The history of stoolball
Records show that the game was played in 1450 and it is mentioned in the classic book Don Quixote.
The game also cropped up in 1656 in a pronouncement by the Counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland which said that "too much attention was being paid to 'shooting, playing at football, stoolball, wrestling.'"
The modern rules of stoolball were consolidated at a meeting at Glynde in East Sussex in 1881. Before that time East Sussex played with the wickets 16 yards apart and the bowling crease at 8 yards, halfway between the wickets; West Sussex played with the wickets 13 yards apart with the bowler having to bowl from 13 yards.
East Sussex won the day on the length of pitch - 16 yards was adopted, and there was a compromise on the bowling crease with the meeting settling on 10 yards, the current ruling.
During the 10 years after World War One, Major W W Grantham organised, with the permission of the MCC Committee, a series of annual games at Lord's Cricket Ground.
The last game at Lord's was played on Saturday 24 September 1927 between Major Grantham's own XI and the Japanese Embassy; Major Grantham's team won by 53 runs.
