Village cricket is a term, sometimes pejorative, given to the playing of cricket in rural villages in Britain. Many villages have their own teams that play at varying levels in local or regional club cricket leagues.
When organised cricket first began in the 17th century, matches were played between rival parishes or villages and this form of competition endured. In representative cricket a team includes players from multiple parishes, for instance one that represents a county or a country.[citation needed]
Village cricket teams may be made up of local residents only,[citation needed] although other first XI can include players with connections to minor counties cricket clubs, and members of the academies of the county cricket club of the county in which the team lies.[citation needed]
Cricket in this form might be played on a village green or other public space instead of a dedicated ground.[citation needed]
In some non-professional cricket leagues, the adjective "village" is a descriptor used humorously, self-deprecatingly, or, sometimes, pejoratively to convey a sense of amateurishness of some aspect of the players' preparation, dress, conduct or play.[citation needed]