Early Cricket: Birth and Evolution of Sport A Journey Through Time Cricket, often referred to as the "gentleman's game," has a rich history that dates back centuries. While its exact origins are shrouded in the mists of time, there is a consensus among experts that the game may have been invented during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England. The Earliest References The first recorded reference to cricket being played