Marylebone Cricket Club

The origin of MCC was as a gentlemen's club that had flourished through most of the 18th century, including, at least in part, an existence as the original London Cricket Club, which played at the HAC cricket ground in the mid-1700s. Many of its members left for the Hambledon Club during the 1770s and then, in the early 1780s, returned to London's environs when the White Conduit Club began playing cricket in Islington. It is not known for certain when the White Conduit was established but it seems to have been after 1780 and certainly by 1785. According to Sir Pelham Warner, it was formed before 1782 as an offshoot from a West End convivial club called the Je-ne-sais-Quoi, some of whose members frequented the White Conduit House in Islington and played matches on the neighbouring White Conduit Fields, a prominent venue for cricket in the 1720s. Arthur Haygarth states in Scores and Biographies that "the Marylebone Club was founded in 1787 from White Conduit members" but the date when it was established "could not be found". This gentlemen's club convened for multi-purpose social meetings at the Star & Garter Inn on Pall Mall. Having undertaken to draft the Laws of Cricket at various times, most notably in 1744 and 1774, the White Conduit soon vested such law-making with the MCC as the final repose of cricketing gentlemen. At the White Conduit Club's outset, its leading lights were George Finch, 9th Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham (1752–1826) and Colonel the Hon. Charles Lennox (1764–1819), who later became the 4th Duke of Richmond. The White Conduit was nominally an exclusive club that only "gentlemen" could play for, but the club did engage professionals and one of these was Thomas Lord, recognised for his business acumen (being a successful wine merchant) "as well as his bowling ability". The New Club may have continued there, save that White Conduit Fields was an open area where the public, including rowdier types, could watch cricket matches and voice their opinions on the play and players. The White Conduit members were not amused by such interruptions and decided to seek their own enclosed venue. On 10 & 11 July 1837, a South v North match was staged at Lord's to commemorate the MCC Golden Jubilee. Warner described it as "a Grand Match to celebrate the Jubilee of the Club" and reproduced the full scorecard. On 25 April 1787, London's Morning Herald newspaper carried a notice: "The Members of the Cricket Club are desired to meet at the Star & Garter, Pall Mall, on Mon., April 30. Dinner on table exactly at half past five o'clock. N.B. The favour of an answer is desired". Its agenda unspecified, only three weeks later on Saturday, 19 May, the Morning Herald advertised: "A grand match will be played on Monday, 21 May in the New Cricket Ground, the New Road, Mary-le-bone, between eleven Noblemen of the White Conduit Club and eleven Gentlemen of the County of Middlesex with two men given, for 500 guineas a side. The wickets to be pitched at ten o'clock, and the match to be played out". No post-match report has yet been found but, as G. B. Buckley states, it was "apparently the first match to be played on Lord's new ground". "This is the earliest notice of the Marylebone Club" according to Buckley and as with Lord's inaugural fixture, no post-match report of MCC's inaugural game survives. ==Grounds==

