ABSTRACT
During the last quarter of the nineteenth century the quite separate cricketing entities that had existed in each province crystallised into more homogenous forms. By 1900 the provincial cricket associations were similarly composed, governed by similar constitutions and administered almost identical club competitions. Fixtures between the major provinces expanded from 12 during the 1860s to 81 during the 1890s. In addition, contacts between the various minor cricket associations grew rapidly after 1890.
