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Coff ee and cricket - Did you know?
Most of us associate cricket with tea, not least because of the
traditi on of breaking play for tea in the aft ernoon. But many perhaps
won’t associate cricket with coff ee. Cricket has its roots in England in
the 16th century Around this ti me the Dutch were culti vati ng coff ee
in Ceylon, the Arabs having brought the plant to the island from
Arabia prior to 1505.
Later, the East India Company introduced cricket to India in
1639 and founded the city of Madras. In 1661 they acquired
Portuguese territory on the west coast, including Bombay and in
1690 established a sett lement on the Hooghly River which became
Calcutt a. All of these places later became leading centres of cricket
and prodigious coff ee consumpti on.
It was not unti l 1815 that the English began the culti vati on of coff ee
in Ceylon. It was around this ti me that records the odd game of
cricket taking place between the planters. Indeed the fi rst cricket
club formed was in Colombo, founded in 1832. While the Briti sh
conducted minor experiments with tea growing in Ceylon there was
no concerted eff ort to introduce the shrub for commercial purposes.
The reason being that the coff ee produced in Ceylon at that ti me
was the world’s fi nest and the planters paused their game of cricket
to consume an invigorati ng cup of coff ee, not tea, in the morning
and aft ernoon.
Crediton Coff ee is supporti ng our county match at Sandford
Cricket Club again this year and will be serving freshly roasted and
brewed coff ee at the ground all day. They source their top quality
coff ees from all around the world, including India and roast them
here in Devon.
ROASTERS OF SPECIALITY COFFEE
SOURCED FROM FARMS ALL OVER THE WORLD
FRESHLY ROASTED LOCALLY IN DEVON
PROUD TO SUPPORT DEVON COUNTY CRICKET
THROUGH SPONSORSHIP OF
SANDFORD CRICKET CLUB
Crediton Coffee Company,
Market Square, Crediton EX17 4EB
www.creditoncoffee.co.uk
01363 775065
/www.creditoncoffee.co.uk
/www.creditoncoffee.co.uk