Lord's Cricket Ground

Lord's Ground is a cricket ground in St John's Wood in London, at grid reference TQ268827. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), the European Cricket Council (ECC); and until August 2005, the International Cricket Council (ICC). Lord's is often referred to as 'The Home of Cricket'.

Lord's today is not on its original site. It was originally located in the area now known as Dorset Square, before moving to a location which was used by MCC during the summers of 1811, 1812 and 1813 before being abandoned due to the construction, through its outfield, of the Regent's Canal. This led to MCC moving around 250 yards north-west, to its current home, in 1814. A plaque was unveiled close to the site of the previous ground on 9 May 2006 by Andrew Strauss.

Early history

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There have been three Lord's Cricket Grounds. The original was founded by Thomas Lord in 1787 on the site of what is now Dorset Square. The first regular cricket fixture at Lord's (one that continues to this day) was the annual Eton v. Harrow cricket match which was first played in 1805.

Lord was obliged to relocate in 1810 to a site called 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, the present Lord's ground, formerly a duckpond, was founded.

Ground

The main survivor of the Victorian era is The Pavilion with its famous Long Room; this was built 1889-90 to the designs of architect Thomas Verity. Much of Lord's Cricket Ground was rebuilt in the late 20th century. In 1987 the new Mound Stand, designed by Sir Michael Hopkins, was opened. The Grand Stand (by Nicholas Grimshaw) and the Media Centre (by Future Systems and Buro Happold) followed in 1998-9. In 2002-3 the entire outfield was relaid and a much-improved drainage system installed. More recently, the historic Pavilion - a Grade II*-listed building - underwent an £8 million refurbishment programme in 2004-05. The stadium can hold up to 32,000 spectators.

The two ends of the pitch are the Pavilion End (south-west), where the main members' Pavilion is located, and the Nursery End (north-east), dominated by the Media Centre. The Pavilion was built in 1889-90.

On Thursday, March 22nd the MCC announced that the new sponsor of the iconic Media Centre at Lord's will be Investec, the international specialist banking group. Investec has committed to a three-year sponsorship deal, through until the end of the 2009 Ashes Series in England.

The agreement delivers an extensive package of rights including the naming of the building - the Investec Media Centre - corporate entertainment facilities and widespread branding at 'The Home of Cricket'.

One of the most distinctive and famous features of the Lord's ground is the significant slope across the field. The north-west side of the playing surface is some eight feet higher than the south-east side. This slope causes appreciable deviation in bounce of the ball on the pitch, making it easier to move the ball in to right-handed batsmen when bowling from the Pavilion End, and easier to move it away when bowling from the Nursery End.

Another highly visible feature of the ground is the weather vane in the shape of Father Time, currently adorning a stand on the south-east side of the field. Sir Herbert Baker presented Lord's with the weather vane in 1926. It adorned the north-western stand until it was replaced by the new main Grand Stand in 1996.

The Lord's Taverners, a charitable group comprising cricketers and cricket-lovers, take their name from the old Tavern pub at Lord's, where the organisation's founders used to congregate. The pub no longer exists, and the Tavern Stand now stands on its former site.

St. John's Wood tube station is nearby, whilst the Chiltern railway line runs under the practice ground at the Nursery End. Lord's gave its name to a tube station which closed in 1939.

Usage

Lord's hosts Test matches, One-day Internationals, Middlesex home matches, MCC matches and (starting with a fixture between Middlesex and Surrey in July 2004) some of Middlesex's home Twenty20 games.

Lord's typically hosts two Tests every summer - including the first Test of the summer - plus two one-day internationals.

Lord's also plays host to the finals of the National Village Cricket Competition, the MCC Universities Challenge tournament and The Friends Provident Trophy. Furthermore, two matches in the Twenty20 Cup, but not the competition's finals day, are played at Lord's each season.

The oldest permanent fixture at Lord's (indeed the world) is the annual Eton versus Harrow match which began in 1805 (Lord Byron played in the 1805 Harrow XI) and celebrated its bicentennial in 2005. The match is always fiercely contested. Since 2000 it has been 55 overs per side, but before that it was declaration and before that it was 2 innings per side over 2 days. Eton has the balance of wins, but the victor in the bicentenary year was Harrow.

Lord's is also one of the planned venues for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The archery competition will take place in front of the Pavilion, with the archers positioned in front of the Allen Stand and the targets placed in front of the Grand Stand.

The MCC Museum

Lord's is the home of the MCC Museum, which is the oldest sports museum in the world, and contains the world's most celebrated collection of cricket memorabilia, including The Ashes. MCC has been collecting memorabilia since 1864. The items on display include cricket kit used by the likes of Victor Trumper, Jack Hobbs, Don Bradman and Shane Warne, many items related to the career of W.G. Grace; and curiosities such as the stuffed sparrow that was 'bowled out' by Jahangir Khan in 1936, and the copy of Wisden that helped to sustain E.W. Swanton through his captivity in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. The Museum continues to collect historic artefacts and also commissions new paintings, and work from the "MCC Young Cricket Photographer". It contains the Brian Johnston Memorial Theatre, a cinema which screens historical cricket footage for visitors. A visit to the MCC Museum is included in the guided tours of the ground which take place daily. Alternatively, it can be visited on match-days by ticket-holding spectators for a separate charge.

Transportation

Best Modes of Transportation: Bus/Subway Nearest Train or Bus: St John's Wood
Notes: Bus: 13, 82, 113, 139, 187, 189, 274

Test matches at Lord's

Over one hundred Test matches have been played at Lord's, the first in 1884 when England defeated Australia by an innings and 5 runs. Australia's first win was in 1888 by 61 runs. South Africa played their first Test match at Lord's in 1907 and the ground was the host to an Australia v South Africa Test match in 1912. The West Indies appeared in a Test match at Lord's for the first time in 1928, to be followed by New Zealand (1931), India (1932), Pakistan (1954), Sri Lanka (1984), Zimbabwe (2000) and Bangladesh (2005). The hundredth Lord's Test match was in 2000 v West Indies. As of October 2006 England have played 112 Test matches at Lord's winning 42, losing 28 and drawing 42. Famously, England have not won an Ashes Test match at Lord's since 1934. Personal achievements by cricketers in Test matches at the ground are recognised with the names of century makers and of bowlers taking 5 wickets in an innings, or 10 wickets in a match, being inscribed on the honours boards in the home and away dressing rooms.

See also

• List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
• List of Test cricket grounds

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