Sport in this area changed during the reign of Queen Victoria due to the two main drivers of a better standard of living and the adoption of stricter behaviour levels. During Queen Victoria's reign the income and free time of normal people increased allowing the capacity to take part in sporting activity  which coupled with the acceptance of a stricter more disciplined society saw most forms of sport accepting rules and shaping the games into something that we would recognise today. The wide gulf in the ability between rich and poor to take part in sport was in place throughout the period given the ability of wealthy people to purchase equipment or facilities and the free time that they enjoyed to take part in them. Croquet lawns, tennis courts and yachts were well beyond the reach of ordinary people. Football provides a good example having been played in a rough form with few rules, unequal numbers and no referee since the times of Edward II who described it as ' a useless and idle sport' . Games usually started on village greens but then spread through the streets ending up with broken windows as well as broken limbs! By 1882 the Essex FA was formed to regulate junior football in Essex. One of the first junior clubs to be officially formed was Burnham Ramblers who began to play matches under the auspices of the Essex FA in 1900. Their standard rose sufficiently for Mr E Tumbridge to be awarded an Essex Cap in the 1927/1928 and 1928/1929 seasons. Cricket became popular in the 1600's although played with large wickets and curved blade like bats. By the early 1800's matches were played between village teams using the village green for matches. From the late 1800's to the start of World War Two Burnham Crickey Club played on a ground new to the River Bank that nowadays is to the rear of the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club. Although Tillingham Village Green was slightly larger than it is today it provides a good illustration of the ways that cricket must have been played in these days given the records of matches taking place on the green Reverent Owen of Bradwell obviously brought his children up to enjoy sport given that his oldest son John was capped for England at Football and his second son Hugh Captained Essex at Cricket from 1895 to 1902. Other organises sport included point to point horse racing meeting organised at Southminster, Woodham Walter and Purleigh by the Essex Union and Farmers Hunt and yacht racing on the Rivers Crouch and Blackwater. Winter in the 1880's were colder than they are now and the many ponds froze over providing sport for adults and children alike. The frozen sandpit pond proved a venue for rudimentary ice hockey matches between local teams.
	World War 1 familiarised men with weapons and sports such as shooting and boxing came into national popularity. Boxing clubs sprung up after the war in Burnham and other local places although they appear to have been sort lived. By Edwardian times the movement to more leisure continued with sports such as Dog racing, rowing, golf , billiards etc all gained in popularity.