There have been three Lord's cricket grounds: the original on the Portman Estate and two on the Eyre Estate. All three sites lie to the west of Regent's Park in London. Thomas Lord leased the original ground, now referred to as Lord's Old Ground, from the Portman Estate in 1787 and MCC played there until 1810 when Lord, after objecting to a rent increase, decided on terminating the lease to lift his turf and move out. Lord negotiated with the Eyres a rent of only £54 per annum for a term of eighty years, free of both land taxes and tithes. The new ground on the Eyre Estate was available from 1809 and so Lord had two cricket fields at his disposal for the 1809 and 1810 seasons. This North Bank ground was sub-let to St John's Wood Cricket Club which eventually merged with MCC. Lord formally took over management of this second ground on 8 May 1811 there relaying his turf from the Old Ground. He did this so that "the noblemen and gentlemen of the MCC should be able to play on the same footing as before". This second venue is generally known as Lord's Middle Ground. In the three years that Lord leased it, only six matches were known to have taken place, with just three (all in 1813) involving the MCC. Although the exact location of Lord's Middle Ground remains uncertain, it is understood to have been at North Bank to the north end of Lisson Grove where the Regent's Canal cut through. Thus situated partially on the canal's route somewhere in the area now bounded by Lisson Grove (the B507) to south-west, Lodge Road to north-west, Park Road (the A41) to north-east and the Regent's Canal to south-east, this cricket field was no further than from the present Lord's Cricket Ground. • Denis Compton Oval, Shenley, Hertfordshire: (1996–1999) • 1996 vs South Africa A (first-class) • 1996 vs Pakistan (list A) • 1997 vs Pakistan A (first-class) • 1999 vs Sri Lanka (first-class) • University Parks, Oxford, Oxfordshire: (2000) • 2000 vs New Zealand A (first-class) • Savile Park, Castleford, Yorkshire: (2000) • 2000 vs Zimbabwe (list A) • Arundel Castle Cricket Ground, Sussex: (2001–2007) • 2001 vs Australia (first-class) • 2004 vs West Indies (first-class) • 2007 vs Sri Lanka A (first-class) • Queen's Park, Chesterfield, Derbyshire: (2002) • 2002 vs Sri Lanka (first-class) • The Racecourse, Durham: (2007–2008) • 2007 vs West Indies (first-class) • 2008 vs Bangladesh A (list A) ==Laws of Cricket==

MCC maintains responsibility for, and remains copyright holder of, the Laws of Cricket. Its Laws Sub-Committee is responsible for debating and drafting changes to the Laws, with the Main Committee then voting on any proposed amendments. ==Membership==

MCC has 18,000 full members and 5,000 associate members. Full Members enjoy voting rights and have access to the Pavilion and other stands at Lord's Cricket Ground for all matches played there; Associate Members' privileges are more restricted and vary on a case-by-case basis, but in broad terms they can attend most matches except major internationals. MCC members did not allow female membership until 1998, with previous club ballots on change failing to achieve the requisite two-thirds majority for implementation. The move to change was spearheaded by Rachael Heyhoe Flint who applied as "R Flint" to slip under the radar into the male-only application system. When Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie, a longstanding advocate for women's membership, assumed the MCC Presidency in 1996 he led a two-year campaign to convince the membership to vote in favour of change. In September 1998 a 70% majority of members voted to allow female membership, so ending 212 years of male exclusivity, and 10 honorary life members were immediately admitted, including Baroness Heyhoe Flint. Until this time, the Queen, as club patron, was the only woman (other than domestic staff) permitted to enter the Pavilion during play. In February 1999, five women were elected as playing members. To join the candidates' waiting list for MCC membership one must be proposed by a full member (who can make one nomination per year) who details the prospective candidate's cricketing ability/experience/knowledge etc, corroborated with the nominee's own statement accordingly. If MCC deems the nomination form satisfactory, prospective candidates are invited to attend an interview at Lord's with two MCC Committee Members (comprising all MCC Sub-Committees; MCC Committee; MCC Out-Match Representatives; and MCC's Current, Past and Designate-President). As demand for membership always outstrips supply each year, there continues to be a substantial waiting list for Full Ordinary Membership, currently around 27 years. There are, however, ways to hasten the time it takes to become a full member: one may qualify as a Playing Member, or Out-Match Member (although this carries none of the privileges of membership, apart from being able to play for the club). In addition, membership rules allow a certain number of people each year to be elected ahead of their turn; beneficiaries have included Sir Mick Jagger and in 2018 then-Prime Minister, Theresa, now Lady May. MCC also awards limited honorary membership to people who have distinguished themselves in cricket. The club recognises achievement in women's cricket with, for example, Charlotte Edwards an inductee in 2012. ==Controversies==

