London Counties was a representative cricket side that was formed during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
by Charles Jones.
Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, the government issued an order "closing all places of entertainment and outdoor sports meetings".
[Hayes & Hill, p.128.] However, this was soon rescinded and there was instead an emphasis placed on "business as usual" through the war.
Sports began to resume once more with a limited schedule. The
County Championship
The County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It bec ...
was cancelled, but county sides put out teams to play against each other and against representative sides.
Charles Jones formed London Counties, a side that played their games at
Lord's Cricket Ground, and other locations around London. London Counties played its first recorded game, a two-day match against
Northamptonshire XI on 18 May 1940, winning by 128 runs.
They relied primarily on established southern professionals, and gained a reputation for being a team of "hitters and known fast scorers".
During the war years, London Counties formed a friendly rivalry with a British Empire XI, a similarly set up representative side. Both of these sides did a lot of work for war charities.
See also
*
1940 to 1944 English cricket seasons
References
Bibliography
* Nick Hayes and Jeff Hill, ''Millions Like Us – British Culture in the Second World War'', Liverpool University Press, 1999
External links
Wisden Archive
Cultural history of World War II
English cricket in the 20th century
Cricket teams in London
Former senior cricket clubs
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