Greatest Cricket Moments

Earliest Documented Cricket at Oxford — Bullingdon Green, June 1807

1807-06-15Christ Church vs Magdalen CollegeChrist Church v Magdalen College, Bullingdon Green, 15 June 18071 min readSeverity: Mild

Summary

On 15 June 1807 Christ Church played Magdalen College at Bullingdon Green outside Oxford — the earliest documented inter-college cricket match in the history of Oxford University. The fixture is the foundation entry of Oxford cricket and the earliest documented use of Bullingdon Green, the common ground that served as Oxford's principal cricket venue for the first half of the nineteenth century.

Background

Oxford had informal cricket from at least the 1730s. The 1807 Christ Church v Magdalen match is the earliest with documentary evidence of formal organisation.

What Happened

Cricket at Oxford, like Cambridge, had been played informally through the eighteenth century. The June 1807 fixture is the earliest with surviving documentation, recorded in the journal of a Magdalen undergraduate named Henry Cotton. He notes that Christ Church won by 22 runs and that the match was played on Bullingdon Green, a common to the south-east of the city. The Bullingdon Club — later notorious as a dining society — took its name from the same ground.

Timeline

15 Jun 1807

Christ Church v Magdalen at Bullingdon Green

1827

First University Match: Oxford v Cambridge

1881

University Parks ground formally established

Aftermath

Inter-college cricket at Oxford grew steadily. The first University Match against Cambridge came in 1827.

⚖️ The Verdict

The earliest documented cricket at Oxford and the founding entry of Bullingdon Green's history.

Legacy & Impact

Oxford University cricket descends from these earliest college matches. Bullingdon Green served as the principal venue until the University Parks were laid out in the 1860s.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where was Bullingdon Green?▾
A common to the south-east of Oxford city, in the present Cowley area. Built over in the late nineteenth century.

Tags

#regency-cricket#underarm#oxford#bullingdon#christ-church#magdalen#university-cricket#1807#iconic-moment

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