As the “English summer” begins in the traditional way; a ‘Lords Test’ with the hosts taking on the Lankan Lions, it is intriguing to peek into the history and traditions of the most hallowed Lords Cricket grounds.
Looking at the history of the Lords cricket ground which is the home of the Marylebone Cricket club one can only admire the antiquity that surrounds the park adding character to the game and its annals.
At a glance the history of the club suggests that the founding of the MCC was when Thomas Lord opened the ground on a site he bought in 1787. The MCC in 1787 was the reconstitution of a much older club that had its origins in the early 18th century, or could be even earlier. The club has been referred to by names; “The Noblemen’s and Gentlemen’s Club” or “The Cricket Club” and it was based for a long time at the Star and Garter on Pall Mall. It was essentially a social and gambling club with a number of sporting connections.
When the members formed the “White Conduit Club for cricket” in the early 1780s they played at White Conduit Fields in Islington but, they soon became dissatisfied with the surroundings and complained that the site was “too public”. The members asked Thomas Lord, a professional bowler at the White Conduit, to secure a more private venue within easy distance of London; they guaranteed him against any financial losses. When Lord opened his new ground, the gentlemen’s club moved there and initially renamed themselves as “the Mary-le-bone Club”.
With a MCC celebrating its 200 anniversary this year the traditions of the club have only got stronger and celebrated by cricketers all around. Playing a “Lords test” is as important as playing for the country for many a test cricketer regardless of whether he’s British or other player. Through the ages sitting at the red bricked open pavilion balcony has been a dream and privilege for any cricketer from a young age. Even this pavilion has an interesting history where the original pavilion was destroyed by a fire and the current pavilion was constructed in 1890 at a cost of £21,000 which means that this revered pavilion is 124 years old. How the club got its colours in another interesting tale. Until the 1860s the Club played in light blue. The red and gold (affectionately referred to as ‘egg and bacon’) appeared first this decade.
It has also been suggested that MCC borrowed their colours from I Zingari whose colours were black, red and gold. This reflects their motto: “Out of darkness, through fire, into light”.
I Zingari was the first and grandest of the wandering clubs to be founded in 1845. Of course many members of I Zingari would also have been members of MCC but it is doubtful if MCC – a distinguished club of almost 100 years standing, would borrow its colours from a club only a few years old – no matter how grand.
In 1866, when MCC had the chance to purchase a freehold of Lord’s Grounds, the money required was advanced by one the Club’s members, William Nicholson. Without this advance it is unlikely that the ground would have would have survived from being sold to a property developer and would not have gone on to exist another 148 years.
William Nicholson continued to loan the Club substantial amounts for numerous projects over the next 30 years and was the President of MCC in 1879. Nicholson was the owner of the Nicholson’s Gin Company, the colours of which were red and yellow.
Although no written proof is yet to be found, it is common belief that the adoption of the red and gold was MCC’s personal thank you to William Nicholson for his services to the club. This could also mean that the donation made was the first Commercial sponsorship in the History of sports. Of course in Victorian England such commercial deals would have been frowned upon but there is a strong possibility that the adoption of these colours was an acknowledgment of Nicholson’s contribution.
The waiting list for membership of the MCC is around 20 years and is better in comparison to the 1920s when it was 30 years. Apart from the playing members who don’t share the privileges of the in house members, there is also an honorary membership which includes the likes of, Sir Ian Botham, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Sir Vivian Richards, Sir Garfield Sobers, Shane Warne and Waqar Younis. It is an honour to see several Sri Lankan too being awarded honorary membership of the club.
Marylebone Cricket Club logo
The following are the Sri Lankan honorary members of the MCC
L.R.D. Mendis (1997), S. Wettimuny (1997), M.N. Mohamed (1998), R.S. Mahanama (2001), P.A. De Silva (2005), R.S. Madugalle (2005), A. Ranatunga (2005), H.P. Tillakaratne (2008), M. Muralidaran (2011), K. Sangakkara (2011), K. Gunasekera (2012)
Up until September 1998, no females were allowed membership of the club. Only the queen her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was granted permission to enter the club until then. The current prime minister of Britain David Cameron too is a member showing the caliber of people being granted membership of this club.
On the cricketing aspect,the Lords cricket ground showcases many rituals which have been followed for years. Ringing of the Lord’s Bell before a Test match each morning, to indicate that there its five minutes to go before the start of play is an intriguing little interlude with different guest being invited to do so. On the 2nd day of the Lords test Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya was also granted the opportunity to ring the Lords bell.
The English take their Test cricket very seriously and there in no other place you will see spectators seated for 5 days in the sun fully dressed with coats and tie, topping things off with the traditional MCC red and gold hats. All of these traditions and habits go to form a certain aura to a Lords test.
Referred to as Cricket’s ‘spiritual headquarters’ the Lords cricket ground houses the sacred Ashes Urn which is on display at the Lords Museum which is the oldest sports museum. Apart from the urn the museum houses cricket memorabilia since 1864. The items on display include cricket kit used by players like, Don Bradman and Shane Warne too.
The highlight of the MCC museum the dead sparrow. It was killed by a cricket ball hit by Jehangir Khan in a match at Lord’s in 1936 between the MCC and Cambridge University
The dead sparrow which is mounted to the ball that killed him too is a tourist attraction at the Lords Museum. Perhaps the most unusual site in the MCC Museum, the ornithological tragedy occurred at Lord’s on 3 July 1936 during a game between Marylebone Cricket Club and Cambridge University. Indian cricketer Jahangir Khan unleashed a wicked blow, which struck the unfortunate bird mid-flight.
The old Father time one of the capital’s most unusual weather vanes too adds a historic value to the Lords cricket ground having presided over the ground since 1926. The hunched figure, removing the bails from a wicket, stands over 1.6 meters tall. He was designed by Sir Herbert Baker, who was also the architect of the old pavilion at the ground. Old Father Time has found his perch to be a precarious one over the years. During WWII, he was wrenched from his lookout by a barrage balloon. Then in 1992, he was struck by lightning.
Over one hundred Test matches have been played at Lord’s, the first in 1884 when England defeated Australia by an innings and 5 runs. Sri Lanka played at the Lords cricket ground first in the year 1984. It is considered a great distinction to be named on either the batting or bowling honour boards. To be named on both is an exceptional achievement and only eight players have managed this. Those players are England’s Gubby Allen, Ray Illingworth, Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad along with Australia’s Keith Miller, the West Indies’ Sir Garfield Sobers, and India’s Vinoo Mankad. To be recognized on this honours boards either in the Home or Visitors dressing room, a player should score a century or take 5 wickets or more.
On this honours board you will find distinguished Sri Lankan players in the likes of,
From the pavilion to the center through the long room of the grounds it is set to be a memorable walk. The Long Room, described as “the most evocative four walls in world cricket”, is notoriously long and complex. On his Test debut in 1975, David Steele got lost “and ended up in the pavilion’s basement toilets”. Often spectators greet the Australian batsmen with witticisms … like ‘See you soon’. Of the many tales of the “Walk through the long room” one famous tale is by Australian Justin Langer, who described walking through the Long Room “being bear hugged by an invisible spirit”.
After reading through the history and the traditions that surround this ground, with all the grandeur and the Gentlemanliness that’s involved at this venue, the Lords cricket ground is considered sacred and will always remain as a holy venue for cricketers young and old.
With all that has been said of the almost 200 year old “home of cricket” it will always be the “spiritual headquarters of the game” in the heart of London at the Lords cricket ground.
