1940 to 1945 English cricket seasons

Normal first-class competitions were cancelled in the 1940 to 1945 English cricket seasons because of the Second World War. This article looks at how cricket coped with the war.

The 1939 English cricket season lost a few matches at the end of the season after Germany invaded Poland on 1 September and the British government declared war against Germany on Sunday 3 September.

It was not until the 1946 season that normal first-class fixtures could resume. In contrast with much of the First World War, it was realised in the 1940s that cricket had its part to play in terms of raising both public morale and funds for charity. Efforts were made to stage matches whenever opportunity arose, especially if a suitable number of top players could be assembled. The number of matches increased after the tide of war turned in favour of the Allies after El Alamein and Stalingrad. In 1945, several first-class matches were played after the final defeat of Germany in early May.

1940

In the 1940 "Wisden", the cricket author H S Altham, now an Army Major, described his "sobering experience" when he visited Lord's the previous December. He said:

:"...there were sandbags everywhere, and the Long Room was stripped and bare, with its treasures safely stored beneath ground, but ... one felt that somehow it would take more than totalitarian war to put an end to cricket".

Altham reflected the popular (and official) view that "the game can and should be kept going whenever possible".

One venue where it would not be possible was The Oval, which was commandeered in 1939 and quickly turned into a prisoner of war camp, except that no prisoners were ever interned there. The playing area became a maze of concrete posts and wire fences.

Lord's was also due for requisition but it was spared and MCC was able to stage many public schools and representative games throughout the war.

1941

1942

1943

1944

At Lord's, two one-day matches were played by an England XI against "West Indies" and "Australia", England winning both matches. (These were not limited overs matches.)

1945

With Germany defeated and the war in Europe over, it was possible to stage some eleven first-class matches in the 1945 season. None of them belonged to any competition.

An Australian Services XI, which included Keith Miller and Lindsay Hassett, played five "Victory Tests" against England, plus a further game against Leveson-Gower's XI. England also played a Dominions team at Lord's. A New Zealand Services XI, including Martin Donnelly, played against Leveson-Gower's XI.

The other three matches were Yorkshire "versus" Lancashire at Park Avenue in Bradford; Yorkshire "versus" a very useful Royal Air Force XI at Scarborough; and a game between the over-33s and the under-33s at Lord's.

External sources

* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Seasons/1945_ENG.html CricketArchive – 1945 first-class matches]

Annual reviews

* Wisden Cricketers Almanack 1941 to 1946 editions

Further reading

* Derek Birley, "A Social History of English Cricket", Aurum, 1999