The Antelope Ground,
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
was a
sports ground
A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in Australian English, Australian, American English, American and Canadian English is ...
that was the first home of both
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class cricket, first-class county cricket, county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of Hamp ...
, who played there prior to 1884, and of
Southampton Football Club, who played there from 1887 to 1896 as "Southampton St. Mary's F.C."
The ground was situated on the east side of
St Mary's Road at the corner of the present-day Brinton's Terrace and extended south to Clovelly Road and east to Exmoor Road. The ground took its name from the Antelope Hotel, which was situated on the opposite side of St Mary's Road.
Hampshire County Cricket Club
1842 to 1845
The first known
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
match played at the ground was on 23 August 1839 when "North of Hampshire" opposed "South of Hampshire".
In 1842 three local gentlemen,
Thomas Chamberlayne,
Sir Frederick Hervey-Bathurst and
Sir John Barker-Mill, financed the development of the ground and installed the former
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
and
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
cricketer
Daniel Day in the Antelope Hotel.
Chamberlayne was a Hampshire cricketer, making several appearances in the 1840s, including in the Hampshire v. England match in September 1842. Hervey-Bathurst also played regularly for MCC and Hampshire between 1832 and 1861. All three gentlemen are shown on the scorecard of a match between
MCC and Hampshire at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...
on 30 June 1842, although Barker-Mill is shown as "absent hurt".
During the period when the ground was under the supervision of Daniel Day the ground was known as "Day's Ground" rather than the Antelope.
Five
first-class matches were played there between 1842 and 1845. The first was in September 1842, when Hampshire played England. This was a low-scoring match with Hampshire being bowled out for 67 in the first innings; England replied with a total of 99, but Hampshire only managed 27 in their second innings and England thus won by an innings and 5 runs. England's best bowler was
William Hillyer who took 15 wickets in the match.
In 1845, the ground was first threatened by
building speculation, resulting in Daniel Day moving to a ground at the Woolston Hotel on the south side of Woolston Road,
Itchen, a few hundred yards across the
River Itchen from Southampton. First-class matches in Southampton were then played on what was known as "
Day's Itchen Ground".
The building development fell through and the lease of the Antelope Ground was taken by a Mr. Brooks (or Brooke), with cricket matches involving the "Gentlemen of South Hampshire" being staged there.
In 1861
James Southerton, the Surrey cricketer was engaged at Southampton and resided at the Antelope Ground. He remained there until 1867.
The first recorded individual century made on the ground was in 1862, when
George Ede hit 122 for South Hampshire v East Hampshire.
1863 to 1884
On 11 September 1863, at a meeting held at the Antelope Hotel,
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class cricket, first-class county cricket, county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of Hamp ...
was re-formed, following which top-class cricket returned to the Antelope, with the County Club renting the ground from 1864 on a yearly basis.
The first county match at the ground following the revival of the club was against
Sussex
Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...
starting on 7 July 1864, which Sussex won by 10 wickets with
James Lillywhite claiming ten wickets in the match for 80 runs, including taking his 100th wicket in
first-class matches.
Over the next twenty years, 27 first-class matches were played at the Antelope Ground as well as regular matches involving the "Gentlemen of Hampshire".
The best bowling figures were in a match against
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
in July 1876 when Derbyshire's
William Mycroft
William Mycroft (1 February 1841 – 19 June 1894) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire and MCC between 1873 and 1886. He was a left-arm fast bowler with a great deal of spin and a dangerous yorker that was ofte ...
claimed 17–103 in the match. Despite this, Hampshire won a low-scoring match by one wicket.
Francis Lacey claimed the highest individual score at the ground, with 211 in the first innings against
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
in June 1884, which he followed with 92 not out in the second, as Hampshire won by 3 wickets. This was Lacey's top score in first-class matches.
The last recorded match at the ground was between Hampshire and
Somerset
Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
in August 1884, when a total of 645 runs were scored, with
Ernest Powell and Francis Lacey scoring 140 and 100 respectively in Hampshire's first innings. Hampshire won the match by an innings and 169 runs.
In 1883, Col.
James Fellowes opened negotiations for the lease and development of land in Northlands Road, Southampton (part of the
Hulse Estate) and by the Annual General Meeting of Hampshire County Cricket Club, held at the George Hotel, Winchester in January 1884, Col. Fellowes was able to report that of land had been leased at an annual rent of £160 on condition that the club erected a pavilion. The new lease was to run for 28 years. The first match played at the new
County Ground was on 9 May 1885.
