1821.7
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1821 Etching Shows Wicket Game in Progress
| Salience | Noteworthy |
|---|---|
| Tags | |
| Location | ConnecticutConnecticut |
| City/State/Country: | [[{{{Country}}}]] |
| Modern Address | |
| Game | WicketWicket |
| Immediacy of Report | |
| Age of Players | Youth, AdultYouth, Adult |
| Holiday | |
| Notables | |
| Text | This engraving was done by John Cheney in 1821 at the age of 20. It was originally engraved on a fragment of an old copper kettle. It is reported that he was living in Hartford at the time. It is one of the earliest known depictions of wicket. The etching depicts six players playing wicket. The long, low wickets are shown and two runners, prominently carrying large bats, are crossing between them as two fielders appear to pursue a large ball in flight. Two wicketkeepers stand behind their wickets. |
| Sources | Biographical background from "Memoir of John Cheney," by Edna Dow Cheney (Lee and Shepherd, Boston, 1889), page 10. For an account of Baseball Historian John Thorn's 2013 rediscovery and pursuit of this engraving, go to http://ourgame.mlblogs.com/2013/02/05/the-oldest-wicket-game-newly-found/ |
| Warning | |
| Comment | An interesting aspect of this drawing is that there appear to be four defensive players and only two offensive players . . . unless the two seated gentlemen in topcoats have left them on while waiting to bat. One might speculate that the wicketkeepers are permanently on defense and the other pairs alternate between offense and defense when outs are made. Another possibility is that all players rotate after each out, as was later seen in scrub forms of base ball. Also note the relative lack of open area beyond the wickets. Perhaps, as in single-wicket cricket, running was permitted only for balls hit forward from the wicket.
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| Query | We welcome other interpretations of this image. Edit with form to add a query |
| Source Image | |
| External Number | |
| Submitted by | John Thorn, email of 1/24/2013 |
| Submission Note | |
| Has Supplemental Text |
1821.7 1821 Etching Shows Wicket Game in Progress"
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