3 of 5 ‘It saw no reason why rugby’s place as the premier winter sport would not continue.’ Now this keeps getting repeated. I will split England and Scotland where Rugby - an English invented game - could have been popular. I am a Don’t Care Bear in this regard. I do have issues with analysis.

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4 of 5 Rugby crept in to Scotland particularly through private schools aping the English poshies. Everywhere there was Football. It is the lack of working class documentation of their lives that continually gets in the way, though the evidence of Scotland’s immediate excellence is enough for me.

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The Government mandated that every British Army battalion (I think...) had a cricket team. I can't find the info now but was it the 1830s? Planted on foreign soil and became relatively popular but - as with the sad demise of Poloc - the roots are shallow.

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Football was a summer game. One of Alcock's greatest successes was ensuring that cricket and Football in England had separate seasons. He knew the people's game would roll over the top of Cricket. Football owes its existence to the people - most of whom have had no contact whatsoever with cricket.

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Most English were not interested in spreading the word - any word. I always give Genoa Football and Cricket Club as the example. First set of rules included 'no Italians'. How do you spread the word to a nation you refuse to engage with?

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