# Yet another pointless question from Javaman---Cricket & America **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2000, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090 "2000-09-13T22:43:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/1 "2000-09-13T22:43:12Z")
In “Psmith Journalist”, written by P.G. Wodehouse in 1914, part of the context of the story is that Psmith has accompanied his friend Mike Jackson on a visit to America… and Mike as come as part of an exhibition cricket team, touring through…the “cricket playing section” of the U.S! Anyone know more about this? Did Americans used to play more cricket? ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/2 "2000-09-13T23:11:03Z")
Go to any seach engine and you get a lot of results like this: [http://www.usaca.org/home.html](http://www.usaca.org/home.html) [http://www.uscf.org/](http://www.uscf.org/) > **[Blog - EarthLink](https://www.earthlink.net/blog/)** > > The official EarthLink blog. Get valuable insights about internet, technology, small business, and more from our experts. [http://www-aus.cricket.org/link\_to\_database/NATIONAL/ICC\_MEMBERS/USA/](http://www-aus.cricket.org/link_to_database/NATIONAL/ICC_MEMBERS/USA/) [http://cricket.about.com/sports/cricket/library/weekly/aa022800.htm](http://cricket.about.com/sports/cricket/library/weekly/aa022800.htm) The last one offers a comprehensive history. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/3 "2000-09-13T23:16:10Z")
“Used to” is not the right term. Americans still do play cricket. Just not a lot of them. The reverse can be said of the UK. Baseball is played over there, but not by many people. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/4 "2000-09-14T04:05:23Z")
According to a news story I’ve seen lately, the quality and quantity of cricket in the U.S. is increasing (although it’s all still on the amateur level). This interest in cricket is fueled mostly by immigrants. Not immigrants from the U.K., but from other cricket-playing countries like India, Pakistan, and the West Indies. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/5 "2000-09-14T05:34:09Z")
There aren’t a lot of second generation cricket players in the US. However, there are always enough immigrants from cricket-playing countries to keep some level of interest in the sport on this side of the pond. Cricket was big among the British actors who came to Hollywood in the 1930s. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/6 "2000-09-14T17:09:05Z")
According to tradition, the first tennis match played in the U.S. took place at **The Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club** in 1874. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/7 "2000-09-14T18:13:06Z")
**bibliophage** : > [@](#): > > According to tradition, the first tennis match played in the U.S. took place at **The Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club** in 1874. Uh, the first tennis match? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-pointless-question-from-javaman-cricket-america/33090/8 "2000-09-15T05:54:13Z")
Yes, the first tennis match. I intended the post as an illustration of the fact that cricket was so popular in the U.S. that there were such things as **Cricket Clubs** here. The game of cricket was played in the U.S. much earlier than 1874.