Vine Cricket Ground
Encyclopedia
The Vine Cricket Ground is one of the oldest cricket
venues in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks
in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745 – 1799) and owner of Knole House
, where the ground is sited. The land was thought previously to have been used as a vineyard for the Archbishops of Canterbury (hence the name).
. They, in turn, must pay Lord Sackville (if asked) one cricket ball on the 21st July each year.
v Sussex on Friday 6 September 1734, a game which Kent won .
The world record for the highest (known) individual score was twice established at the Vine. First, Joseph Miller playing for Kent
v Hampshire
in August 1774 made 95 out of 240 and enabled Kent to win by an innings and 35 runs .
Then in June 1777 came one of the most remarkable innings of cricket's early history when James Aylward
scored 167 for Hampshire
v All-England
. In a contemporary report, it is stated that: "Aylward went in at 5 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, and was not out till after three on Friday". Hampshire won by an innings and 168 runs .
The last known use of the Vine for major cricket was the Kent v Sussex match in 1829.
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...
venues in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks is a commuter town situated on the London fringe of west Kent, England, some 20 miles south-east of Charing Cross, on one of the principal commuter rail lines from the capital...
in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745 – 1799) and owner of Knole House
Knole House
Knole is an English country house in the town of Sevenoaks in west Kent, surrounded by a deer park. One of England's largest houses, it is reputed to be a calendar house, having 365 rooms, 52 staircases, 12 entrances and 7 courtyards...
, where the ground is sited. The land was thought previously to have been used as a vineyard for the Archbishops of Canterbury (hence the name).
Rent
The weatherboard pavilion is 19th century. The Vine Cricket Club must pay Sevenoaks Town Council a rent of 2 peppercorns per year - one for the ground and one for the pavilion, the archetypal peppercorn rentPeppercorn (legal)
A peppercorn in legal parlance is a metaphor for a very small payment, a nominal consideration, used to satisfy the requirements for the creation of a legal contract. "A peppercorn does not cease to be good consideration if it is established that the promisee does not like pepper and will throw...
. They, in turn, must pay Lord Sackville (if asked) one cricket ball on the 21st July each year.
18th century cricket
Sevenoaks Vine was a famous venue for major cricket matches in the 18th century and is notable for being the first place in England where cricket was played with three stumps rather than two. Its earliest known use was for KentKent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
v Sussex on Friday 6 September 1734, a game which Kent won .
The world record for the highest (known) individual score was twice established at the Vine. First, Joseph Miller playing for Kent
Kent county cricket teams
Kent county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. Kent, jointly with Sussex, is the birthplace of the sport...
v Hampshire
Hampshire county cricket teams
Hampshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
in August 1774 made 95 out of 240 and enabled Kent to win by an innings and 35 runs .
Then in June 1777 came one of the most remarkable innings of cricket's early history when James Aylward
James Aylward
James Aylward was a noted English cricketer who played for the Hambledon Club. He was a left-handed batsman....
scored 167 for Hampshire
Hampshire county cricket teams
Hampshire county cricket teams have been traced back to the 18th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that...
v All-England
All-England Eleven
In cricket, the term All-England has been used for various non-international teams that have been formed for short-term purposes since the 1739 English cricket season and it indicates that the "Rest of England" is playing against, say, MCC or an individual county team...
. In a contemporary report, it is stated that: "Aylward went in at 5 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, and was not out till after three on Friday". Hampshire won by an innings and 168 runs .
The last known use of the Vine for major cricket was the Kent v Sussex match in 1829.
Minor counties cricket
The Vine was used by Kent CCC's Second XI for three Minor Counties Championship matches between 1952 and 1958 .Today
The ground is now the home venue of Sevenoaks Vine CC which plays in the Shepherd Neame Kent Cricket League First XI Premier Division.External links
Further reading
- Ashley MoteAshley MoteAshley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
, The Glory Days of Cricket, Robson, 1997 - Ashley MoteAshley MoteAshley Mote was a non-inscrit Member of the European Parliament for South East England. An outspoken critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly...
, John Nyren's "The Cricketers of my Time", Robson, 1998 - David UnderdownDavid UnderdownDavid E. Underdown was a historian of 17th-century English politics and culture and Professor Emeritus at Yale University. Born at Wells, Somerset, Underdown was educated at the Blue School and Exeter College, Oxford...
, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000