Lord's Old Ground
Encyclopedia
Lord's Old Ground was a cricket
venue in London
that was established by Thomas Lord
in 1787. It was used mainly by Marylebone Cricket Club
for major cricket matches until 1810, after which a dispute about rent caused Lord to relocate.
v Middlesex
on Monday 21 May 1787 .
The first regular cricket fixture at Lord's (i.e., one that continues to this day) was the annual Eton v Harrow
match which was first played on the Old Ground in 1805 .
The inaugural Gentlemen v Players
match took place at the Old Ground in July 1806 .
Lord's Old Ground was on the site of what is now Dorset Square. Lord relocated in 1811 to Lord's Middle Ground
, a site at Lisson Grove in the vicinity of Regent's Park
but he lost that venue after only three years because the land was requisitioned for a canal cutting. In 1814, he opened the present Lord's Cricket Ground
, formerly a duckpond in St John's Wood
.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled in Dorset Square by Andrew Strauss
on 9 May 2006.
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...
venue in 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...
that was established by Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord
Thomas Lord was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1787 to 1802. He made a brief comeback, playing in one further match in 1815. Overall, Lord made 90 known appearances in first-class cricket...
in 1787. It was used mainly by Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
for major cricket matches until 1810, after which a dispute about rent caused Lord to relocate.
Matches
The first match known to have been played at Lord's Old Ground was White Conduit ClubWhite Conduit Club
The White Conduit Club, although short-lived, was perhaps the most significant club in cricket history for it bridged the gulf between the rural and rustic Hambledon era and the new, modern and metropolitan era of MCC and Lord's, the two entities that it spawned.We do not know for certain when the...
v Middlesex
Middlesex county cricket teams
Middlesex county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Given that the first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford, it is almost certain that the game had reached...
on Monday 21 May 1787 .
The first regular cricket fixture at Lord's (i.e., one that continues to this day) was the annual Eton v Harrow
Eton v Harrow
The Eton v Harrow cricket match is an annual cricket match between Eton College and Harrow School. It one of the longest-running annual cricket fixtures in the world. It is the last annual school cricket match played at Lord's Cricket Ground...
match which was first played on the Old Ground in 1805 .
The inaugural Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen 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...
match took place at the Old Ground in July 1806 .
Location
Lord's Middle Ground
Lord's Middle Ground was a cricket venue in London that was established by Thomas Lord in 1811. It was used mainly by Marylebone Cricket Club for major cricket matches until 1813, after which Lord was obliged to relocate because the land was requisitioned for the cutting of the Regent's...
, a site at Lisson Grove in the vicinity of Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
but he lost that venue after only three years because the land was requisitioned for a canal cutting. In 1814, he opened the present Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
, formerly a duckpond in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
.
A commemorative plaque was unveiled in Dorset Square by Andrew Strauss
Andrew Strauss
Andrew John Strauss, OBE is an English cricketer who plays county cricket for Middlesex County Cricket Club and is the captain of England's Test cricket team. A fluent left-handed opening batsman, Strauss favours scoring off the back foot, mostly playing cut and pull shots...
on 9 May 2006.