THE OVAL

Southland Times, Issue 20014, 30 October 1926, Page 11

THE OVAL

CABBAGE PATCH TO CRICKET PITCH. GIANT GAMES OF OLD. k It is no exaggeration to say that the eager attention of half the civilised world is now focussed upon the events that are taking place on the historic ground in South-east London (states the Observer, of August *l5). It is true that Lord’s is always regarded as the headquarters of cricket, and, as such, both its historic associations and its present significance in the world of cricket are too well known to be repeated here. But though Lord’s may truly be said to be the hub of the administrative system of the game, and to be the central point where gather all the noblest and fairest of the land, yet we venture to assert that for cricket, and cricket alone, the Oval ranks as its equal, and that it bears to Lord’s the same relation as Epsom bears to Ascot, for whereas the latter course is famed as the scene of England’s most brilliant and luxurious race meeting, yet the former is the course devoted to the masses, and, moreover, has the proud privilige of holding the race which is known as the Blue Riband of the Turf—the Derby.

And .so to Kennington falls the honour, every three or four years, as the case may be, of being the ground chosen for what must sometimes be, and very often has been, the scene of the tensest and most absorbing match that can be imagined—a final deciding test match between England and Australia, Owing to the fact that during its long history, with but few exceptions, it has always been the venue for the last test match of the rubber, the ground holds a very special significance, and by this alone deserves at least to rank with Lord’s as England’s most historical cricket ground. The scene of yesterday’s great struggle—the fifteenth held here between the two countries—was in the year of grace 1844 a market garden, which was divided up into a series of small allotments belonging to the artisan class, and mainly given up to the growing of that excellent, but prosaic, vegetable, the cabbage. That lovely green stretch of turf which we gazed upon yesterday was, therefore, when Victoria came to the throne, nothing more or less than a cabbage patch! It is of interest to note, too, that somewhere in the vicinity, very likely in close proximity, was a large open space which lent itself to the gathering together of a vast horde of discontented labourers, who, upon a certain rainy day, April 10, 1848, to be precise, were about to march in full force to Westminster to present to Parliament there assembled a monster petition, which, if unfolded, would have stretched for several miles! HISTORIC MEETING.

This was the last dying effort of the Chartists, and it is noteworthy also as being the scene of the great Duke of Wellington’s last public duty, for he (then an old man of eighty) was in charge of the Government troops assembled there to quell the threatening demonstration. He was successful, and as he rode by he very likely gazed upon the Oval itself, which by then had been just converted into some > ugh semblance of a cricket ground by the enterprising Montpelier Cricket Club, who, having just been turned off their ground, “The Beehive,” at. Walworth, had, with the assistance of a certain Mr Houghton, purchased this cabbage garden of ten acres and of a distinctly oval shape. In 1845 the first match was played here between this enterprising club and Clapton. Then, a few weeks after, an historic meeting was held at the Horns Hotel, Kennington, wherein the Surrey County Cricket Club was first formed, making the newlyacquired Oval their home ground. Thus was the Surrey Club born, and on June 25, 1846,, the first county match was played between Surrey and Kent. Then came trouble with the Duchy of Cornwall, to whom the ground belonged, until finally a Mr John Burrup made this great match played yesterday possible by effecting a compromise whereby the lease of the ground passed for ever into the hands of the Surrey Committee, and which they still hold from their gracious landlord, the Prince of Wales; hence the three feathers worn on the Surrey caps and blazers. What names stir the mind at the mention of the Oval! Julius Caesar and Caffin (known as the “Surrey Pet”), who once bowled twenty-fours overs and took seven wickets for 7 runs against Kent in 1862, and who finished off his glorious cricket career by becoming a hairdresser in Australia, presumably because he could cut souare or late as the case may be. And what a debt cricket owes to Edgar Willsher, who, playing at the Oval in 1862 for All England against Surrey, suddenly began to bowl with his hand above the shoulder, whereupon he was no-balled by John Lillywhite ; but a protest was entered, and at last the bowler gained full liberty to bowl in whatsoever style he wished, and the era of over-arm bowling was initiated. UNFORGETTABLE RATTLES. Memory takes us down to the great Oval players of the ’Bo’s and ’9o’s—Lohmann, Walter Read, Lockwood, and the lion-hearted Tom Richardson. If we only had now in England a fast bowler of the class of the two last-named! Then in later years who can forget when Yorkshire were bowled out for a paltry 26 by Tom Rushby and “Razor” Smith, thus giving Warwickshire their hard-earned championship in 1911? And one readily recalls, too, that rainy evening at the Oval when Jack Hobbs and Jack Crawford obtained the 95 runs needed for victory against Kent in thirtyfive minutes! And who can forget that day, under drab skies, in 1905, when a youngster calling himself Hobbs made his first appearance against Essex and signalised it by scoring 165? The first test match, too, ever played in England was played at Kennington in 1880. when the immortal W. G. Grace obtained 152, and his great rival friend, Billy Murdoch, went one better and played an innings of 153! Then in 1886 England swamped her opponents by an innings and 217 runs, “W.G.” playing an innings of 170 that will live for all time. And lucky were those who saw England win by one wicket in 1902, when all seemed lost until Jessop made his dazzling century, and Wilfred Rhodes, a stripling then, came in last and stayed till the game was won, and many spectators fainted from excitement at the end. It is a curious fact that Rhodes was playing in a test match at the Oval when his present captain, A. P. F. Chapin an, was a baby of two! Then comes Bardsiey's great triumph, made on this historic ground in 1909, when he made a century in each innings, and which also was the great Victor Trumper’s last appearance in England. Those who have imagination cannot but recall the heroes who have battled here under the shadow of the gasworks in bygone days; and who knows but that the shades of the mighty dead and departed are now flitting round us unseen when we watch this, the latest—and perhaps the tensest—of the great struggles fought out on the sacred Kennington turf?