Southampton St. Mary's Football Club
Formation to 1891
Southampton St. Mary's F.C. was founded officially in 1885, although the club's history can be traced back to 1878 with the foundation of "''Southampton Rangers''" by shipbuilders working for Oswald & Mordaunt (later
Vosper Thornycroft). The first match played under the name of "St. Mary's" was on 21 November 1885, on the "backfield" of the
County Ground in Northlands Road. The match was against a team from
Freemantle, who were defeated 5–1. Over the next two years, the "Saints" played their home matches on
Southampton Common near the Cowherds pub. In 1887, the
Hampshire Football Association was founded and immediately established the
Hampshire Senior and Junior Cup competitions, with St. Mary's entering the Senior Cup. On 26 November 1887, the Saints played their first-ever cup tie away to
Totton
Totton is a town in the civil parish of Totton and Eling, in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. In 2021 it had a population of 28,094.
History
The name "Totton" means 'Tot(r)ingtun' farm of 'Tot(t)a', "Totton was "Totinctone" in 98 ...
, played at
Testwood
Totton and Eling () is a civil parish in Hampshire, England, with a population of 28,970 people. It contains the settlements of Totton, Eling, Calmore, Hounsdown, Rushington and Testwood. It is situated between the eastern edge of the New For ...
.
In the next round, the Saints were drawn at home to play
Petersfield
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own Petersfield railway station, railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rai ...
on 17 December 1887. As Southampton Common was not suitable for a cup-tie, the St Mary's committee secured the use of the Antelope Ground, "by kind permission of the Pirates". The Pirates were a rugby club who shared the ground with
Woolston Works F.C. Petersfield could only field ten men, and the Saints won 10–0. In the next round, the Saints received another home draw, this time against
Lymington
Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England.
The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...
; the Pirates already had a fixture on the date of the match, 21 January 1888, so the match was played on the pitch at the Anchor Hotel,
Redbridge, just within the town boundary. The match was won 4–0, but some of the Saints' fans misbehaved; their "hilarious" behaviour was such that the owner of the ground demanded that the gate receipts should be paid to the
Royal South Hants Hospital. The remaining matches in the cup were all played at the County Ground, with the Saints defeating the Southampton Harriers 2–1 in the final after a replay.
The next recorded match at the Antelope Ground was on 14 April 1888, when St. Mary's lost 3–0 to Woolston Works in an end-of-season friendly. During the summer of 1888, the Saints committee endeavoured to find a more suitable permanent location than the common. An application to play on Hoglands Park was refused by the town council. With pitches at the County Ground and the Antelope costing between £2.10s and £3 to rent (necessitating an attendance of 240 at 3
d each to break even) the club were in great need of a permanent home.
For the 1888–89 season, the Saints continued to play most of their home matches on the common, although some more prestigious friendly matches were played at the County Ground. After a 5–0 victory in the Hampshire Junior Cup first round over
Havant
Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England. Nearby places include Portsmouth to the south-west, Southampton to the west, Waterlooville to north, Chichester to the east and Hayling Island to the south. The wider borough ...
at the Antelope Ground in November and a bye in the second, the third round draw gave the Saints a home match with the
Fordingbridge Turks. The match was scheduled for 12 January when the Saints had four players (including captain
George Carter) selected for a Hampshire FA game; the Saints' tried to have the cup game rescheduled but the Turks refused. On the morning of the game, no venue had been arranged but an agreement was reached with the Woolston Works side, who were now tenants at the Antelope Ground, to use their facilities. The Saints won 3–2 earning them a semi-final appearance against
Cowes
Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...
, which the Saints eventually won after a third replay. The final against
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
was played at
Bar End,
Winchester
Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...
with the Saints winning 3–0. The crowd at the County Ground for the third replay was reported to be in excess of 5,000, although the actual crowd was probably less than half this, but nonetheless the level of support demonstrated that football had now become well-established in the eyes of the Southampton public.
In the summer of 1889, the Woolston Works team folded leaving it clear for the Saints to claim the Antelope Ground as their home base, with the
Trojans Rugby Club as joint tenants. Having obtained a permanent home, St. Mary's could now claim to be the premier club in the town, although
Freemantle would continue to contest this claim, despite having a much poorer record in the local cups.
For the 1889–90 season, St. Mary's played their friendly matches at the Antelope Ground as well as a third-round match in the Hampshire Junior Cup, but the semi-final and final of the cup were played at the County Ground, with the Saints defeating
Lymington
Lymington is a port town on the west bank of the Lymington River on the Solent, in the New Forest (district), New Forest district of Hampshire, England.
