Cricket and the Olympics might appear to be unlikely bedfellows, but it was one of the original sports listed in the provisional Olympic programme, Des Jeux Olympiques de 1896, published in 1895. Closely identified as being the archetypal play-hard-but-fair game, cricket fitted almost perfectly with Baron Pierre de Coubertin's Olympian ideal.
At the 1896 Games in Athens it was intended that cricket would feature, but a lack of entries meant the event was quietly shelved. Four years later in Paris, four teams entered - England, France, Belgium and Holland - but in the event only one match was played, between England and France. Holland and Belgium had originally been touted as co-hosts, but when that idea faltered, their entries went the same way. It was symptomatic of the confusion surrounding the Games - the Olympics at that time were a far cry from the slick modern bonanza. Events took place between May and October at 16 different venues, and the word Olympics was rarely used. The 1900 Games were referred to as part of the Great Exposition or the World's Fair.
The English side was not a nationally-selected XI, but a touring club team, Devon & Somerset Wanderers. The Wanderers were in Paris on a three-match jaunt, starting with the game against France and continuing with two one-day matches (both of which they won).
thanx to cricinfo copy right to cricinfo
At the 1896 Games in Athens it was intended that cricket would feature, but a lack of entries meant the event was quietly shelved. Four years later in Paris, four teams entered - England, France, Belgium and Holland - but in the event only one match was played, between England and France. Holland and Belgium had originally been touted as co-hosts, but when that idea faltered, their entries went the same way. It was symptomatic of the confusion surrounding the Games - the Olympics at that time were a far cry from the slick modern bonanza. Events took place between May and October at 16 different venues, and the word Olympics was rarely used. The 1900 Games were referred to as part of the Great Exposition or the World's Fair.
The English side was not a nationally-selected XI, but a touring club team, Devon & Somerset Wanderers. The Wanderers were in Paris on a three-match jaunt, starting with the game against France and continuing with two one-day matches (both of which they won).
thanx to cricinfo copy right to cricinfo
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