There is an opinion that cricket appeared in England at the end of the Middle Ages. In 1299-1300, the financial report "Royal Wardrobe Accounts" mentions the name of the game "creaget", which was played by the then Prince Edward II. And the prince's descendant - King Edward III of England - in 1369 banned the then popular game of club ball, which in its rules was similar to modern cricket. This is mentioned in his book "The Social History of English Cricket" by writer Derek Birley.

The author suggests that the game has French roots and originated in England during the Norman invasion (1066). The French word "cricket" was a dialect name for a variation of the game club ball, which King Edward III tried to eradicate. However, there is another opinion that modern cricket has far from aristocratic roots.

The English word "cricket" probably comes from the word "cric" - a curved stick used by shepherds to close the gates of pastures. So, according to one version, cricket was played by shepherds and other peasants. In 1597, the first documented mention of the game "creckett" appears. Interestingly, the game is mentioned in the context of a court case in England over a dispute over ownership of a plot of land in Guildford. One of the witnesses indicated that 50 years ago he and his school friends played croquet on the plot.

Instead, the first game of which there is a written record took place in 1611 in Sussex. However, even here there was controversy - two men played cricket instead of going to church on Sunday, for which they were fined. In the same year, the word "cricket" entered the dictionary as a game for boys.