Accrington v Church Cricket Match (1902)

This film is part of the Mitchell and Kenyon collection - an amazing visual record of everyday life in Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century.
To buy the DVD click here - www.bfi.org.uk/filmstore
All titles on the BFI Films channel are preserved in the vast collections of the BFI National Archive. To find out more about the Archive visit www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collect...

[@teecee3918]

Accrington FC, founder members of The Football League in 1888, shared that ground with the cricket club until their demise in 1896.They are not the same club as Accrington Stanley.

[@AlisonManey]

Purely by chance, I'm watching this exactly 116 years after it was filmed! What are the odds?

[@gregnew1]

About 42,369-1. Give or take (and excluding the fact that it wasn't possible for the majority of that time). I love these old cricket films. it's a snapshot to the past.

[@danielwilkins4748]

Stranger things have happened. I'm currently somewhere where someone probably was exactly 116 years ago

[@njasanie23]

I remember this match felt just like yesterday I was watchin it on the telly

[@Dilhan777]

Marvellous! Thank you for posting.

[@BSNFabricating]

Another fascinating film! I love to see how people really reacted to cameras back then...not much different from when they find a TV camera aimed their way at a sporting event these days. Except the whole thing was new back then. Thanks for posting it! =)

[@CricketEngland]

Life was so much different back then and we had less to worry about

[@keithwaites9991]

Bit of side - arm bowling going on there...like Malinga the slinger. W G Grace bowled that way

[@prikwilson]

Wow!!!

[@richardhumphreys8662]

Bernard Shaw said that the English invented cricket to give them some idea of eternity and unless I'm very much mistaken, this match is still going on.

[@CricketEngland]

2:31 not sure he would get away with that action today, he may be called for chucking

[@JamesAnderson-kv5zd]

the little girl in the frock may have been alive to c 1980

[@EJP286CRSKW]

What's the music? Rather good.

[@someblokecalleddave1]

What no underarm lob bowling? Is there any on KZbin?

[@Methodistical]

I'm not sure detail is that important here ... but why do you think Church batted first ... there's no internal evidence that is the case ... it would be rather odd for Accrington to bat on

[@sentimentalbloke185]

Atmosphere at the cemetery ground was reported to be a bit dead.

[@FiveMinsAlone]

Lol @ 2:29!

[@burnleyfan11965]

@superjono2 all too many probably especially the youths in the crowd.Off to be Haigs cannon fodder.There was scarcely a street where someone hadnt died.nearly all in 1 day.

[@markymarcm]

That bowling action wouldn't fly today... I wonder what these chaps would make of t20. Also, in the background we see the early phase of global warming lol

[@PolakInHolland]

Suspicious lack of diversity here - cancel it!