Marylebone Cricket Club - History and Role

History and Role

See also: Lord's Cricket Ground and 1787 English cricket season

MCC is generally understood to have been founded in 1787 when Thomas Lord opened the ground he bought on the site now occupied by Dorset Square which the club adopted as its home venue. In fact, the 1787-MCC was the reconstitution of a much older club that had its origins in the early 18th century, or possibly earlier. The former club has been referred to by names such as "The Noblemen's and Gentlemen's Club" or "The Cricket Club" and it was based for a long time at the Star and Garter on Pall Mall. It was essentially a social and gambling club but had a number of sporting connections including the original London Cricket Club, the Jockey Club, Hambledon Club, the White Conduit Club and various prizefighting promotions.

When the members formed the White Conduit Club for cricket in the early 1780s they played at White Conduit Fields in Islington but they soon became dissatisfied with the surroundings and complained that the site was "too public". Thomas Lord was a professional bowler at the White Conduit and was asked by the members, who guaranteed him against any financial losses, to secure a more private venue within easy distance of London. When Lord opened his new ground, the gentlemen's club moved there and initially renamed themselves as "the Mary-le-bone Club".

From the beginning of the 20th century, MCC organised the England cricket team and, outside of Test matches, the touring England team officially played as "MCC" up to and including the 1976/77 tour of Australia. The last time the England touring team wore the distinctive red and yellow stripes of the Marylebone Cricket Club as their colours was on the tour to New Zealand in 1996/97.

The true provenance of MCC's colours is (and probably will remain) unknown, but its players often turned out sporting Sky Blue (incidentally the colours of both Eton College and Cambridge University) until well into the 19th century. The club eventually settled on the now well-recognised colours of red and yellow (aka "bacon & egg"), though the colours are officially described by the club as scarlet and gold. One theory is that MCC adopted these colours from J&W Nicholson & Co's gin after the company's chairman and MCC benefactor, William Nicholson, secured the club's position at Lord's with a loan. Another theory, which chimes with the club's origins, is that MCC borrowed its colours from the livery colours (racing) of a founding patron, Charles, 2nd Duke of Richmond, of Goodwood fame.