Great Britain Olympic cricket team

file:Great britain cricket team 1900.jpg

{{Main|Cricket at the 1900 Summer Olympics}}

The 1900 Summer Olympics was the only time cricket was in the Olympic program. With the British Olympic Association being the UK's representative body for the Olympics, a team under the "Great Britain" name was needed for the tournament preventing any of the home nations from competing.

Great Britain was represented by the Devon and Somerset Wanderers Cricket Club who sent the following touring players:

{{bulleted list|C.B.K. Beachcroft (c)|Arthur Birkett|Alfred Bowerman|George Buckley|Francis Burchell|Frederick Christian|Harry Corner|Frederick Cuming|William Donne|Alfred Powlesland|John Symes|Montagu Toller}}

The tournament only featured on match against France,{{cite web | last=Lloyd | first=Owen | title=Bach hints at support for cricket to be added to Los Angeles 2028 programme | website=insidethegames.biz | date=2012-10-30 | url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1140474/thomas-bach-cricket-los-angeles-2028 | access-date=2023-10-09}} with the Netherlands and Belgium withdrawing late on due to difficulties fielding teams.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zh43p4j?xtor=CS8-1000-%5BPromo_Box%5D-%5BSport_Promo%5D-%5BSport_Promo%5D-%5BPS_BITESIZE~N~zh43p4j~A_FiveSportsYouDidntKnowWereAtTheOlympics%5D |title=Five sports you didn't know were at the Olympics |work=BBC Bitesize |access-date=26 July 2021}} The French side was represented by the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques, yet mostly made up of British expats living in Paris with only two members born in France. Despite this, the team was officially France for the games.{{Cite web|last=IOC|title=Paris 1900 Cricket Men Results - Olympic cricket|url=https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-1900/results/cricket/cricket-men|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Olympics.com|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121055618/https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/paris-1900/results/cricket/cricket-men|archive-date=2022-11-21}}

The match was a 2-day 12-man contest meaning that it did not class as first-class cricket.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/104/104760.html|title=France v Great Britain|publisher=Cricket Archive|access-date=28 January 2012}}

Great Britain won the match by 158 runs.{{cite journal |last=Buchanan |first=Ian |year=1993 |title=Cricket at the 1900 Games |journal=Journal of Olympic History |volume=1 |issue=2 |page=4 |publisher=International Society of Olympic Historians |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n2/JOHv1n2c.pdf |editor1-first=Bill |editor1-last=Mallon |access-date=24 September 2009 |archive-date=14 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614023908/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv1n2/JOHv1n2c.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Cricket was absent from subsequent Olympics and thus the Great Britain side did not play again.{{Cite web |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-ignorant-olympians-134962 |title=The Ignorant Olympians |work=ESPN |accessdate=2024-06-25 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025160618/https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/the-ignorant-olympians-134962 |url-status=live }}

Announced in October 2023, cricket will return to the Olympics for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, this time as a T20 format.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/67120460 |title=2028 Los Angeles Olympics: Cricket's inclusion voted through by IOC members |work=BBC Sport |date=2023-10-16 |accessdate=2024-06-25 |archive-date=June 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625190505/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/67120460 |url-status=live }} As a result, negotiations began on the formation of a Great Britain team for the games. Reported following the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Games, early stage negotiations between the British Olympic Association, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and Cricket Scotland on the presence of a team at the games.https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/sports/cricket/ecb-cricket-scotland-in-talks-over-team-great-britain-for-los-angeles-olympics-2028 The ECB would be the governing body of such team, though Cricket Scotland are looking to be "actively involved" in supporting the running of the team and providing players and staff. As with any Great Britain Olympic team, the team will also be open to Northern Ireland athletes.https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/olympics-news-ecb-and-cricket-scotland-in-talks-over-la28-team-gb-1447258%3fplatform=amp

• Olympic Games:
• Champions (1): 1900

;General

• {{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/320838.html |title=Final: France v Great Britain at Vincennes, Aug 19–20, 1900 |publisher=ESPNcricinfo|access-date=6 November 2010}}
• {{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/104/104760.html |title=France v Great Britain in 1900 |publisher=CricketArchive |access-date=6 November 2010}}

;Inline

{{Reflist}}

Category:1900 establishments in the United Kingdom

Category:Cricket in England

Category:Cricket in Wales

Category:Cricket in Scotland

Category:Cricket in Northern Ireland

Category:National cricket teams

Category:Sports organisations of England

Category:Sports organisations of Wales

Category:Sports organisations of Scotland

Category:Sports organisations of Northern Ireland

Category:England in international cricket

Category:Wales in international cricket

Category:Scotland in international cricket

C

C

C

C