The History And Development Of The Oval Cricket Ground

The Kennington Oval can be considered one of thehad lost a match against Australia after a woeful two
most recognisable and prestigious cricket groundsdays, subsequently the ladies of the Australia team
anywhere in the world. Only surpassed by Lord's inpublished a mock obituary giving details of the
the UK its rich and illustrious history includes the firsttrouncing, As a result, the bails from the match were
test match ever on British soil as well as a host ofburnt and the ashes were kept in a small brown urn.
FA cup finals. Located in the London borough ofThis trophy continues to be the most desired in all of
Lambeth it is easily accessible from either the Oval orcricket although it is only passed between England
Vauxhall tube stations. The home of Surrey Countyand Australia.
Cricket Club and traditionally the last test match ofToday Ashes matches are probably the most popular
the summer, it is not just a popular ground with fans;for fans and hospitality package attendees alike. This
being so close to London a rising number of businesspinnacle of cricket nearly always ensures a great
hospitality package attendees have becomecontest although it is normally Australia who comes
apparent.out on top. This was not true during the last Ashes
Originally the Kennington Oval had no relation tomatch played at the Oval; after a thrilling five match
cricket; in 1844 the ground was host to a marketseries the last day's play saw Kevin Pietersen see his
garden owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, a situationteam home in what has been considered by many to
that remains today. In 1845 the Duchy grantedbe the best series of test cricket in the history of
Surrey County Cricket Club with a lease to use thethe game. Quite an accolade considering the contest
piece of land for cricket; this lease was based overhas more that a century of history.
thirty one years and charged an annual premium ofThe development of this ground is set to continue,
one hundred and twenty pounds. When the turf wasalthough the importance of the business hospitality
first laid in the Oval, the pieces of turf were broughtpackage has been one of the major incentives. After
from Tooting Common.a new stand that was completed in 2005 increasing
The Oval rapidly became popular with fans, in 1868the capacity to twenty three thousand, the current
an estimated twenty thousand cricket lovers turnedplan is for a redevelopment of the Pavilion End, with
up to watch the first game in the Aboriginal cricketa stand that is likely to back straight onto a hotel;
tour; the first tour a foreign team on English soil. It isthe importance of business customers to the Oval is
doubtful that the hospitality package attendees thatclear.
we see at the Oval today were present but even inThat is the world of cricket today however, for
these early years; cricket was a sport that reliedyears it has played second fiddle to the national
upon business and betting for its audience.game of football but this is rapidly changing in a
In terms of test matches the Oval played host toworldwide climate of big money contracts. Part of
the inaugural test match on English soil; the first everthis growth has been a result of the Indian Premier
test match being played at the Melbourne CricketLeague; a twenty twenty tournament that has
Ground. This test match took place between Englandattracted six figure sums for players. As money
and Australia in 1880. The Oval is the ground thatpours into the short form of the game it is grounds
saw the birth of The Ashes; the most hotlylike the Oval who will be able to reap the benefits of
contested test series in the world of cricket. Englandthis new found popularity.