Entertainment Cricket, Circuses And Gambling - 1198 Words

Entertainment: Cricket, Circuses and Gambling Nothing says fun like a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self- confidence for Britain1 - which is what the Victorian era was. We are not amused, Queen Victoria had allegedly declared when told a funny, but improper anecdote.2 Her subjects, at least, found ways to kill time and amuse themselves - and not always in the form of conquest and plunder, like one has come to expect from British imperialists. In the Victorian era, the British introduced new forms of entertainment, some that still define us today. The British introduced cricket to India in 1721, probably by sailors of the East India Company. The first cricket club, however, was set up in only 1792 and called The Calcutta Cricket Club, where only Europeans could become members. The first match was played between Madras and Calcutta in 1864. In 1877, the Bombay Presidency Match was played for the first time. 3 †¦ it was in Bombay that Indians first began to play the game. At the end of the 18th century the Parsees took on the Eton Ramblers, and in 1848 they formed the Orient Club. As equipment was scarce and expensive, they used cast-offs from the exclusive European Club, Bombay Gymkhana.4 The Parsees secured a victory against the British, and in 1878, visited England, winning only one out of 28 games. However, on their return to India two years later, they won eight out of 31 games with Mehlasa Parvi