In 2005 the MCC was criticised (including by a few of its own members) for siding with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) over the latter's decision to award television rights for Test cricket to British Sky Broadcasting, thus removing Test cricket from terrestrial television. The then-Secretary and Chief Executive of MCC, Roger Knight, represented the club on the board of the ECB and was party to this decision, prior to which Test cricket had been shown free to viewers on British television for over half a century. MCC has the option of allowing members and other spectators to continue to bring a limited amount of alcoholic drinks into the ground at all matches. The ICC, was attempting to implement a ban on this practice at all international matches around the world. MCC opted to write to the ICC on an annual basis to seek permission for members and spectators to import alcohol into Lord's. The Secretary & Chief Executive of the Club has a seat on the administrative board of the ECB and it is believed that Keith Bradshaw (Secretary & Chief Executive 2006–11) may have influenced the removal from office of England Coach Duncan Fletcher in April 2007. In 2012, MCC made headlines over a redevelopment plan, ''Vision for Lord's'', that would have increased capacity but included construction of residential flats on some of the MCC site. Internal strife over the process of making a decision on the proposal led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Sir John Major from MCC's Main Committee. In 2022, Guy Lavender, Secretary & Chief Executive of MCC, announced that the annual one-day Oxford v Cambridge and Eton v Harrow matches, both of which have been played at Lord's since the early 19th century, would no longer be held at the ground, so as to make room in the fixture list for the finals of competitions for all universities and schools in pursuit of greater diversity. Following opposition from a majority of its membership, the club decided that the matches would continue to be held at Lord's until 2023 to allow time for further consultation. In March 2023 it was announced that the fixtures would continue to be played at Lord's until at least 2027, following which there would be a review and a possible vote in 2028 on whether these historic matches should remain at Lord's. During the Second Test of the 2023 Ashes series at Lord's, the MCC apologised to Cricket Australia and suspended three members for confronting Australian players walking through the Long Room. Video emerged of MCC members shouting abuse at Australian players after Jonny Bairstow was stumped in controversial circumstances, despite his dismissal being fair and legal. ==Matches==

MCC men's and women's teams play domestic matches throughout the spring and summer against teams from universities, schools, the Armed Forces and invitational teams such as the Duchess of Rutland's XI. The men's team tour internationally four times per year, and the women's team tour every other year. s ==Coaching==

MCC has long had a deep involvement in coaching cricket. The club's head coach leads an extensive operation involving the running of an indoor-cricket school and a team of coaches in England and around the world. The club has traditionally produced a coaching manual, the MCC Cricket Coaching Book, a bible for cricket skills, and runs training programmes for young cricketers, including many at its Lord's Indoor Centre. MCC continues to tour around England, playing matches against various state and private schools. This tradition has been followed since the 19th century. The club has other sporting interests with both a real tennis and a squash court on site at Lord's, and golf, chess, bridge and backgammon societies. ==Club colours==

Since Edwardian times at the beginning of the 20th century, the Marylebone Cricket Club organised England Test matches, touring overseas officially as MCC up till the 1976/77 tour of India. England cricketers last wore MCC's distinctive red and yellow-striped colours during the tour of New Zealand in 1996/97. The true provenance of the club colours is (and probably will remain) unsubstantiated, but the MCC originally sported sky blue until well into the 19th century. of the Revd Lord Frederick Beauclerk The Marylebone Cricket Club eventually settled on its now well-recognised colours of scarlet and gold, otherwise described as "bacon and egg". One purported theory is that they derive from the J&W Nicholson & Co. gin-distilling family, whose Chairman and MCC Committee member, William Nicholson (1825–1909) financed the purchase of Lord's freehold in 1866. More likely is that MCC's red and gold colours have evolved from the heraldic livery (racing) colours of key noble patrons, such as the Dukes of Richmond and kinsman, Lord Frederick Beauclerk, President of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1826. ==Image==

Previously perceived as too traditional and elitest, MCC has adapted with the times making concerted efforts to modernise. "It would be overstating things to claim that the MCC has come full circle," admitted Andrew Miller at the beginning of October 2008, "but at a time of massive upheaval in the world game, .. [its] colours cease to represent everything that is wrong with cricket, and instead have become a touchstone for those whose greatest fear is the erosion of the game's traditional values". ==Legal status==

