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1744 was a pivotal season in English cricket history. The earliest known codification of the Laws of Cricket was written by the noblemen and gentlemen of the London Cricket Club which played at the Artillery Ground. Several great matches took place, particularly the challenge by Kent to take on All-England at the Artillery Ground on Monday, 18 June. Kent won a dramatic contest by a single wicket despite needing several runs to win when their last pair came together. The match is particularly notable for its surviving scorecard which became the first entry in Arthur Haygarth's ''Scores & Biographies'', though he had the date wrong. Another scorecard containing individual scores, but with no details of dismissals, has survived from the London v Slindon game on Saturday, 2 June. It is not until the 1772 season that any more scorecards of major cricket matches have survived (a handful of cards from minor matches have been found). In September, Slindon defeated London and then issued its famous challenge to play ''any parish in England''. The challenge was accepted by the Addington and Bromley clubs, which both had fine teams, but the two challenge matches were hit by bad weather and it is not known if they were completed. ==Laws of Cricket== The first known issue of the Laws of Cricket can be traced to 1744, possibly an upgrade of an earlier code. The Laws were drawn up by the noblemen and gentlemen members of the London Cricket Club, which was based at the Artillery Ground. The intention must have been to establish a universal codification. A general set of rules was in place subject to local variations but, apart from cases where Articles of Agreement were drawn up, as in Richmond v Brodrick in 1727, the laws as such were agreed orally. By and large, the same rules had existed since time immemorial. A summary of the main points: * there is reference to the toss of a coin and the pitch dimensions; * the stumps must be high with a six-inch (152 mm) bail; * the ball must weigh between five and six ounces; * overs last four balls; * the no ball is the penalty for overstepping, which means the hind foot going in front of the bowling crease (i.e., in direct line of the wicket); * the popping crease is exactly 3 feet ten inches before the bowling crease; * various means of "it is out" are included; * it is interesting that hitting the ball twice and obstructing the field are emphatically out, given experiences in the 17th century; * the wicket keeper is required to be still and quiet until the ball is bowled; * umpires must allow two minutes for a new batsman to arrive and ten minutes between innings (meal and rain breaks presumably excepted); * the umpire cannot give a batsman out if the fielders do not appeal; * the umpire is allowed a certain amount of discretion and it is made clear that the umpire is the "sole judge" and that "his determination shall be absolute" The Laws do not say the bowler must roll the ball and there is no mention of prescribed arm action so, in theory, a pitched delivery would have been legal, though potentially controversial. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1744 English cricket season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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