Calling all cricket fans! www.surreycricket.com is appealing for your memories of Oval Test Matches in years gone by as we prepare to launch a series of articles on ‘Olympic’ Test Matches over the years.

With the Oval traditionally hosting the last Test Match of the summer – as in 2008 – the match often has to battle for attention with the start of the Summer Olympic Games.

However this has not often been a problem, with some of the most memorable games in Test Match history taking place whilst the world’s sporting attention is partially focused elsewhere.

In 1948 for instance, whilst the rest of London focussed on the capital’s preparations for its summer games, the Oval was abuzz with cricket fans packing in to see the final Test Match innings of Sir Donald Bradman.

In the next decade, whilst sports fans across the country were talking about the prospects of Chris Brasher, Derek Johnson and Terry Spinks at Melbourne, the Oval produced the pay off to one of the greatest Test series of all time, with Surrey’s own Jim Laker taking seven wickets in the match as England played out the draw to secure the Ashes with a 2-1 series victory.

Twelve years later in 1968, with the world focussing on goings on in Mexico City, the Oval once again wrenched attention away by hosting two innings for the ages from John Edrich – another Surrey great – and Basil D’Oliveira as England battled back to beat Australia and secure a 1-1 Ashes draw.

In 1976, with David Wilkie and Brendan Foster preparing to thrill the nation in Montreal, Sir Vivian Richards provided one of the greatest innings ever seen at the Oval, flaying Bob Willis, Mike Selvey, Derek Underwood and Tony Grieg to all corners of the ground as he accrued a massive 291. Despite Dennis Amiss replying with 203 for England, fourteen wickets in the match for Michael Holding sent the Windies home with a crushing 3-0 series victory.

The West Indies were the Olympic visitors throughout the eighties as well, with the likes of Holding, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and then Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh thrilling sold out crowds and inflicting misery on luckless England captains such as Ian Botham, David Gower and Graham Gooch.

In the nineties, preparations for Barcelona and Atlanta masked a couple of crushing England defeats to Pakistan, with Surrey legend Waqar Younis playing a starring role. However, in a good omen for Kevin Pietersen’s debut Test as captain – Oval Olympic Tests have proved a more happy hunting ground for England recently, with two large victories being earned over the West Indies by sides captained by Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan respectively.

www.surreycricket.com will be recalling these games in more detail as the Beijing Olympics continues and would be delighted to hear from any readers with memories of the matches. To get in touch, please e-mail jsurtees@surreycricket.com

The best responses will be acknowledged in the articles, which launch at lunchtime on Saturday August 9 with a look back to the last London Olympic Test Match in 1948, featuring Sir Donald Bradman's famous final innings.

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