Today, the Oval, or the Brit Oval as it is now known, will host its 2000th game of first-class cricket. That is the most by any ground in the world with the exception of Lord’s, the home of cricket.

Today's match sees Surrey take on Derbyshire in the first Liverpool Victoria County Championship match of season 2006. Just a run of the mill game for some, but not for those who are aware of the ground’s illustrious 161year history.

The new £25 million OCS Stand

Surrey County Cricket Club, after it was formed in 1845, immediately adopted Kennington Oval, formerly a market garden, as their home ground. It then hosted its first match back in 1846, a match between Surrey and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Interestingly, innings totals in that match were 58 (MCC), 37 (Surrey), 63 (MCC) and 36 (Surrey). These sorts of scores are particularly unfamiliar today with the ground’s strong reputation as one of the leading batting wickets in the country.

Soon after this first game, the Oval became a hub of sports activity and was regarded as the national sports centre, rather like Wembley in recent times.

The first FA Cup final was played here in 1872 and this continued until 1892 when the Surrey committee became unhappy about the damage that was being done to the turf.

Last year's winners of the AFL Challenge Trophy, the Fremantle Dockers

Soccer internationals were held staged here along with other sports such as rugby union, hockey, lacrosse, tennis, athletics and even baseball and roller skating. Most would also be surprised to learn that the Oval, although it was never used as such, was commandeered and set up as a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War.

These days, Australian Rules visits once a year in October to add what is an already comprehensive list.

Since 1845, the ground has developed to become one of the leading Test match grounds in the world. The current pavilion was built just in time for the start of the 1898 season with the most recent addition to the ground being a £25 million project at the Vauxhall End, now known as the OCS Stand.

Arguments have been rife regarding the gasholders, sitting just outside the ground’s confines, about whether they were there before the ground was first used but research has shown that the first one was constructed in 1878, some 32 years after the first first-class match was played here.

The Brit Oval as it is now known is a truly remarkable place with such an intriguing history. Cricket fans who have come to see matches here have had the privilege to see thousands of cricketing legends pass through these gates already and long may this continue.

Add to Del.icio.us Digg it share on Facebook (What is this?)

• Listen
• Watch