An institution steeped in tradition

LONDON, JUNE 27. Lord's, the `Home of cricket', had a very rural appearance 213 years ago. Just look at it now.

It is now a masterpiece of modernism and an architectural landmark surrounded by space-age structures dominated by aluminum, glass, concrete and UPVC. The heritage- listed 1890 twin-tower pavilion standing on its own is the only reminder of the days of the first ownership under Thomas Lord.

It is one of the two survivors from yesteryear. The other is the old stables overlooking the nursery ground, which houses the groundstaff and the accouterments they need to make the famous ground look its best.

On Thursday, Lord's will become the first cricket ground to host its 100th Test, the second between England and the West Indies in a five-game series. It hosted its first between England and Australia in July 1884 when the host won by an innings and five runs.

Only Australia's Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with 92 Tests has come close to challenging Lord's stature as the No.1 Test ground amongst 80 venues in 10 countries.

As the `home of cricket' Lord's has a nostalgic affect on every cricketer young and old. It is every cricketer's dream to play on the hallowed turf and score a century or take five wickets and have his name etched on the panels in the visitors' dressing room.

The current Lord's at St. John's Wood is not the original but the third. The original Lord's was at Dorset Square, south of the current ground where two clubs merged to form the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1787. It was the MCC that became the custodian of the Laws of Cricket.

When the second Lord's was taken over in May 1811, the turf from Dorset Square was shifted so that `the Noblemen and Gentlemen of MCC' were able `to play on the same footing as before'.

But later that year Lord's was granted another plot of land because a canal had to be cut through the centre of the ground. Thus the Lord's at St. John's Wood was born.

Except for Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe all other Test nations have enjoyed success at Lord's with Australia being the most successful of the visiting nations winning 13 of 32. The host has 35 wins in its 98 appearances.

During World War I, Lord's was used as accommodation for the units of the Territorial Artillery and later as a training centre for Royal Artillery cadets of the British Army.

The pavilion designed by Thomas Verity houses the famous Long Room.

The room is over 100 feet long and occupies the whole ground floor between the two towers. For more than a century until late 1998, it remained out of bounds to women, who only then were allowed membership of the MCC.

The collection of pictures on the walls and in the others parts of the pavilion make the guided tour of Lord's a must for connoisseurs and amateurs of the game.

The painting of Dr. W.G. Grace, accepted as the `father of the game', cuts out an imposing figure among the portraits. Another painting, `Tossing of innings', is another not to be missed.

It shows four ragged boys on a common. One has tossed the bat up in the air and is watching - and so are two others - while the fourth is piling together the coats they have taken off in order to make a rustic wicket.

Apart from the ground and the pavilion, the property in north London houses a museum with one of the finest collections of cricket memorabilia including the famous `Ashes' urn and a stuffed sparrow.

In 1936, Indian medium pacer Jahangir Khan delivered a ball to England batsman Tom Pearce but struck a sparrow in its flight. The sparrow died and Jahangir came to be known as `cricket's sparrow killer'. Khan's son, Majid Khan, followed his father into Test cricket and led Pakistan.

Lord's also houses the offices of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Between June 1909 and July 1993 the MCC administered the ICC, which was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference by England, Australia and South Africa.

England batsman Graham Gooch's 333 against India in 1990 remains the highest individual innings while Ian Botham's eight for 34 against Pakistan in 1978 is the best innings analysis in Test cricket at Lord's.

In the finest English tradition, the MCC celebrated its Bi- centenary in 1987 with a game between MCC, captained by Mike Gatting, and the Rest of the World led by Australia's Allan Border that ended in a draw.

The occasion witnessed one of the finest galaxy of cricketing stars assembled at a given time. The coin used for the toss was a `Spade' Guinea (One Pound and five Pence), minted in 1787, the year of the first game at Lord's original ground.

The newest addition to Lord's has been an extraordinary media centre as part of a $ 63 million expansion over the past 15 years. The `Starship Enterprise' or `The Gherkin' as the centre is popularly know was unveiled just before last year's World cup and cut an imposing figure at the nursery end of Lord's.

Despite all the millions spent, Lord's has a seating capacity of only 30,000, compared with 100,000 at Eden Gardens (Calcutta) and 90,000 at Melbourne.

- AP

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