Did you know that cricket was once played at the Olympics? No, not the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where it’s finally making a comeback... I’m talking about way back in 1900, at the Paris Olympics! Yes, cricket had its Olympic debut and disappearance in one go. Let’s take a quick dive into this bizarre and fascinating story.
Originally, four teams signed up for the cricket tournament Belgium, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. But things didn’t go as planned. The Netherlands withdrew because they couldn’t even gather a full team, and Belgium didn’t bother sending theirs to Paris!
So, with two teams gone, the semi-finals were scratched, and it all came down to a single match between Great Britain and France, on what was originally the scheduled final date.
In a two-day match, Great Britain batted first, scoring 117, then bowled out France for 78. In their second innings, they put up 145 for 5 and declared, setting a target of 185 for France.
And in a nail-biting finish, Great Britain bowled France out for just 26 with only five minutes to spare! Great Britain won by a whopping 158 runs.
But wait... Here's where things get weird. No gold medals were awarded. Instead, Great Britain got silver and France took bronze, along with some quirky mini Eiffel Tower statues! Why no gold, you ask?
Well, neither of the teams was nationally selected or officially representative. The British side was a club team called the Devon and Somerset Wanderers on a casual tour of France. The French side was officially drawn from all the member clubs of the Union of French Athletic Sports Societies. Most of their players were British ex-pats living in France!
The Wanderers played two more one-day matches on their French tour, winning both. And let's just say they weren’t too impressed with their opponents. A journalist at the time described the French players as being 'too excitable to enjoy the game.' Ouch.
Here’s the kicker: Neither team realized they were playing an Olympic match at the time! The whole thing was advertised as part of the World’s Fair, and it wasn’t until much later that the match was recognized as part of the Olympic Games.
In a funny twist, the International Olympic Committee later decided to upgrade the medals awarding gold to Great Britain and silver to France.
#cricket #cricketvideos #cricketlover
Originally, four teams signed up for the cricket tournament Belgium, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. But things didn’t go as planned. The Netherlands withdrew because they couldn’t even gather a full team, and Belgium didn’t bother sending theirs to Paris!
So, with two teams gone, the semi-finals were scratched, and it all came down to a single match between Great Britain and France, on what was originally the scheduled final date.
In a two-day match, Great Britain batted first, scoring 117, then bowled out France for 78. In their second innings, they put up 145 for 5 and declared, setting a target of 185 for France.
And in a nail-biting finish, Great Britain bowled France out for just 26 with only five minutes to spare! Great Britain won by a whopping 158 runs.
But wait... Here's where things get weird. No gold medals were awarded. Instead, Great Britain got silver and France took bronze, along with some quirky mini Eiffel Tower statues! Why no gold, you ask?
Well, neither of the teams was nationally selected or officially representative. The British side was a club team called the Devon and Somerset Wanderers on a casual tour of France. The French side was officially drawn from all the member clubs of the Union of French Athletic Sports Societies. Most of their players were British ex-pats living in France!
The Wanderers played two more one-day matches on their French tour, winning both. And let's just say they weren’t too impressed with their opponents. A journalist at the time described the French players as being 'too excitable to enjoy the game.' Ouch.
Here’s the kicker: Neither team realized they were playing an Olympic match at the time! The whole thing was advertised as part of the World’s Fair, and it wasn’t until much later that the match was recognized as part of the Olympic Games.
In a funny twist, the International Olympic Committee later decided to upgrade the medals awarding gold to Great Britain and silver to France.
#cricket #cricketvideos #cricketlover
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