Crystal Palace Park Cricket Ground
Encyclopedia
Crystal Palace Park was a cricket
ground in Crystal Palace
, London
(formerly Kent
). Located in the shadow of The Crystal Palace
, the ground was established on June 3, 1857. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1864, when Kent
played Nottinghamshire
in the grounds first first-class
match. Kent next at the ground in 1869, when they played Surrey
. From 1869 to 1870, Kent played 3 further first-class matches at the ground, with their final match there coming against Sussex.
played the Australians during their tour of England
. A further eight years elapsed from that match to the next first-class match at the ground, which came in 1888 when an England XI played the Australians during their tour of England
, with three further first-class matches on the ground from 1880 to 1900, which included CE de Trafford's XI
playing the Australians in 1896, the South playing the Australians in 1899 and WG Grace's XI.
In 1898, the Crystal Palace Company
formed London County Cricket Club
, with help from W.G. Grace who they invited to form the club with. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain, thereby ending a 29 year association with Gloucestershire
. London County played their first first-class match at the ground in 1900, when they played Surrey
. From 1900 to 1904, London County played 34 first-class matches at the ground, the last of which saw them play Warwickshire
. The increase in the importance of the County Championship
, Grace's own inevitable decline in form and the lack of a competitive element in the matches led to a decline in attendances and consequently meant the team lost money, with the club winding up in 1908.
. The final first-class match held at the ground came 1906, when WG Grace's XI played Cambridge University.
The site today is covered by the National Sports Centre
, which was built in 1964.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ground in Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace, London
Crystal Palace is a residential area in south London, England named from the former local landmark, The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936. The area is located approximately 8 miles south east of Charing Cross, and offers impressive views over the capital...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(formerly Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
). Located in the shadow of The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
, the ground was established on June 3, 1857. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1864, when Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
played Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
in the grounds first first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
match. Kent next at the ground in 1869, when they played Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. From 1869 to 1870, Kent played 3 further first-class matches at the ground, with their final match there coming against Sussex.
Return of first-class cricket
Ten years would pass before first-class cricket returned to Crystal Palace, when in 1880 the PlayersGentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
played the Australians during their tour of England
Australian cricket team in England in 1880
The Australian cricket team in England in 1880 played nine first-class matches including one Test, which was the first ever played in England. They were captained by W.L. Murdoch...
. A further eight years elapsed from that match to the next first-class match at the ground, which came in 1888 when an England XI played the Australians during their tour of England
Australian cricket team in England in 1888
The Australian cricket team in England in 1888 played 37 first-class matches including 3 Tests.-First Test:Australian captain Percy McDonnell won the toss and chose to bat first. The visitors scored 116 runs in their innings, during which only Percy McDonnell, Jack Blackham and Test debutant Jack...
, with three further first-class matches on the ground from 1880 to 1900, which included CE de Trafford's XI
Charles de Trafford
Charles Edmund de Trafford was an English aristocrat and noted cricketer.-Early life:Charles was born at Trafford Hall, Trafford Park, Stretford, the second son of Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet and his wife Lady Annette Talbot.-Cricket:In 1884 aged 20, Charles joined the team of Lancashire...
playing the Australians in 1896, the South playing the Australians in 1899 and WG Grace's XI.
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
formed London County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club
London County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
, with help from W.G. Grace who they invited to form the club with. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain, thereby ending a 29 year association with Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
. London County played their first first-class match at the ground in 1900, when they played Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. From 1900 to 1904, London County played 34 first-class matches at the ground, the last of which saw them play Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
. The increase in the importance of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, Grace's own inevitable decline in form and the lack of a competitive element in the matches led to a decline in attendances and consequently meant the team lost money, with the club winding up in 1908.
Final years
The final first-class match played by London County at the ground in 1904 did not spell the end of first-class cricket at the ground. The Gentlemen of England played 3 first-class matches there in 1905 against the Australians, the West Indians and Cambridge UniversityCambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
. The final first-class match held at the ground came 1906, when WG Grace's XI played Cambridge University.
The site today is covered by the National Sports Centre
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
, which was built in 1964.
See also
- Brian Pearce, Cricket at the Crystal Palace: W.G. Grace and the London County Cricket Club, Crystal Palace Foundation, 2004, ISBN 978-1-897754-09-2
External links
- Crystal Palace Park on CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Crystal Palace Park on CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...