High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Little is known about English cricket from the earliest known "great match" in 1697 to 1725 as few records were kept. Newspaper reports about the sport became more common after 1725 and gradually provided greater detail. By the end of the 17th century, English cricket had developed to the point where inter-county matches were being held in addition to the "grassroots" form of village cricket. The end of press censorship in 1696 meant that cricket could now be reported in the newspapers and the first known report of a match appeared in 1697. But the newspaper industry was still in its infancy and it would be a long time before anything like comprehensive coverage would be achieved.