Englishness and cricket in South Africa during the Boer War

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of the sport of cricket in the English Diaspora in South Africa. It investigates the social construction of cricket during the Victorian era and its portrayal as the archetypal ‘Englishman's game’ and explores the key agents and institutions responsible for instilling the sense of ‘Englishness’ upon the game both within South Africa and back in England during the Boer War era. This chapter also considers the view that cricket became the cornerstone of Empire, as it provided a training ground for service to empire and countered the insecurity of colonial society.