The Oval in Kennington, London, is the host for the fifth game
The ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is on the verge of conclusion, with only one game left to be played between England and India. Oval, being an iconic and historic venue, will undoubtedly draw huge crowds for the last game of the series. However, since the match is yet to begin, we have listed a number of lesser-known facts about the Oval in the meantime.
Opened in 1854, the Oval cricket stadium was originally a cabbage patch and market garden owned by the Dutch of Cornwall. The Oval is the home stadium of the Surrey County Cricket Club, and the final test match of the England season is often played at the Oval.
Before the stadium was built, a road around the oval was constructed. According to 1818, the old maps depicted the area as ‘Popular Grove.’ However, by 1830, people had started using the name ‘Oval.’ There’s another story stating that since the road around Kennington Park is oval, the stadium acquired its name from there.
Floodlights, specifically electric floodlights, were introduced in cricket and football stadiums in the 1950s. However, the Oval was always ahead of its time, boasting a floodlight in the late 1800s. In 1889, the Oval had installed floodlights lit by gas lamps. In fact, near the Oval once stood the Victorian gasometer. Now Grade II listed, it was once the world’s largest gas holder, capable of holding six million cubic feet of gas.
Famous for hosting cricket, the Oval cricket stadium is a multi-sports venue that has hosted several other sports.
· The first representative football match in the world between England and Scotland in 1870 was played at the Oval. However, it was not a FIFA-recognised event.
· The first final of the prestigious FA Cup and two semi-finals were also hosted by the Oval in 1872. The FA Cup was won by the Wanderers, who beat the Royal Engineers.
· The Oval also hosted seven rugby matches between 1872 and 1879.
· The iconic cricket venue also hosted women’s sports, i.e., women’s hockey, between 1935 and 1949. In fact, one of these matches was the first team sports match that was aired on the BBC.
· A game of baseball was also hosted by the Oval, played between the Chicago White Stockings and an "All-American" team.
Last but not least, in the 1890s, gasworks employees were allowed to reside in Oval Mansions, which sit between the Oval and the gas holders. Decades ago, residents could sit on the roof and watch the games unfold.
