Letter: Guildford’s Cricket History Should Also Be a Source of Pride

Published on: 7 Dec, 2020
Updated on: 7 Dec, 2020

From: David Frith

former editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly

In response to: It’s Time Guildford Made More of Its History

“Guildford has never made the most of its ancient and fascinating past” writes Valerie Thomson. Very true.

Unbeknown to most people, Guildford has a supreme position in cricket history, not only having the oldest reference to the game (the John Derrick document from 1598 referring to his boyhood games of “creckett”) but being the place where so many “firsts” occurred, including the invention of pads and spikes, the middle stump, the coining of the term ‘Test match’, and the first women’s match). All of this is displayed in a book I wrote in 2013.

Copies are still available (including a limited edition) from Guildford Cricket Club’s website, and a few copies were on sale at Guildford Museum.

But the Guildford tourist shop in the centre of town declined to handle the book – further testimony to the unfortunate indifference expressed by your recent correspondent. Guildford’s unique position in cricket’s history should be a source of great pride to the town and surrounding villages.

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