The town faces Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, to which there is a Roll-on/roll-off, car ferry s ...
2–0 in the final, thus winning the tournament for the third consecutive year, enabling them to retain the cup outright. The crowd at the County Ground was estimated at 2,800 and the gate money (£51 3s 6d) was reported to be "''the largest ever taken in the two counties (Hampshire and Dorset) and beats the big "gate" at the Cowes match last year''".
In the following year, the Saints continued to arrange friendly matches at the Antelope Ground inviting teams from further afield, suffering defeats against teams such as
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
and
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
. Having won the Junior Cup outright, they now entered the Hampshire Senior Cup defeating
Geneva Cross from
Netley Hospital
The Royal Victoria Hospital or Netley Hospital was a large British Military Hospital, military hospital in Netley, near Southampton, Hampshire, England. Construction started in 1856 at the suggestion of Queen Victoria but its design caused some ...
5–0 at the Antelope Ground, before playing the semi-final and final at the County Ground where, on 14 March 1891, they defeated a side from the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
,
Aldershot
Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
3–1 in front of a crowd numbering between 3,000 and 4,000 with a "''gate''" of £63. The season ended with the St Mary's club having a membership of 400 and a bank balance of over £100.
1891 to 1894 (Entering the FA Cup)
The success in local cup competitions prompted the club committee to enter a national tournament for the first time – in the first qualifying round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
they played at
Warmley near
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
winning comfortably 4–1. The draw for the next round was a home match against
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
to be played on 24 October 1891. Two weeks before the tie at the Antelope Ground, the Saints arranged a friendly against the
93rd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, after which two members of the Highlanders side,
Jock Fleming and
Sandy McMillan, were signed by the Saints.
For the first FA Cup match to be staged in Southampton, the St Mary's committee "pulled out all the stops" to make sure that the Antelope Ground met the standards expected of a venue for the country's top football tournament, although the local press complained of the poor facilities, not having a covered press box, and there were problems with the pitch markings. The crowd (estimated at 4,000) watched the match from behind a rope around the perimeter of the pitch. The walls and banks around the ground were crowded with spectators trying to get a better view, as were the windows of neighbouring houses. They were entertained with a 7–0 victory, with Fleming getting a
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
. At the reception after the match, the Reading secretary asked for, and received, an advance of £3 on the share of the gate money. With this he immediately sent a telegram of protest accompanied by the necessary fee of 2
guineas
The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...
to
the Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
(FA) claiming that the Saints had fielded illegally registered players in Fleming and McMillan. The claim was upheld by the FA, who found that the players had not been registered at least 28 days before the match, and as the Saints had not complied with the requirements of Rule 5 they were thus expelled from the competition.
In 1892–93, the Saints defeated
Newbury 4–1 (with a hat-trick from
Bob Kiddle) in the first qualifying round played at the Antelope Ground. In the second qualifying round they played
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...
at the Antelope Ground on 29 October 1892 and suffered a 4–0 defeat – apart from the Hampshire County Cricket Club Charity Cup the previous April, this was the Saints first defeat in a cup match. Shortly before this match, the Saints had signed their first professional player,
Jack Dollin, who was paid a "''pound a week and given a job in the week''", although his professional status was not revealed publicly at the time. Dollin only remained with the Saints until the end of the season, before knee injuries caused him to revert to amateur status.
Before the start of the 1893–94 season, the Saints signed further players on professional terms, including
Jack Angus and
Harry Offer, who had previously played for
Ardwick
Ardwick is an area of Manchester, England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 19,250.
Historically in Lancashire, by the mid-nineteenth century Ardwick had grown from being a village into a pleasant and wealt ...
(later
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
) and
Royal Arsenal
The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proof test, proofing, and explosives research for ...
respectively. In the FA Cup,
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...
were defeated 3–1 at the Antelope Ground, before a defeat at
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
in the next round. In the local cups, the Saints were defeated 1–0 by the Royal Engineers (Aldershot) in the final (with Angus being sent off), played at the County Ground, but did gain revenge by winning the Hampshire County Cricket Club Charity Cup 5–0 a few weeks later.
During the 1893–94 season, the Saints arranged a match under
"''Well's Patent''" lights, but it was called off due to bad weather; it would be another 60 years before Southampton played their first match under
floodlights
A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. It can provide functional area lighting for travel-ways, parking, entrances, work areas, and sporting venues to enable visibil ...
