According to the social historian Derek Birley, there was a "great upsurge of sport after the Restoration" in 1660.Birley (1999), p. 11. Several members of the court of King Charles II took a strong interest in cricket during that era."A Pictorial History of Cricket", by Brown, Bison Books, London, 1988 Gambling on sport became a problem significant enough for Parliament to pass the 1664 Gambling Act, limiting stakes to £100 which was, in any case, a colossal sum exceeding the annual income of 99% of the population. Along with horse racing, as well as prizefighting and other types of blood sport, cricket was perceived to be a gambling sport.Birley (1999), pp. 11–13. Rich patrons made matches for high stakes, forming teams in which they engaged the first professional players.Webber (1960), p. 10. By the end of the century, cricket had developed into a major sport that was spreading throughout England and was already being taken abroad by English mariners and colonisers – the earliest reference to cricket overseas is dated 1676.Haygarth (1862), p. vi. A 1697 newspaper report survives of "a great cricket match" played in Sussex "for fifty guineas apiece" – this is the earliest known contest that is generally considered a First Class match.McCann (2004), p. xli.Major (2007), page 36.
