<P> The shortage of references in the latter part of the 17th century is due to the Licensing of the Press Act 1662 which imposed very stringent controls on the newspaper industry . Sport, including cricket, was not a subject to be reported and the few references found are in official records, such as court cases, or in private letters and diaries . In May 1666, Sir Robert Paston of Richmond wrote a letter to his wife mentioning "a game of criquett (sic) on Richmond Green" which is the first reference to cricket at Richmond Green, a popular venue for important matches during the 17th and 18th centuries . </P> <P> There was a significant development at Maidstone on Saturday, 28 March 1668 when the quarter sessions made a ruling that customs and excise could not claim excise duty on alcoholic drinks sold at a "kricketing"; it was further ruled that a match promoter had the right to sell ale to spectators, presumably after obtaining the necessary licence . As John Major suggested, this dealt a massive blow to "Puritan morality", and it could have been the beginning of the long - term relationship between sport and alcohol . Derek Birley's comment on the excise ruling was that cricket's "connection with public houses is historic in every sense of the word". In his view, the sport had "arrived" because the brewery trade was the earliest and strongest sponsor of popular sport . </P> <P> In 1677, accounts of Thomas Lennard, 1st Earl of Sussex, include an item which refers to £ 3 being paid to him when he went to a cricket match being played at "ye Dicker", which was a common near Herstmonceux in East Sussex . In 1678, there was mention of cricket as "a play" (presumably in the sense of a sport that is played) in a Latin dictionary published by Dr Adam Littleton . In 1694, accounts of Sir John Pelham record 2s 6d paid for a wager concerning a cricket match at Lewes . </P> <P> Mitcham Cricket Club was formed in 1685, the club playing on what is today known as Mitcham Cricket Green . The site has hosted cricket matches ever since . Mitcham is believed to be the world's oldest cricket club as there is no evidence of any club being founded before 1685 . Croydon, Dartford and London had all been founded by the 1720s but their dates of origin have been lost, although there was an actual reference to a London Club in 1722 . </P>

In which country did twenty20 cricket first orginate