Surrey CCC v Nottinghamshire CCC
Kia Oval
LV=County Championship Day 1
08/07/13
More than a cricket ground
First of all I'd like to stress that we haven't gone into hibernation or worse given up on the website. Since our last post there has been very little in the way of sport for me to visit, meanwhile Phil has been in America for a couple of weeks and has about 40 grounds to catch up on, give or take. With College coming to a welcome end last Friday I had sought fixtures to attend knowing that my only limitation was funds. With the desire to watch a fair bit over the next month I settled on this County Championship match to save money. I admit that test matches aren't as appealing to a casual fan, as I am, as the T20 games, but at half the price I decided I may as well go along, especially as I had wanted to visit the Oval for quite a while, having missed the 1872 cup final rematch a couple of months ago.
The day didn't get off to the smoothest of starts. I overslept and upon checking my phone discovered it hadn't charged overnight, this meant that I got to Vauxhall station about 30 minutes later than I had intended, with play beginning as I got off the train. Unreserved seating meant that I could head to the emptiest part of the ground not in direct view of the sun (I burn easily!). It was only as I sat there I realized the extent of the history of this place, and when I heard the tannoy announcement that fans could go on the pitch during the lunch break I took up the opportunity.
The Oval, as a cricket ground, can be tracked back to 1845 when Surrey CCC signed a lease of 31 years with rent costing them a grand total of £120 a year before taxation. Prior to this it had been an unsuccessful market garden. In 1868 the Oval was to hold the first ever match on english soil against a foreign side when the Australian Aboriginal cricket team toured England. The match attracted around 20,000 people. The Oval then implanted itself in English Footballing history in 1870 and 1872. On the 5th March 1870 the first ever international fixture was played when England played a representative match against Scotland, finishing in a 1-1 draw. By 1872 they had played each over a further four times. On the 16th of March in the same year Wanderers would defeat Royal Engineers in the final of the inaugural season of the FA Challenge cup (hosting it a further 21 times, most recently in 1892). Not contempt with being a figurehead in these two sports, the Oval was also to be the venue for only the Second ever Rugby Union international when England took on Scotland, also in 1872.
By 1898 the current Pavilion (prior to redevelopment) had been built, as the ground became a predominately cricket venue. in 1908 South Africa became the second test team to play at the venue, eventually followed by the West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1931), India (1936), Pakistan (1954) and Sri Lanka (1998). On the 7th September 1973 the first ever One Day International was hosted on the ground when England hosted the West Indies. Since then it has also hosted numerous World Cup and champions trophy games.
In it's current form it ranks as my favorite cricket ground that I have visited. The ground can be split into two, the Vauxhall and the Pavilion end. The Vauxhall end was completed in 2005 and is a sweeping four tier stand, pictures I'd seen of it seemed rather uninspiring, but in person I was impressed. The Pavilion end in contrast is more traditional. While the stands that join onto the actual pavilion are due to be redeveloped (probably for the best) the actual pavilion is very smart, particularly from the rear. I particularly like how synonymous the gas tower is to the ground, with the Shard now looming in the background.
The game itself was a pretty standard affair, although Surrey were pretty awful. I left after 65 overs to get the train home (a smart choice with the issues on the line today) and by the time I arrived back home to look at the score the first day had finished. Surrey bowled out for 198 with Notts recording 50 not out by the close of play. Despite this I'll definitely be frequenting this ground more often. A thoroughly enjoyable day sat in the sun.
The day didn't get off to the smoothest of starts. I overslept and upon checking my phone discovered it hadn't charged overnight, this meant that I got to Vauxhall station about 30 minutes later than I had intended, with play beginning as I got off the train. Unreserved seating meant that I could head to the emptiest part of the ground not in direct view of the sun (I burn easily!). It was only as I sat there I realized the extent of the history of this place, and when I heard the tannoy announcement that fans could go on the pitch during the lunch break I took up the opportunity.
The Oval, as a cricket ground, can be tracked back to 1845 when Surrey CCC signed a lease of 31 years with rent costing them a grand total of £120 a year before taxation. Prior to this it had been an unsuccessful market garden. In 1868 the Oval was to hold the first ever match on english soil against a foreign side when the Australian Aboriginal cricket team toured England. The match attracted around 20,000 people. The Oval then implanted itself in English Footballing history in 1870 and 1872. On the 5th March 1870 the first ever international fixture was played when England played a representative match against Scotland, finishing in a 1-1 draw. By 1872 they had played each over a further four times. On the 16th of March in the same year Wanderers would defeat Royal Engineers in the final of the inaugural season of the FA Challenge cup (hosting it a further 21 times, most recently in 1892). Not contempt with being a figurehead in these two sports, the Oval was also to be the venue for only the Second ever Rugby Union international when England took on Scotland, also in 1872.
By 1898 the current Pavilion (prior to redevelopment) had been built, as the ground became a predominately cricket venue. in 1908 South Africa became the second test team to play at the venue, eventually followed by the West Indies (1928), New Zealand (1931), India (1936), Pakistan (1954) and Sri Lanka (1998). On the 7th September 1973 the first ever One Day International was hosted on the ground when England hosted the West Indies. Since then it has also hosted numerous World Cup and champions trophy games.
In it's current form it ranks as my favorite cricket ground that I have visited. The ground can be split into two, the Vauxhall and the Pavilion end. The Vauxhall end was completed in 2005 and is a sweeping four tier stand, pictures I'd seen of it seemed rather uninspiring, but in person I was impressed. The Pavilion end in contrast is more traditional. While the stands that join onto the actual pavilion are due to be redeveloped (probably for the best) the actual pavilion is very smart, particularly from the rear. I particularly like how synonymous the gas tower is to the ground, with the Shard now looming in the background.
The game itself was a pretty standard affair, although Surrey were pretty awful. I left after 65 overs to get the train home (a smart choice with the issues on the line today) and by the time I arrived back home to look at the score the first day had finished. Surrey bowled out for 198 with Notts recording 50 not out by the close of play. Despite this I'll definitely be frequenting this ground more often. A thoroughly enjoyable day sat in the sun.