Prior to 2013, MCC was an unincorporated private members' club, which status had several limitations. Since an unincorporated association cannot be a legal entity, MCC could not own property (such as Lord's Cricket Ground) in its own name. MCC could not sue anybody, nor indeed be sued (any legal action having to be taken against the Secretary & Chief Executive personally). Any successful financial claim made against the Club would have to be met by the Committee with liability extending to all MCC members for any shortfall in funds. The Club therefore convened a Special General Meeting in June 2012 to propose petitioning the Queen-in-Council for the incorporation of Marylebone Cricket Club by Royal Charter. Resulting from this petition, in December 2012 the MCC was granted a Royal Charter, two previous attempts having been unsuccessful. Removing many of the barriers to simplify its administration, MCC became incorporated enabling it to hold assets in its own right, including Lord's Cricket Ground, instead of via custodian trusteeship. The Royal Charter also removed financial liability for any shortfall from its individual members, as owners of Marylebone Cricket Club. ==MCC Universities==

From 2005 the MCC funded six university cricket academies known as the MCC Universities (MCCUs), which had previously been funded (from 2000) by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). (Prior to 2010 they were known as the University Centres of Cricketing Excellence, or UCCEs.) These were based at Cambridge, Cardiff, Durham, Leeds/Bradford, Loughborough and Oxford, and incorporated a total of thirteen universities. From 2012 all six MCCUs held first-class status. Each MCCU played a trio of matches against professional county teams at the beginning of each season, with first-class status conferred on the first two of these matches. In 2018, the MCC and ECB announced that the ECB would be resuming responsibility for funding the university centres from 2020 and would run a tender process for new cities to join the scheme. The change was also said to be likely to result in more T20 cricket in the programme. Despite the ECB having resumed funding, the university teams continue to use the MCC University names. ==Officers of the MCC==

MCC Presidents are appointed to serve an annual term (biennial terms in the 1990s), exceptions being extensions of office during World War I and World War II. Appointed President of Marylebone Cricket Club in 1914, Lord Hawke was asked to remain in post till the end of the Great War, when Lord's was used for military (including training and recreational) purposes. Problems frequently arose but, in ''Wisden's view, Hawke provided "the greatest help in giving wise counsel towards their solution", liaising with Henry (then'' Lord) Forster, whom he nominated as his successor for 1919. Lord Hawke's tenure was exceeded only by that of Stanley Christopherson, appointed in 1939 and remaining in situ for seven years, before being succeeded in 1945 by General Sir Ronald Adam. In his ''Barclay's World of Cricket'' essay, E. W. Swanton declares that "there is no pretence of democracy about" MCC's Presidents, commenting on how few were untitled up till the Second World War and that belonging to the aristocracy was more important than any cricketing prowess. His observation reflected societal change, although Prince Philip, former PM Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the Duke of Norfolk and his son-in-law Lord Cowdrey, served as Presidents of MCC in the latter half of the 20th century. 21st-century MCC Presidents so far include many former professional cricket players such as Tom Graveney, Derek Underwood, Mike Gatting, Matthew Fleming and Kumar Sangakkara (nominated by predecessor, Anthony Wreford), becoming the first Asian President of Marylebone Cricket Club in 2019. Presidents of MCC are required to nominate a successor at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) during their term of office. The MCC Chairman and Treasurer each serve a three-year term, both being appointed by the MCC Committee (subject to approval of the voting members), and can serve successive terms. The Secretary & Chief Executive to Marylebone Cricket Club (a combined role) is the Club's senior employee, appointed solely by the MCC Committee. MCC Secretaries The first Secretary to the Marylebone Cricket Club was engaged in 1822, a title which changed in 2000, under Roger Knight's tenure, to become Secretary and Chief Executive. Holders of this office have been: • Benjamin Aislabie (1822–1842) • Roger Kynaston (1842–1858) • Alfred Baillie (1858–1863) • Fitz Fitzgerald (1863–1876) • Henry Perkins (1876–1898) • Sir Francis Lacey (1898–1926) • William Findlay (1926–1936) • Rowan Rait Kerr (1936–1952) • Ronnie Aird (1952–1962) • Billy Griffith (1962–1974) • Jack Bailey (1974–1987) • John Stephenson (1987–1994) • Roger Knight (1994–2006) • Keith Bradshaw (2006–2011) • Derek Brewer (2011–2017) • Guy Lavender (2017–2024) • Robert Lawson (2025–) ==Bibliography==