Bullingdon Green was a

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 ...

ground south of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, England. It was associated with the

Bullingdon Club The Bullingdon Club is a private all-male dining club for Oxford University students. It is known for its wealthy members, grand banquets, and bad behaviour, including vandalism of restaurants and students' rooms. The club selects its members ...

and was an important site in the early history of cricket in Oxford. The ground operated as a first-class cricket venue in 1843, hosting two first-class matches. It was subsequently built on in 1876 with the

Cowley Barracks Cowley Barracks (originally Bullingdon Barracks) was a military installation in Cowley, Oxfordshire, England. History The barracks were built in a Fortress Gothic Revival style at Bullingdon Green using Charlbury stone and completed in spring ...

History

The "large open space" of Bullingdon Green formerly stood between

Horspath Horspath is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire about east of the centre of Oxford, England. The 2011 census recorded the parish's population as 1,378. Archaeology The parish's western boundary largely follows the course of a Roma ...

and Cowley. Cricket is recorded as being played at Bullingdon Green as early as 1764. The ground was located from the centre of Oxford, with players and spectators alike reaching it by horseback, which was described by

Thomas Case Thomas Case (1598–30 May 1682) was an English clergyman of Presbyterian beliefs, a member of the Westminster Assembly, where he was one of the strongest advocates of Christian government. Although earlier a strong defender of the Parliamentar ...

Ranjitsinhji Colonel Kumar Sri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was an Indian cricketer who later became ruler of his native Indian princely state of Nawanagar State, Nawan ...

's 1897 ''Jubilee Book of Cricket''. The Bullingdon Club played minor matches at the ground at the beginning of the 19th century, however cricket at the ground was often secondary to dinners and equestrian pursuits. By the 1820s, it had developed a reputation for hosting unsupervised social gatherings, with R. W. Browne commenting that "the Magdalen lubwas the only real University Cricket Club, as the Bullingdon was more of a fashionable lounge for those who could keep horses." The distance from Oxford and a serious need to focus on cricket necessitated the requirement for a cricket ground closer to the city, with the establishment of the

Magdalen Ground The Magdalen Ground (also known as the Old Magdalen Ground) was a cricket ground in Oxford, England. The ground was owned by the University of Oxford and used by Magdalen College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Originally for ...

in 1829, which was leased to the

Oxford University Cricket Club Oxford University Cricket Club (OUCC), which represents the University of Oxford, had held first-class status since 1827 when it made its debut in the inaugural University Match between OUCC and Cambridge University Cricket Club (CUCC). Follo ...

. Bullingdon Green would go on to host

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

for Oxford University in 1843, due to flooding at the Magdalen Ground. The first fixture which was moved to the ground was that seasons 'grand match' against the

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

, while the second was

The University Match The University Match is an annual cricket fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club. First played in 1827, it is the oldest varsity match in the world. Until 2001, when first-class cricket was reorga ...

against

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Frederick Lillywhite was of the opinion that the turf at Bullingdon Green was the finest he had ever played on, even finer than the turf at his own ground in Brighton. The ground remained in use until the 1870s, at which point the

Cardwell Reforms The Cardwell Reforms were a series of reforms of the British Army undertaken by Secretary of State for War Edward Cardwell between 1868 and 1874 with the support of Liberal prime minister William Ewart Gladstone. Gladstone paid little attentio ...

which encouraged the localisation of British military forces were set in motion. In 1873, early inspections took place for the creation of a military centre on Bullingdon Green. The location of the cricket ground was subsequently chosen for the construction of the

, which were completed in 1876.

Records

First-class

*Highest team total: 141 all out by

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, 1843 *Lowest team total: 44 all out by Oxford University v

, 1843 *Highest individual innings: 44 by

Francis Grimston The Rev. Hon. Francis Sylvester Grimston (8 December 1822 – 28 October 1865) was an English clergyman and amateur cricketer. Early life and education Francis Grimston was born in 1822 at Gorhambury, Hertfordshire, the sixth and youngest son of ...

for Cambridge University v Oxford University, 1843 *Best bowling in an innings: 7-? by Henry Moberly for Oxford University v Marylebone Cricket Club, 1843 *Best bowling in a match: 14-? by Henry Moberly, as above

References

External links

Bullingdon Green
at

ESPNcricinfo ESPNcricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...

{{coord, 51.7417, -1.2024, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title 1764 establishments in England University of Oxford sites Sport at the University of Oxford Cricket grounds in Oxfordshire Defunct cricket grounds in England Oxford University Cricket Club Parks and open spaces in Oxford Defunct sports venues in Oxford 1876 disestablishments in England Sports venues completed in 1843