At the turn of the 20th century, sport was transforming from a recreational pastime to a more structured, codified and modern form. Drawing inspiration from the Olympic movement, administrators sought to promote values, virtues, health and athleticism through organised sport. At this time cricket was the longest established of the major sports and English presence in major Italian cities saw cricket incorporated into new sporting clubs, many of which have now become internationally renowned.It is hard to imagine that AC Milan, a club so synonymous with Italian style and passion, was actually founded by two Englishmen from Nottingham. At that time the Midlands town had strong links to lace-making firms in northern Italy which drew a small community of English industrialists to Milan. Two such men, Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin, unwittingly created one of the highest-profile and successful sporting clubs in the world.Lamenting the absence of the traditional summer game of their homeland, they met with friends one evening in a tavern in the city and over a beer or two sketched out a charter for the Milan cricket and football club. It was two weeks before the dawn of a new century, a century that would see these sports become the most played and popular in the world with a defining impact on the development of modern culture.It is pertinent that cricket came first in the title, despite the fact that Kilpin was a talented amateur footballer and an influential pioneer. The famous sporting organ the Gazzetta dello Sport reported on the foundation, stating its aims as to spread the game of football and to play cricket as widely as possible.Edwards, known as papa to historians of the club, became very wealthy indeed from interests in the Pirelli company. He was the first president of the club and bankrolled it, while Kilpin was the captain and star player. While there was an immediate impact on the football field, with AC Milan winning their first national title in 1900 and surpassing Genoa as the leading team in the country by 1906, the extent of their cricketing experience is a matter for speculation.Two years before that fateful night in Milan, Juventus had been formed in Turin by students of the Massimo DAzelilo lyceum as a sporting club. Cricket is thought to be among those it planned to play, but by 1899 football was the sole focus and the name was changed to the Football Club Juventus.It can only be assumed that there was insufficient interest in cricket within the club for it to continue. But the honour of the earliest multi-sport club in Italy goes to Genoa, still officially named the Genoa Cricket and Football Club.In 1893 the club was formed by British expats as the Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club. Initially its membership was restricted to British members. This mirrors the wish for exclusivity seen in the committees of the clubs established in Lisbon and Porto.That the club was a patriotic expression is seen from the choice of white shirts to match those of the England team. The club had grounds in the Combasso district, to the north-west of the city. One of the founding fathers of the club was Sir Charles Alfred Peyton, a diplomat who had been transferred from Mogador, Morocco, to the vice-consul in the city in the spring of 1893, and had joined others in the British community in founding the club.For the first two years of its existence, the club played cricket matches, mainly against the crews of visiting ships arriving in the harbour. Peytons posting to Calais in 1897 may well have been critical for crickets future in the city. A year before, James Richardson Spensley, a doctor, had arrived in Genoa charged with tending to English sailors on the coal ships. He took responsibility for leading football in the club, becoming its first manager. Acknowledging the burgeoning interest in football among the local population, and under pressure from the city authorities, the club opened its membership to Italians. The locals clearly wanted to play football rather than cricket. In 1898 Spensley established the Italian league and led his team to victory. Although it is uncertain whether cricket was still being played by the club after 1897, it is interesting to note that, when a name change was voted for in 1899, cricket remained while athletics was dropped. This may have been in deference to the clubs founding purpose, but indicates a willingness for cricket to remain part of the clubs activities.Meanwhile back at AC Milan, cricket was being marginalised as the seeds of football fever that would capture Italys soul were sown. The English founding fathers walked away from the club in 1908, perhaps frustrated that it had not embraced cricket as originally intended.In a few years at the dawn of the 20th century three of the richest and most influential sporting institutions in Italy had played cricket. If only it had survived for a few more years and captured the imagination of Italians, the clubs would have provided the organisational capacity and financial clout to establish cricket in the country.This missed opportunity is particularly the case in Genoa, formed before football was widely known outside England and before a national infrastructure for the sport was established. For the first five years of its existence, cricket had the upper hand and the bigger profile. But in these crucial years the club didnt allow Italians to join, protecting the exclusivity of their English sport. Cricket in Italy would never have such opportunity again. Grant Hill Jersey . 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Dennis Scott Jersey . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Melvin Frazier Jersey . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". RIO DE JANEIRO -- Carlos Balderas qualified for the Olympics nearly nine months ago, and he has been waiting anxiously for his next fight ever since.The American lightweight only has to wait a few more hours after the opening ceremonies in Rio. Balderas fights in the opening session of the grueling, 16-day Olympic boxing tournament on Saturday morning.Its everything Ive been thinking about since November, Balderas said. The only thing thats been in my mind is bringing back a medal.His friend and roommate, light flyweight Nico Hernandez, also fights on a big first day for the eight-person U.S. team. After the American men failed to win any Olympic medals for the first time in London, the new U.S. fighters believe their teamwork can help them exceed relatively low outside expectations in Brazil.Were definitely close, because were all young, Hernandez said. Im the oldest one on the team, and Im 20. Weve all been on the same team since juniors, so weve been traveling together for a couple of years now. Were really close, like family. I think that helps us a lot. We all support each other.Balderas and Hernandez are key parts of the tight-knit core on a U.S. team that has bonded through years of shared competition. All six American men were born less than two years apart.The vibe is really, really cool, Balderas said. Because me, Nico, Tony (Vargas), Shakur (Stevenson), weve pretty much been together since the youth team. We were always around each other. Its not like somebody came out of nowhere and just took a spot. Everybody was always very cool with each other.The U.S. men could use all the good vibes they can get.They havent won a gold medal since Andre Ward triumphed in Athens in 2004. They claimed just one bronze medal in Beijing -- and none at all in London, an embarrassment for the most successful boxing nation in Olympic history.USA Boxing hired veteran Irish coach Billy Walsh last year, but his plans are necessarily focused on Tokyo in 2020. He hopes the current teams talent will be enough to counteract their opponents years of centralized training.Its a massive challenge, Walsh said. There definitely is a skill level that we need to change. Its a Tokyo project.ddddddddddddalderas and Hernandez could have turned pro before Rio, but instead participated in the professional ventures of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) to improve their chances of landing a spot in Brazil. Balderas qualified early for the Olympics through his victories in AIBAs World Series of Boxing.They both realize the importance of starting a pro career with an Olympic pedigree. They also wanted extra experience with the particularities of Olympic-style boxing, which can be difficult for American-trained prospects.Neither fighter hails from a particular boxing hotbed, either: Hernandez is from Wichita, Kansas, while Balderas came up from Santa Maria, California.Its definitely not a big sport in Wichita, Hernandez said. It means a lot to me to get here, because not a lot of people that came from there have really made anything of themselves. I want to be the one to inspire other people. I like to say that Im one of the ones that made it from there, because theres not a lot of recognition like there is in California or something.Balderas is a first-generation Mexican-American whose grandfather moved his family north to work the fertile fields of central California.I know regardless of what happens at the Olympics, my family is always going to be behind me, Balderas said. I do feel some pressure, because I feel like I cant let them down, you know? I know that everybody has made sacrifices for me, so I feel like its only right for me to do the same for them.Balderas and Hernandez both train with their fathers and other relatives. Hernandezs parents are leaving the U.S. for the first time to watch their son, while Balderas traveling party is slightly larger -- including uncles, aunts and cousins who were able to book the trip several months in advance because of his early qualification.It kind of makes me feel nervous in a way, but also it makes me just feel happy, Balderas said. I want to prove to them that I can do something big, because we went from the strawberry fields to the Olympic Games. ' ' '