Cricket

Cricket was invented in England and is very popular throughout the country and the former colonies . Wales does not have its team and playing together with England , as well as representatives of Scotland and Ireland cricket team which started to develop only recently. Rugby is popular in some areas of the UK . He appeared in Huddersfield and it is mainly played in Northern England . United team "British Lions " had appeared in the World Cup and test matches , but since 2008, England, Scotland and Ireland compete as separate countries . Rugby -15 teams of England , Scotland, Wales and Ireland itself is very strong. Six Nations Cup , played out between the above mentioned teams , as well as Italy and France, is considered the unofficial European championship .

Tennis

Playing tennis in Birmingham appeared sometime between 1859 and 1865 . Wimbledon - an international tournament held in Wimbledon in south London every summer and is considered one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world .

Rugby

It is believed that rugby came in 1823 when William Webb Ellis while playing a version of football ( it should be understood that in those days in each village and school rules could differ significantly from each other, and today popular on at least seven species of game rules football and the game hands prohibited only in football associations) in Rugby School ( also found more correct in terms of the rules of transliteration option Rugby ) , took the ball in his hands and ran with him to the gate. However, well-established rules for a long time was not ( as in "normal" football ) team before the match every time they agreed on . When in 1863 was created the English Football Association , she forbade taking the ball in his hands and try to take his opponent . So familiar to us football and rugby became separate sports (that's why football is sometimes called association football). In 1871 was created Rugby Football Union (RFU, Rugby Football Union), still administering the rugby in England , and in 1886 - the International Rugby Union (IRB, International Rugby Board). The first international match was played on March 27, 1871 in Edinburgh between the teams England and Scotland. Rugby soon spread to other countries , particularly in Britain , many of ownership : Australia, New Zealand (1870), South Africa (1875) . In North America, developed from rugby American and Canadian football . By the end of XIX century there has been a gap between the north of England, where rugby has become very popular among the workers and townspeople , and the south , where this game has remained largely the privilege of gentlemen. The main issue was the opportunity to become professionals , ie getting paid for playing rugby. As a result, August 29, 1895 in Huddersfield was formed "North rugby union » (NRFU). Teams that joined the Northern Alliance , were allowed to have in their composition professionals. Rules of the game have also been slightly modified , and in 1901 was formed Northern rugby league . At the beginning of XX century similar splits occurred in Australia and New Zealand . A new game called Rugby League (sometimes called the Russian Rugby 13 , the number of players per team ) . "Old" rugby steel to avoid confusion call rugby union (since its rules were originally drafted RFU). Rugby Union remained strong in the south of England and in Scotland and Wales (where he was popular among the workers, especially among miners from the valleys to the south) .