battle at the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City, between the armies of General Wolfe and General Montcalm in 1759. The roots of Canadian cricket spring mainly from the regions of Upper Canada and in particular from around the little town of York, now known as Toronto, in the Province of Ontario. During the early years of the nineteenth century the game was encouraged in the town by George A. Barber, a young English schoolmaster. Today he is considered to be the father of Canadian cricket. Barber was a man of many talents - he was publisher of the Toronto Herald and also a master at Upper Canada College. In 1827 he helped found the prestigious Toronto Cricket Club and in 1829 played a large part in introducing cricket into the newly established college. It was Barber who instigated the historic series between the Toronto Cricket Club and Upper Canada College in 1836. These matches are still played annually, and through the years both clubs have turned out a host of talented cricketers who have gone on to represent their country. In the year 1844, Canada and the United States of America met in their first international at the St.George?s Club in New York on the site where the New York University Medical Centre is now located. This was over thirty years before the famed England versus Australia series began and historians believe the contest is the oldest international sporting fixture in the world. George Parr brought the first touring team to Canada from England in 1859 and although the tourists were far too strong for the locals, the visit was a great success, becoming the first cricket tour in history. A product of the tour was the fascinating book describing the adventure by Fred Lillywhite entitled ?The English Cricketers? Trip to Canada and the United States?. It is one of the earliest books on the sport and is now a prize in any collector?s library. By the time Canada became a nation in 1867, the game was so popular it was declared the national sport of the fledgling country by the first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald and his colleagues, according to Canadian cricket historian Donald King in the columns of ?The Canadian Cricketer? in April 1973. However, with the advancement of baseball in the United States following the Civil War (1861-65), cricket began to decline, despite tours by Australian and English teams. In 1872 the third English touring side arrived under the leadership of R. A. Fitzgerald. In the ranks was none other than the immortal Dr. W. G. Grace. The good doctor lived up to his colossal reputation by scoring a magnificent 142 against the Toronto Cricket Club. This innings was to stand for over one hundred years, as the highest individual effort by an English batsman in Canada, until eclipsed by David Gower at Winnipeg, against Manitoba, during the 1876 tour by the D. H. Robins XI. During the same year, Toronto cricketer Ross McKenzie hurled a cricket ball 140 yards, 9 inches to get a world record. Twelve years later, Englishman Robert Percival achieved a distance of 140 years, 2 feet at Durham Sands racecourse, but McKenzie?s mighty throw still ranks as the second greatest of all time. The first Australian team to tour Canada was the 1878 side led by Dave Gregory. It included such greats as Charlie Bannerman, Fredrick Spofforth, W. L. Murdoch and John MacBlackham. In a match played at Montreal, Bannerman scored 125. It will be remembered he made 165 retired hurt in the first test match at Melbourne in 1877. During these years of healthy cricket activity in the east, the game was spreading rapidly in the west. In 1864 the North West Cricket Club was formed in Winnipeg and in 1876 the famous Victoria Cricket Club was founded on the west coast. Following the formation of these two historical clubs, other teams appeared in the Prairie Provinces and in Alberta and British Columbia. The game was now beginning to take a strong hold west of Ontario and the sport was being played nationwide. In the summer of 1880, the first team to leave Canadian shores journeyed to England under the captaincy of Thomas Dale. The tourists were not considered to be official by local authorities and in addition, the side ran into several problems. Dale was arrested during the match against Leicestershire and accused of being a deserter from the British Army. The Rev. T. D. Phillips sailed from Canada and took control of the team, but unfortunately the tour collapsed and the hapless Canadians returned home. The year 1887 saw the first official tour undertaken by a Canadian team. A capable side under the captaincy of Dr. E. R. Ogden toured the British Isles and took on several of the counties on level terms. The team far from disgraced itself, recording wins over Ireland, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Edward Ogden, who was an all-rounder, had a sensational tour. He hit up scores of 98 against Durham and 133 against Hampshire, and captured 9 for 83 against the M.C.C. at Lords. In 1892 a major step forward was taken when the Canadian Cricket Association was formed to control the game on a national basis. One of the earliest provincial associations was that of Ontario which was formed in 1880. Other provinces followed, including Manitoba 1895, Quebec 1902, Alberta and Saskatchewan 1910, British Columbia 1922, Nova Scotia 1967 and New Brunswick 1980. During the 1890s the Canada versus United States matches surged to a new popularity with the emergence of the two greatest all-rounders in the history of North American cricket, in John Barton (Bart) King of the United States and John M. (Jack) Laing of Canada. These two talented players dominated the local scene for almost twenty years and sizeable crowds gathered to see them play. The performances of King with bat and ball were nothing short of spectacular. He humbled the best batsmen of England and Australia, and in 1909 took all ten wickets for the gentlemen of Philadelphia in a fixture against Ireland, to finish with 10 for 33. Three years earlier in 1906 he had scored a mammoth 344 not out for Belmont against Merion to set a North American batting record which still stands. The season before he had established the previous record when he scored 315 for Belmont against Germantown. John M. Laing appeared on a total of 13 occasions for Canada against the United States, Ireland, Australia and England. During his international career he captured a total of 77 wickets with his fast swerving deliveries, and experts of the day considered him to be world class.