While we are waiting for our manufacturer to send us our first collection, we thought we would share with you some interesting stuff about how cricket clothing has evolved over the centuries. Hope you enjoy it!
The HISTORY OF CRICKET CLOTHING
The earliest reference to cricket, or creckett as it was known then, was around 1550. In 1598, a court case in England concerning an ownership dispute over a plot of common land in Guildford, Surrey, mentions the game of creckett. A coroner, John Derrick, testified that he and his school friends had played creckett on the site fifty years earlier when they attended the Free School. Derrick's account proves beyond reasonable doubt that the game was being played in Surrey circa 1550, and is the earliest universally accepted reference to the game.
From those humble beginnings in 16th century England, cricket is a sport that has evolved over centuries, becoming the second most viewed sport in the world today. Importantly, in its journey, what we know as cricket apparel has evolved to be unrecognizable from its origins, keeping pace with the lifestyle needs of the day and the needs of the contemporary player and fan.
In this post, we will explore how cricket wear has evolved, from frilled shirts and nankeen breeches (don’t worry, we didn’t know what these were either!) to modern day performance oriented kits. The story is a fascinating and interesting one, mirroring the lifestyle of the time, and makes for a great walk down memory lane. Enjoy the ride!
Where It All Started
Cricket has its origins in 16th-century England. In those times, cricket was primarily played by upper-class men and boys from public schools. The biggest revelation was that cricket was not ‘supposed to be played in whites’. In fact, there was no regularity in the attire used at all, with players from teams wearing what they thought reflected their social standing and upper class needs. The game was as colourful as it is in the modern game back then!
The typical attire of the time consisted of three-cornered hats with silver or gold lace, frilled shirts, nankeen breeches, silk stockings, and buckled shoes! Not, as we know today, ideal for moving around. But then, they didn’t exactly dive around like Rhodes, hit audacious reverse sweeps like AB or run like a hare between the wickets like Dhoni! In fact, from known records, only Hambledon CC in Hampshire, one of England's most prestigious cricket clubs, wore something resembling modern uniforms, with sky blue coats with etched buttons.
This is what a three cornered hat looks like! No helmets yet, for at least 100 years!
Image © Shutterstock
And this is what the attire ‘evolved’ into!
Image © Getty Images
As the apparel industry evolved, breeches made way for trousers during the early nineteenth century, as trousers allowed for greater ease of movement. However, some clubs continued to play in breeches till 1830. At this time, cricketers generally played in tall beaver hats, but nearly all of them wore black Oxford shoes.
This is what a vintage Oxford shoe looks like, a far cry from modern day cricket spikes
The Mid 1800s
By this time, frills made way for high collars and wide bow ties (yes, bow ties!!) on formal shirts. Sometimes, on the rare hot summer day in England (some things don’t change!), players would wear singlets instead of shirts. More serious players would wear large braces and belts with metal clasps.
Tall hats were still in vogue, gradually evolving onto straw caps shaped like haymakers or flannel caps. Short white flannel coats were also fashionable throughout the century, a precedent for cricket blazers as we see today.
Meet William Lily white, a prominent bowler of the time, in his hat, braces and bow tie!
Image © Getty Images
The Late 1800s
In the context of the time, the late 19800s were a time for a major change in cricket clothing. It is important to note that, even in its early days, while traditional cricketing values remained strong, cricket was never against change, especially in clothing, More and more variety was introduced in the late 1800s, particularly coloured, striped and checkered shirts in place of the solid colours of the early 1800s. The concept of wearing a uniform for a club still did not exist.
Below is a picture of the All England team that toured New York in 1868. Notice how they all wore something different and what they perhaps thought fashionable!
Image © Getty Images
This is the time when teams started dressing in similar colours, what they called ‘habiting alike’.
At first, ribbons were used round the white bowler hats which gradually replaced straw hats, to represent team colours. Slowly, patterns on shirts because uniform for the players playing for that side. They could be spots, stripes or checks with a white background. The age of the uniform was here!
The Oxford and Cambridge XIs wore dark and light blue shirts respectively, and the Harlequins, founded in 1852, wore blue trousers. In 1862, the Lady Margaret Boat Club of St John’s College, Cambridge started wearing scarlet coloured coats.
For a period between 1850 and 1880, those Oxford shoes were briefly replaced by brown or white boots with straps. But from 1882, white buckskin shoes started to become the norm. They were more flexible and agile than the clunky Oxford boots of the past, and more in tune with the increasingly competitive game played at the time.
Then, between 1880 and 1895, the cricketing powers that be deemed that coloured shirts were no longer in vogue, and white shirts started to appear, and that trend seems to have stood the test of time!
To summarize this period of tumultuous change, it was only towards the end of the 19th century that cricket attire started looking like what is termed ‘traditional’ today, after a century of messing about with colours, patterns, caps, hats, boots and materials!
Modern Cricket Attire
Throughout the early 20th century, the (not so) traditional whites were very much the norm, as we all know. It was only n the Kerry Packer era that coloured clothing was re-introduced into cricket and has now become the norm for shorter formats. If anything, it was a blast from cricket’s journeyed past that we were being re-acquainted with!
In the early part of the 20th century, cricket clothing underwent a major transformation. The introduction of synthetic materials revolutionized cricket clothing, and players started to wear clothes that were designed for comfort, flexibility and breathability.
With the advent of science and technology, we now have access to various different fabrics and gadgets. In the thrill-a-minute world of T20 cricket, modern players have a host of aids that enhance their performance and help them to be at the top of their game.
- Lightweight and breathable materials that help players be cool and comfortable
- Fabrics that are specifically deigned to be breathable and that wicks moisture from bodies, specifically for cricket that is played in hot and humid conditions
- Reinforced seams and durable materials that keep players protected from the grueling high paced nature of the modern game
- Fabrics that are sustainably sourced so that the damage to our delicate ecosystems is minimized, and future generations can continue to enjoy our beautiful game and be part of its evolution
- Technological aids that help players keep track of and maximize their agility, fitness and endurance
- Modern bats with huge ‘sweet spots’ and lightweight helmets for protection
All these innovations have been introduced for cricket to keep pace with modern needs and take advantage of modern materials, as it always has done! So, when we say things like introducing numbers and names on test cricket jerseys is “just not cricket”, we should bear in mind the journey that cricket clothing has made, and understand that cricket has always been about change and adaptation!
We hope you enjoyed this post. Qwicket is a new brand of lifestyle cricket wear. We bring to you the very highest quality of apparel that meets the needs of the modern player and fan.
Check out our website www.qwicket.net and follow us on our social media profiles to stay updated on the latest collections and join the conversation.