When opening Belgium's first-ever new indoor cricket centre in Anderlecht on Monday, Brussels State Secretary Ans Persoons asked the question: "Did you know cricket was invented in Belgium?"
Cricket, seen by many as the most quintessentially British sport, was exported across the empire to become one of the most popular sports in the world. What many do know actually know, its that modern cricket has its roots in a game that was played in West Flanders dating back to the 12th century.
The game was likely to have been played with different rules to modern cricket, and was immensely popular. It was often played by shepherds near where they would graze sheep, using their shepherd's crooks as bats. It has been referred to by the President of Cricket Flanders Hassan Shah as "primitive" cricket.
This version of cricket was believed to have been imported to Britain by Flemish migrants in the 16th century, many of whom moved over as weavers – a trade which was in high demand at the time. There were two previous substantial waves of mass Flemish migration to Britain in the 12th and 14th centuries, and some findings suggest cricket may even have been brought over in one of these earlier waves.
A poem from around 1533 gave further credence to the idea that cricket originates from Flanders after it was uncovered in 2009 by Australian researcher Paul Campbell.
Written by English poet John Skelton, the poem refers to Flemish weavers as "kings of crekettes" – while also referring to "wickettes" (wickets) – the wooden stumps placed behind the batsmen which bowlers need to hit.
The play at Cricket (engraving)
In linguistic terms, experts dispute that the term "cricket" has origins in England and the Old English term "cryce"/"cricc" (which means crutch or staff).
Some theories have suggested a possible French ("criquet") or Saxon ("cryce") import words for stick, but the etymology is seen by experts as closer to Middle Dutch, notably the phrase "de krik ketsen” – which can mean "hitting with a curved stick" . This term was also used for hockey, but early cricket bats were also closer to hockey sticks.
This was explained by Dr Heiner Gillmeister, a linguistics professor from the University of Bonn who passed away in 2021. It was his research that inspired Campbell to look into the Flemish connect with cricket.
Cricket at Waterloo
In Belgium, the home of the Royal Brussels Cricket Club, the oldest club in the country, is located in Waterloo, which also has a historical connection to the sport.
On the eve of the battle of Waterloo in June 1815, British soldiers played a game of cricket in Bois de la Cambre, in a part of the park later baptised as the "Pelouse des Anglais" – the Englishmen’s lawn, which became a popular picnic spot. Commemorative cricket games for the Battle have been played in 1965 to commemorate the 150th anniversary, in 1990 for the 175th and in 2015 for the 200th.
Plaque to commemorate the cricket game held by English soldiers on the eve of the Battle of Waterloo (1815) on the Bois de la Cambre lawn. Plaque dedicated by former British Ambassador Roderick Barclay together with the plantation of an oak tree. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Flemish-descended migrants also influenced the game in Britain. Nicholas Wanostrocht (known as Nicholas Felix) became one of the first stars of the game as a batsman for Kent and England in the mid-1800s. He penned a famous book and instruction manual entitled Felix on the Bat in 1845, while also inventing the bowling machine and India-rubber batting gloves.
Despite the old roots in the game, cricket today is not a popular sport in Belgium, something which the Brussels authorities are hoping to change.
On Monday, the first-ever indoor cricket centre was opened in Brussels at the Sint-Niklaas Institute in Anderlecht, in partnership with the Flemish Community Commission (VGC) and cricket organisations from Flanders and Brussels.
King Philippe of Belgium plays cricket during a visit of the sporting ground Oval Maidan the fifth day of the state visit of the Belgian royal couple to India, Friday 10 November 2017, in New Delhi, India. Credit: Belga / Benoit Doppagne
"Cricket is growing in popularity in Brussels, but lacks appropriate infrastructure. We do not just support individuals with these investments, but entire communities that come into contact with each other," said Ans Persoons, Brussels State Secretary for Sport.
In summer, the centre will also have batting cages on the lawn outside the sports hall to play in the open air in good weather. The VGC will release an amount of €120,000 for the project.
