The Oval is the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it was opened in 1845. It was the first ground in England to host an international Test Cricket Match.
The ground has hosted other sporting events such as the first representative football match between England and Scotland in 1870. It has also hosted FA Cup finals in 1872, 1874 and 1892. In 1877 the ground also hosted rugby's first varsity match.
The area was originally part of Kennington Common where Cricket was regularly played but was also host to public executions. In 1844 the current site was a cabbage patch owned by the Duchy of Cornwall who leased the site to Mr W Houghton for ÂŁ120 per year.
The first match was played in 1845 so forming the SCCC.
In 1868 an Aboriginal Team played in front of 20,000 spectators making it the first international match. It was another fourteen years before the rivalry between Australian and England was to begin. Australia won the Test by seven runs over two days which lead to a mocking notice in The Sporting Times.
The ground is known to having the first artificial lighting at a sports arena back in 1889. The lighting used gas to power the illumination.
During WWII the Oval was used to house AA searchlights and then a POW camp, but was never used for such a purpose.
The end names, Vauxhall End, as that end is nearest Vauxhall and The Pavilion End which has the Members Pavilion in the south-east.
To claim this Virtual, you should have a picture of Hobbs Gates including the two brown plaques and your caching name on paper or phone. If you wish to take a selfie, that is fine. Any photo that meets this criteria whatever the date is acceptable.
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Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.