Moving Out of Home

For many generations Lord’s has always been the home of cricket. If you were English there was never any doubt that it was.

Just as every young boy, and now girl, wants to play at Wembley if they play football and Twickenham if they play rugby, Lord’s was the ground that any cricketer wanted to play at.

It is a ground so steeped in history, that has witnessed so many great names and great contests, it is special to walk on that hallowed turf where so many have gone before.

The current site of this famous ground was in fact the third ground created by Thomas Lord, and opened its doors in 1814. It has an interesting history, for example the purchase of a lawn-mower in 1864 meant that there was no longer any need to have sheep grazing on the ground!

It is a magical place to watch cricket. To see the weather vane with old father time removing the bails at the end of a days play on top of the Scoreboard in the Grandstand is to see history. Both having been erected in 1926, just four years after the famous Grace gates. The gates arriving 54 years after the Tavern which stands nearby.

The first Test Match was played there in 1884 and England recorded a rare victory over Australia at the venue, by an innings and five runs.

Domestically Middlesex called Lord’s home in 1877. Yet it was in 1963 with the birth of One Day Cricket that Lord’s became “the Wembley of cricket.”

One Day Cricket originated in India in the 1950’s and it has been said that it was an idea put forward and carried through by KV Kelappan Thampuran, a former cricketer and the first Secretary of the Kerala Cricket Association.

In 1962, the Midlands Cup was contested in England between Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire. A year later the Gillette Cup was created and was contested by all the first class counties, and Sussex defeated Warwickshire in the Inaugural final.

The Gillette Cup final was the perfect culmination of the season and as was the case in most sports in days gone by, fans could be assured as to when it would be played, the first Saturday of September.

Initially a 65-over competition with bowlers allowed to bowl a maximum of 15 overs. That was scaled back to 60 overs per side, in 1964 and then to 50-overs per side in 1998. The Minor Counties entered the fray in 1964, with Ireland and Scotland also participating. The aim was to make it Cricket’s version of the FA Cup. Durham, at the time a Minor County became the first side to topple a First class side when they beat Yorkshire in 1973.

As is the norm the competition changed names, with Nat West taking over naming rights in 1981, and what a time they chose. That year the final between Derbyshire and Northamptonshire ended in a tie. The former claiming the trophy because they lost fewer wickets.

This competition was always the more prestigious of England’s two major One Day competitions, the other being the Benson and Hedges cup which came to an end in 2002, but both culminated with finals being played at Lord’s.

Few could believe that the Nat West Trophy would soon follow it’s rival competition. In 2006 the format was changed. The competition saw two leagues created with two groups of ten teams. The 18 first class counties along with Scotland and Ireland. The top two teams meeting in the final. It was revamped again in 2008, and by 2010 it was finished. Too much tinkering by the administrators had seen the Minor Counties excluded and the public lost interest as it became harder to follow. After 47 years Lord’s had lost an event that was etched in the public consciousness.

Back in 1969 another competition was created. The John Player League – or Sunday League – which was played on a Sunday. It was as it sounds a League competition in which each county played each other once in a game that consisted of 40 overs per side.

There was no final at Lords in this competition. As is the norm the competition was constantly revamped and when finals did come in, they were played at a neutral venue. This eventually evolved into the Pro40 which died in 2009.

The ECB maybe realising the error of their ways introduced the One Day Cup in 2014 and increased the 40 overs per side to 50 per side. The reason was claimed to be so that it “was in line with International Tournaments.” Entry was now solely for the 18 First Class counties, and the final was played at Lord’s.

Why had Cricket fans had to tolerate so much upheaval only to essentially see an old competition re-instated, albeit with a new name?

Yet last year it was announced that the 2019 Final which was played between Somerset and Hampshire would be the last hosted by Lord’s. That game won by Somerset bringing to a close a run of 56 years of hosting the Final.

Trent Bridge in Nottingham will host the final for the next five years. The decision we were told made more sense. Having a venue located more in the centre of the nation would make travel easier for the fans. Yet would bring to an end the traditional pilgrimage to the “Home of Cricket.”

It makes perfect sense to move your showcase game from a venue that holds 28,000 to one that holds 17,500. Trent Bridge is another of England’s Test Grounds with a history all of its own, and has seen Test cricket played there since 1899, but it doesn’t have the same prestige about it. Lord’s is still the venue that everyone wants to play at, like Wembley, or the MCG.

So were the reasons given the real reason as to why the One Day Final has been moved?

In the lead up to the last final it was revealed that from next year, the One-Day Cup, which many say has been the nursery for England’s successful one-day revolution, will be downgraded to a “developmental competition.” Gordon Hollins, the new managing director of county cricket, who was appointed in January this year, recently admitted that this will be the case, and stated that the One-Day Cup will run at the same time as the new ‘Hundred.’ And so the One-Day Cup will effectively be contested between failed ‘Hundred’ players. ( The ‘Hundred’ being the ECB administrators hairbrained idea to create yet another format of the game featuring just 100 balls per side!)

As sad as it is to see Lord’s lose such a prestigious game, maybe it is just as well. Lord’s has always been a ground for the special occasion, and it should never settle for second best. Regrettably it will be the players who will miss out on playing a final at the “Home of Cricket,” a chance that may come around just once in their career. The fans will also miss out as they will miss the chance to travel and see their side in a final at Lord’s. A memorable day whether you win or lose.

One can see Father time removing the bails, and thinking back on all that he has witnessed in close to 100 years and no doubt shaking his head as he heads to the tavern to discuss the folly of those running the game. Something that is best done with a drink in one’s hand.