Marylebone Cricket Club

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Marylebone Cricket Club (known as the MCC) is a private members' club, which owns, and is based at Lord's Cricket Ground near St John's Wood in London, England. The MCC was formerly the governing body of cricket in England and across the world. Most of the club's global functions were passed on to the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1993, and its English governance was passed to the England and Wales Cricket Board at the same time. However, the MCC remains the framer and copyright holder of the Laws of Cricket and is an active and influential club within the cricket world.

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[edit] History and role

A plaque in Dorset Square marks the site of the original Lord's ground and commemorates the founding of the MCC.
A plaque in Dorset Square marks the site of the original Lord's ground and commemorates the founding of the MCC.

The MCC is generally understood to have been founded in 1787 when Thomas Lord opened his first ground on the site now occupied by Dorset Square and the club adopted this as its home venue. In fact, the MCC in 1787 was the reconstitution of a much older club that had its origins in the early 18th century, possibly sooner. This club has been referred to by names such as The Noblemen's and Gentlemen's Club or The Cricket Club and it was based for a long time at the The Star and Garter on Pall Mall. It was essentially a social and gambling club but had a number of sporting connections including the original London Cricket Club, the Jockey Club, Hambledon Club, the White Conduit Club and various prizefighting promotions.

When the members formed the White Conduit Club for cricket in the early 1780s they played at White Conduit Fields in Islington but they soon became dissatisfied with the surroundings and complained that the site was "too public". Thomas Lord was a professional bowler at White Conduit and he was asked by the members, who guaranteed him against any financial losses, to find a more private venue within easy distance of London. When Lord opened his new ground, the gentlemen's club moved there and was initially renamed "the Mary-le-bone Club".

See also : Lord's Cricket Ground and 1787 English cricket season.
The pavilion at Lord's cricket ground, home of the MCC.
The pavilion at Lord's cricket ground, home of the MCC.

From the beginning of the 20th century, the MCC organised many of the early England cricket teams, and outside of Test matches the touring England team officially played as "MCC" up to and including the 1976/77 tour of Australia. The last time the England touring team wore the bacon-and-egg colours of the Marylebone Cricket Club was on the 1996-97 tour of New Zealand. The club's colour had been sky blue for about a century after its foundation in 1787 but changed for reasons that remain unconfirmed. One theory is that the MCC adopted the red and yellow of Nicholson's gin after the company's owner, William Nicholson, secured the club's position at Lord's with a loan.

Although, the MCC remains the framer and copyright holder of the Laws of Cricket, this role is increasingly under pressure as the ICC seeks to exercise control over all aspects of the world game. In recent times the ICC has instituted changes to the Laws (e.g. in One Day Internationals) with a minimum of consultation with the MCC. Also, in moving its location from Lord's to Dubai, the ICC has made a clear statement of independence from the past and from the MCC.

[edit] Membership

MCC member in distinctive red and yellow colours
MCC member in distinctive red and yellow colours

The Club has 18,000 full members and 4,000 associate members. Members have special rights to use the Pavilion and other stands at Lord's for all matches played at the ground.

In order to join the waiting list of candidates for membership one must get the vote (of which each full member has one a year) of three members, and the additional sponsorship of a person on the List of MCC Sponsors (which consists of members of all MCC Sub-Committees; MCC Committee; MCC Out Match Representatives; and the Current, Past, and Designate President). As the demand for membership always is greater than the number of places available each year (there being just over 400 places in 2005), there is a substantial waiting list for Full Ordinary Membership, namely 18 years (although this compares favourably to the 30-year wait which was the norm in the 1920s). There are, however, ways to lessen the time it takes to become a full member. One may become an Umpire Member, Playing Member, or Out-Match Member (although this carries none of the privileges of membership, apart from being able to play for the club).

Alternatively, one may be awarded Honorary Life Membership, yet this is a very rare honour to be bestowed on someone. Current Honorary Life Members include Sir Garfield Sobers, Sunil Gavaskar, Henry Olonga, Andy Flower, Dickie Bird, David Shepherd, Alec Stewart and Rachael Heyhoe-Flint.

[edit] Controversies

The club was involved in a minor controversy over its members' persistent refusal to allow female membership well into the 1990s, with club ballots on the change, despite being supported by the officers of the club, unable to attract the two-thirds majority amongst the membership required for implementation. Eventually, the British Government intervened threatening to cut lottery funding from the club on the grounds it was being sexist [1]. A 70% majority of members eventually voted to allow female membership in September 1998, so ending 212 years of male exclusivity. Up until this time the Queen, as the club's patron, was the only woman (other than domestic staff) permitted to enter the Pavilion during play. [2] Later five women were invited to join as playing members. [3]

Further controversy occurred in 2005 when the club was criticised (including by some of its own members) [4] for siding with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the latter's decision to award television rights for Test cricket to British Sky Broadcasting. The Secretary & Chief Executive of the MCC at the time, Roger Knight, represented the MCC on the board of the ECB and was party to this controversial and much criticised decision.

Another controversy was the MCC's decision to allow members and other spectators to continue to bring limited amounts of alcoholic drinks into the ground at all matches. This decision challenged the ICC, which was attempting to implement a ban on this practice at all international matches around the world. The MCC has to write to the ICC on an annual basis to seek permission for members and spectators to import alcohol into Lord's Cricket Ground. No other Ground Authority has thought it necessary to seek permission from the ICC for their members and spectators to import alcohol into their cricket ground.

For some the MCC's continued role in the administration of English cricket is an anachronism. The Secretary & Chief Executive of the club has a place on the administrative board of the England and Wales Cricket Board and it is reported that Keith Bradshaw (the current Secretary & Chief Executive) was influential in the removal from office of England Coach Duncan Fletcher in April 2007. [5]. Bradshaw is an Australian.

[edit] The MCC today

MCC teams continue to play regularly, occasionally still at first-class level. The club has traditionally produced its MCC Coaching manual, a bible for traditional cricket skills, and runs a training programme for young cricketers.

The MCC is also known to tour around England playing matches against various public and private schools. This tradition has been played since the 19th century.

The club also has a real tennis and a squash court, and active Golf and Bridge societies.

[edit] Officers of the Club

[edit] See also

[edit] External sources

[edit] Further reading

  • H S Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962
  • Derek Birley, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999
  • Rowland Bowen, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970
  • G B Buckley, Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket, Cotterell, 1935
  • G B Buckley, Fresh Light on Pre-Victorian Cricket, Cotterell, 1937
  • David Frith, The Golden Age of Cricket 1890-1914, Lutterworth, 1978
  • Arthur Haygarth, Scores & Biographies, Volume 1 (1744-1826), Lillywhite, 1862
  • John Major, More Than A Game, HarperCollins, 2007
  • Graeme Wright, Wisden at Lord's, Wisden, 2005
  • Stephen Green, Lord's, Cathedral of Cricket The History Press Ltd, 2003
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English first-class cricket clubs
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English cricket teams in the 18th century