. At the end of the season, the Saints were able to report a "''profit''" of over £85 – gate receipts and subscriptions had produced income of £768, with expenses of £683 including wages of £221 and rent for the Antelope Ground of £42.
In June 1894,
St. Mary's Church, who owned the freehold of the ground, were short of funds and decided that the Antelope Ground should be sold. They offered it to the Town Council for £5,000 but this was declined. There was a brief half-hearted campaign to persuade the Saints to purchase the freehold, but the club could not afford it but instead considered a permanent move to the County Ground. Ultimately, this all came to nothing and the Saints remained at the Antelope Ground for the start of the next, historic season.
1894 to 1896 (The Southern League)
In
1894
Events January
* January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire.
* January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United States.
* Ja ...
, Southampton St Mary's were one of the nine founder members of the
Southern League, which had been created to enable clubs in southern England who were not admitted to
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
, to play competitive football on a regular basis. For the start of their League career, Saints signed several new players on professional contracts, including
Charles Baker,
Alf Littlehales and
Lachie Thomson from
Stoke and
Fred Hollands from
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
.
Saints' first league match was played at the Antelope Ground on 6 October 1894 in front of a crowd estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000, who paid 6d each for admittance;
Harry Offer,
Jack Angus and Fred Hollands scored in a 3–1 victory over
Chatham. During the match, Chatham's centre-forward, Gamble, was sent-off for making "''uncomplimentary''" comments to the referee following Southampton's second goal, for which he claimed the ball had been "''carried right into goal on one of the player's arms''".
The Saints' first defeat at the Antelope Ground came against
Luton
Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census.
Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
on 22 December (2–1), whilst their best result was a 7–1 victory over
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded as Swindon A ...
on 30 March, with two goals each from Jack Angus and
Herbert Ward
Herbert may refer to:
People
* Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert
* Herbert (given name)
* Herbert (surname)
Places Antarctica
* Herbert Mountains, Coats Land
* Herbert Sound, Graham Land
Australia
* Herbert, Northern Territory ...
. Saints finished their
inaugural league season in third place, behind
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
and
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
.
In the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, Southampton met
Newbury on 13 October 1894 in the first qualifying round at the Antelope Ground. Saints were "''in particularly rampant mood''" and won 14–0, with hat-tricks from Herbert Ward and
Arthur Nineham; this is still Southampton's biggest victory in a competitive match. They had easy victories in the next three rounds, defeating
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
5–2,
Marlow 7–3 and
Warmley 5–1, with all four qualifying matches being played at the Antelope Ground. This meant that the Saints went into the draw for the
First round proper
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
for the first time, from which they received yet another home tie, against
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
of the
First Division.
The match against Nottingham Forest was played at the Antelope Ground on 2 February 1895. On the day of the match, the pitch was covered with three inches (76 mm) of snow. After a long delay, while the referee assessed whether or not the frozen ground was fit to play on, the crowd (estimated at 7,000) were admitted. By this time a grandstand had been erected at the ground, for which spectators were charged admission of 1s 6d, compared to the standing spectators for whom the admission was still 6d. The Nottingham Forest players complained about the spartan state of the changing accommodation, demanding an oil stove, before the match eventually kicked off. Despite scoring 31 goals in the qualifying stages, the Saints were no match for the "''skill, subtlety and cohesion''" of their opponents who ran out 4–1 victors, with two goals from
Thomas Rose. The local press blamed the defeat on the failure of the Southampton players to train adequately and also suggested that the "''more northerly visitors were more accustomed to the Arctic conditions''".
Shortly before the FA Cup exit, the Saints had entertained a team from the
Wiltshire Regiment, winning 13–0 on a "''quagmire of a pitch''" at the Antelope Ground, with
Joe Rogers scoring ten goals.
For the Saints'
second season in the Southern League, they remained at the Antelope Ground, with the league season following a similar pattern as the previous year, with the Saints finishing third behind Millwall and Luton Town. The highlight of the league season was the visit of Millwall on 21 March 1896 when a crowd of 8,000 saw the Saints defeat the reigning champions 2–0, with goals from
Charles Baker and
Joe Turner.
Further excitement came in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, when an away victory over local rivals
Freemantle in the first qualifying round was followed by comfortable home victories over
Marlow (5–0),
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
(3–0) and
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...
