JW Hobbs Ground
Encyclopedia
JW Hobbs Ground was a cricket
ground in Norbury
, Surrey
. The ground was constructed in 1885 within the grounds of Norbury Hall by local philanthropist J.W. Hobbs.
The first recorded match on the ground was in 1887, when CI Thornton's XI
played the Gentlemen of Canada. It hosted its only first-class
match in the following year, when CI Thornton's XI played the touring Australians.
Additionally, between 1984 and 1984, the ground played host to 3 Surrey Second XI
matches in the Second XI Championship
. The ground has also hosted 7 Second XI Trophy matches played by the Marylebone Cricket Club Young Cricketers from 1991 to 1992.
The ground itself was sold to the South West Bank in 1911, who were taken over by Barclays Bank; cricket was played to a high quality at the ground through to the 1980s. In the 1990s, Barclays sold the ground to a private company who built a leisure centre on the ground, bringing to an end a centuries worth of cricket at the venue.
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 Norbury
Norbury
Norbury is a town in the London Borough of Croydon, also crossing the London Borough of Merton. It shares the postcode London SW16 with nearby Streatham. Norbury is south of Charing Cross.-History:...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. The ground was constructed in 1885 within the grounds of Norbury Hall by local philanthropist J.W. Hobbs.
The first recorded match on the ground was in 1887, when CI Thornton's XI
Charles Thornton (cricketer)
Charles Inglis Thornton , nicknamed "Buns", was an English cricketer who played more than 200 first-class matches in the later 19th century, for no fewer than 22 different teams....
played the Gentlemen of Canada. It hosted its only 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 in the following year, when CI Thornton's XI played the touring Australians.
Additionally, between 1984 and 1984, the ground played host to 3 Surrey Second XI
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...
matches in the Second XI Championship
Second XI Championship
The Second XI Championship is a season-long cricket competition in England that is competed for by the reserve teams of those county cricket clubs that have first-class status...
. The ground has also hosted 7 Second XI Trophy matches played by the Marylebone Cricket Club Young Cricketers from 1991 to 1992.
The ground itself was sold to the South West Bank in 1911, who were taken over by Barclays Bank; cricket was played to a high quality at the ground through to the 1980s. In the 1990s, Barclays sold the ground to a private company who built a leisure centre on the ground, bringing to an end a centuries worth of cricket at the venue.
External links
- JW Hobbs Ground 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...
- JW Hobbs Ground 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...