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Cricket on Film

When cricket is played, it seems as if summer will never end. And when cricket is filmed, summer can last for ever.

Today’s multi-camera TV coverage brings us every moment and detail of the game. But in earlier times capturing it on film was fraught with difficulty: the long playing time, the distance from boundary to wicket, finding the best angle. Film, though, preserves and evokes cricket's past more vividly than any almanac. Cricket is obsessed with its own traditions and history, its records and personalities. This collection of films, shot for newsreels, documentaries or personal recollection, contains all that and much more. Through cricket, we can see the social history of our nation, its class structures and regional differences, and beyond that, the story of Britain’s empire and its colonial legacy.

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Prince Ranjitsinhji Practising Batting at the NetsPrince Ranjitsinhji Practising Batting at the Nets

Sport18971 minsSilent

Probably the first ever cricket film: Indian cricketing royalty prepares for the first test between England and Australia at Sydney.

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Ian and VivIan and Viv

News19806 mins Location: Taunton

Interview with International and Somerset cricketers Ian Botham and Viv Richards

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Cricket Notes 1924Cricket Notes 1924

Animation & Artists Moving Image19241 minsSilent

Rain may stop play, but never the British sense of humour.

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Women Cricketers: Kent V. AustraliaWomen Cricketers: Kent V. Australia

19511 minsSilent

Sevenoaks Vine Cricket Club hosts a women's cricket match between the Kent XI and the touring Australian team.

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Mike Atherton on BFI's Cricket on FilmMike Atherton on BFI's Cricket on Film

Short documentary201612 mins

Cricketing legend Mike Atherton joins BFI senior curator Steve Bryant on a tour through a century of cricket on film.

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Sussex County Cricket MatchSussex County Cricket Match

Amateur film19607 minsSilent Location: Horley

First-class big-hitters from the county team, including Rupert Webb, take on Horley in this exciting colour film from 1960’s Sussex

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The Summer GameThe Summer Game

Sport197033 mins

WG Grace and Bodyline, village greens and rain-soaked pitches - the story of cricket has rarely looked better.

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Timeless TestTimeless Test

Non-Fiction19302 minsSilent

It's just not cricket… Don Bradman and Australia punish England at the Oval in the deciding test of the 1930 Ashes series

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Cricket Again!Cricket Again!

Non-Fiction19220 minsSilent

Essex County cricket team get some much needed practice in the nets at the County Ground, Leyton.

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Look Where You're GoingLook Where You're Going

Documentary195411 mins Location: Ardwick

Eyes right, eyes left, eyes right again - a Test cricketer endorses the road safety code.

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Arthur Mold Bowling to A.N. Hornby (1901)Arthur Mold Bowling to A.N. Hornby (1901)

Non-Fiction19019 minsSilent Location: Old Trafford Cricket Ground

Did he bowl or did he throw? A fascinating record of an early cricketing controversy.

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Sussex vs The West Indies at HoveSussex vs The West Indies at Hove

Amateur film196313 minsSilent Location: Hove

Cricket legends abound in Hove as Sussex play the West Indies during their 1963 tour of the UK

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England Women's Cricket ElevenEngland Women's Cricket Eleven

Sport19717 mins Location: Kingston upon Hull

Can frail womanhood cope playing such a hardy sport as cricket? Abso-blooming-lutely! So says England Women’s captain Rachael Heyhoe Flint.

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Amazons at the WicketAmazons at the Wicket

Non-Fiction19251 minsSilent Location: Richmond

Women cricketers slog their male counterparts to the boundary in this fixture between Cobham Ladies and Manor Athletic in Richmond

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Women's Cricket in HoveWomen's Cricket in Hove

Amateur film19635 minsSilent Location: Hove

High up on the Downs above Hove a women's cricket team enjoy a match, a chat and even a quick smoke while a dog makes off with a handbag

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Australia v East Anglia Women's CricketAustralia v East Anglia Women's Cricket

Sport19765 mins Location: Hemel Hempstead

Women cricketers are just as tough as the men, and no, despite rumours, they don’t wear coconut shells to protect themselves during matchplay!

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Women Willows and WicketsWomen Willows and Wickets

Non-Fiction19291 minsSilent Location: Sunbury

Action from a women's game of cricket in Sunbury, with one of the teams consisting of workers at Lyons Corner Houses.

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Celebrating a Centenary of Cricket in SouthamptonCelebrating a Centenary of Cricket in Southampton

Amateur film198513 minsSilent Location: Southampton

A centenary of cricket at Hampshire's County Ground is celebrated - with Australia topping the bill

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On The Set of The ShoutOn The Set of The Shout

News19776 mins Location: Hartland Abbey

A cricket match with extras

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Colden Common v Twyford Cricket MatchColden Common v Twyford Cricket Match

Amateur film19559 minsSilent Location: Colden Common

This nostalgic film from Jack Francis captures the essence of village cricket as Colden Common battles it out with Twyford in 1955

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Great Local Derby, Accrington v Church Cricket Match (1902)Great Local Derby, Accrington v Church Cricket Match (1902)

Non-Fiction19025 minsSilent Location: Accrington

Rare film record of an Edwardian local league cricket game between two Lancashire sides.

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Cricketers AllCricketers All

194940 mins Location: Rawtenstall

Well played! A celebration of our national game and some of its finest players.

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MPs at the WicketMPs at the Wicket

Non-Fiction19241 minsSilent

MPs take to the Oval for a game of cricket

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Bombing BFD (Bradford) CricketBombing BFD (Bradford) Cricket

Non-Fiction19404 minsSilent Location: Bradford

A film of two halves, beginning with the citizens of Bradford wandering through a city centre ravaged by the bombs of the Luftwaffe, and then enjoying a leisurely game of cricket.

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The Manufacture of Cricket Bats and Other StoriesThe Manufacture of Cricket Bats and Other Stories

Amateur film193915 minsSilent

John P Howard's superb film shows how cricket bats are made as well as a variety of other stories like cutting records to Air Ministers at Hendon

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Cricket BatsCricket Bats

News19745 mins Location: Worcester

A master craftsman in willow: Duncan Fearnley explains the intricacies of making his championship winning cricket bats.

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Cobbler Makes Cricket Boots for World's Cricket StarsCobbler Makes Cricket Boots for World's Cricket Stars

News19723 mins Location: Northampton

Anglia TV visit the world famous cobbler for cricketers, Albert Whiting, in his Northampton shop.

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Cricket on TestCricket on Test

Sport19659 mins Location: Nettlebed

From village green to Lord's: the late, great Richie Benaud narrates a guide to the state of cricket in England.

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New Cricket HeadguardNew Cricket Headguard

Sport19713 mins Location: Chelmsford

Lancashire and England cricketer David “Bumble” Lloyd is far from 'bowled over' by the idea of the introduction of a new headguard. Anglia TV.

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