(3–0). In the
First round proper
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
, the Saints once again received a home draw against opposition from the
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
, this time in the shape of
The Wednesday. Saints' trainer,
Bill Dawson, who had moved from
Stoke in the summer, spent the week leading up to Wednesday's visit with extra training for the players, taking them through their paces on
Shawford Down.
For the match, played at the Antelope Ground on 1 February 1896, the crowd was estimated at 12,000, by far the largest yet recorded for a football match in Southampton. In an effort to avoid the crowd congestion from the previous year, the gates were opened at 1 o'clock. According to the report in one local newspaper, "''The Independent''", by the time of the kick-off,
"the scene at the ground was a sight for the gods. Thousands lined the ropes and crowded the embankments, and hundreds packed the stands. The enclosure was encircled by a dense and perfect sea of faces. Every coign of vantage had been monopolised, windows and house tops not excepted."
The reporter for
"''the Echo''", writing under the name "''Ariel''", added:
"All the world and his wife were there, including many of our "city fathers" and grave and reverend seigniors, whose curiosity had been aroused by the chatter that was going on in the town... It was a sight calculated to excite the feelings of the Saintly executive, and make them look as pleased and comfortable as if the very cockles of their hearts were being tickled. A sea of faces ten thousand strong bordered the field of play when ... the referee first tooted the whistle."
Unfortunately, the ground was unable to take such a large crowd. Shortly before the teams ran out onto the pitch, a shed roof collapsed, resulting in injuries to fans who had been inside the shed or perched on top. One spectator, George May, suffered a broken ankle and a Mr. George Bett, who had been inside, suffered serious knee damage that subsequently prevented him from working in his occupation as a carriage maker at the
Eastleigh railway works
Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh, in the county of Hampshire in England.
History
LSWR
The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) opened a carriage and wagon works at E ...
. Bett later unsuccessfully sued the club for damages, his case failing because it was found that the club had declared the shed "''out of bounds''", although the defendants did agree to help Bett in his hardship.
For the match itself, the Saints had to play their third-choice goalkeeper,
Walter Cox as
Tom Cain was injured, and the
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
refused to allow on-loan 'keeper
"Gunner" Reilly to play. The Saints took an early lead, through
Watty Keay, before two goals from
Alec Brady gave Wednesday the half-time lead. Wednesday increased their lead shortly after the break, and although
Joe Turner got one back, the Saints were unable to score an equaliser. Wednesday ran out 3–2 winners and went on to win
the Cup the following April.
Closure
Although the Saints had previously set up a sub-committee to discuss purchasing the Antelope Ground outright, no agreement could be reached with the freeholders. Following the failure of these negotiations, the church agreed the sale of the site to property developers. On 18 January 1896, the local press reported that contracts had already been drawn up for the sale and that "''eligible villa residences''" would be built on the ground where "''many historic battles''" had been fought.
The club, through the connections of their president
Dr. H. W. R. Bencraft, who was also Hon. Secretary to
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class cricket, first-class county cricket, county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of Hamp ...
, secured the use of the County Ground, at an annual rental of £200.
The last football match played at the Antelope Ground was on the evening of Wednesday 29 April 1896, when a crowd estimated at 3,000 saw the Saints defeat their local rivals
Freemantle in a friendly, with the last goal being scored by Southampton-born
Fred Hayter.
Southampton Football Club spent the next two seasons as tenants at the County Ground, during both of which they won the Southern League title, before eventually obtaining a permanent home, when they moved to
The Dell in 1898.
The Antelope Ground was demolished, with Graham Road being built across the site. Subsequently, a furniture store was built on the corner of Brinton's Terrace and St Mary's Road; Brinton's Terrace is now one of the entrances to the
Royal South Hampshire Hospital, while the Antelope Hotel has long since disappeared and an office block, which was for many years occupied by
British Gas
British Gas (trading as Scottish Gas in Scotland) is an energy and home services provider in the United Kingdom. It is the trading name of British Gas Services Limited and British Gas New Heating Limited, both subsidiaries of Centrica. Serving ...
, now stands on the site.
See also
*
List of Hampshire County Cricket Club grounds
Hampshire County Cricket Club was established in August 1863. Since then, Hampshire has played First-class cricket, first-class, List A cricket, List A one-day, and Twenty20 matches at various venues across what is considered the Historic coun ...
*
List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
References
Bibliography
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External links
Profile on cricketarchive.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antelope Ground
Sport in Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Defunct football venues in England
Defunct cricket grounds in England
Defunct sports venues in Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Cricket grounds in Hampshire