Radio 4: Sport and the British

Date released: 21 February 2012

An early cricket match on Marylebone fields in 1744. By Francis Hayman

Cricket & Lord's were once again featured on the BBC Radio 4 series, Sport and the British, presented by Clare Balding.

In the latest edition, Balding visits Lord's and the Oval in London to find out more about W.G. Grace and Jack Hobbs, two English heroes of their day.

The episode, aired on 20 February, sees Balding talk to Simon Rae, author of 'W.G. Grace: A Life', and explore why Grace, in the nineteenth century and Hobbs, in the twentieth, became the epitome of a national sporting hero.

• Listen again to this episode

Three episodes in this series explore cricket's relationship with the British, and all three reference Lord's ground.

31 January - A Level Playing Field

• Explores the birth of cricket at Hambledon cricket club and the eventual shift of power to Lord's.

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20 February - Cricket and the English Hero: Grace to Hobbs

• W.G. Grace and Jack Hobbs were English heroes in their day. Balding visits Lord's and the Oval and also talks to Simon Rae, author of 'W.G. Grace: A Life'.

• Listen again to this episode

1 March - The Indian Summer of the Amateur Gentleman

• This episode tells the story of how MCC came to abandon the long-standing distinction between Gentlemen and Players, or amateurs and professionals. Balding interviews academics and Doug Insole, a former MCC President and an amateur cricketer for Essex and England.

Explore

Over six weeks, Balding gratefully accepts the help of a team of academics from the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University to explore how the British shaped huge global sports like football, cricket and rugby union and how sport in turn shaped British culture and character.

All episodes in the series are also available on BBC iPlayer or as a Podcast