'No sledging please, we're British'

Early printed laws of game could be yours, but at a price ...

If you're looking for a piece of cricketing history, then you'd be hard pushed to do better than the first-ever set of cricket laws printed in a newspaper.

Nearly 25 years ago, avid cricket fan and former archivist at The Press Club, Robert Heron, discovered the laws of the game published in a July 1789 edition of the London Chronicle. Since MCC was formed in 1787 and drew up the rules of cricket a year later, it is likely the article contains the first-ever set of laws published in a newspaper.

Although in no rush to part with this collector's item, Heron has put the newspaper up for sale and has already attracted the envious eyes of MCC. "As far as I'm aware, we don't have this article," says Glenys Williams, MCC archivist. "As a rule, we don't tend to buy newspaper cuttings but given how unique this particular cutting is then we might well be interested in acquiring it."

"It was an absolute delight to find," says Heron. "The London Chronicle was a thrice-weekly paper that was quite gossipy and had good sports coverage. In this particular edition, there's all sorts of stuff about the French Revolution and the threat of it spreading to England, and yet among all this turmoil you've got the laws of cricket which is quite extraordinary.

"It shows that the game was growing in popularity at the time and with these printed laws a batsman who felt aggrieved by an umpire's decision to give him out could simply whip them out of his pocket and say: `In actual fact, I'm not out.'"

The laws contain a stern rebuke for wicketkeepers who sledge, warning that they "shall not, by any noise, intercept the striker" while the notion that a batsmen can protect his wicket with "either his hat or body" was clearly written in an era when quick bowling could not have been all that quick. But although the game has changed dramatically since 1789 one thing has not - rain was still stopping play during English summers more than 200 years ago. As these laws state, while the game is presently considered "fashionable" and "manly", it often "receives a check from the variable state of the weather." For more information, email amerinews@btinternet.com