Albert Ground, Sydney
Encyclopedia
The Albert Ground was a cricket ground located in the Sydney
suburb of Redfern
between 1864 and 1877.
had been played in NSW since 1803, first in Hyde Park
and then in the Domain
. Neither were satisfactory facilities mainly because they were open grounds on which spectators walked and animals grazed. Fences could not be erected to keep people and animals out or to charge much needed admission.
When the Albert Ground opened in Redfern on October 29, 1864, these problems appeared to be solved. The ground had been developed as a money-making venture in the swampy area that Redfern was at the time.
Despite this, the Albert Ground had significant advantages over Sydney’s existing cricket facilities. It was centrally located and featured good facilities for players and crowd alike. There was a grandstand in the north west corner and a pavilion ran around three sides of the ground. A row of trees had been planted by the English cricket tourists of 1863-1864 captained by George Parr.
The pitch was made of a matted couch grass and was very spongy and soft. It was a slow pitch that favoured the bowlers. The ground was the home of the Albert Club, one of the most powerful in Sydney, which could boast three teams of 11. The club’s players wore white caps and pants and blue shirts and counted amongst their number the greatest bowler of the day ‘The Demon’ Fred Spofforth
.
Above all however, the Albert Ground had been established as a business with the aim of making money and fees were charged to those who wanted to use it, including the NSW Cricket Association
. The cost to the NSWCA of staging matches there was so high that until the early 1870s it continued to use the Domain whenever possible despite its disadvantages. By then inter-colonial games had become so important and popular that the NSWCA had little choice but to use the Albert Ground for these at least. In all, five first-class matches were played at the Albert Ground between the 1870 and 1877 seasons.
In the late 1870s however, the Albert Ground company was wound up and the ground closed. The NSWCA began using the Garrison Ground at Moore Park
, later to be renamed the Association Ground and then the Sydney Cricket Ground
. Eventually the Albert Ground was demolished.
The Albert Ground was located to the east of Redfern Park in the block now roughly bounded by Elizabeth, Redfern, Kettle and Moorehead Streets. The site is now occupied by public housing.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Redfern
Redfern, New South Wales
Redfern is an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Redfern is 3 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney...
between 1864 and 1877.
History
CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
had been played in NSW since 1803, first in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Sydney
Hyde Park is a large park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Hyde Park is on the eastern side of the Sydney central business district. It is the southernmost of a chain of parkland that extends north to the shore of Port Jackson . It is approximately rectangular in shape, being squared at the...
and then in the Domain
The Domain, Sydney
The Domain is 34 hectares of open space in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Sydney central business district, near Woolloomooloo. The Domain adjoins the Royal Botanic Gardens and is managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Trust, a division of the New South...
. Neither were satisfactory facilities mainly because they were open grounds on which spectators walked and animals grazed. Fences could not be erected to keep people and animals out or to charge much needed admission.
When the Albert Ground opened in Redfern on October 29, 1864, these problems appeared to be solved. The ground had been developed as a money-making venture in the swampy area that Redfern was at the time.
Despite this, the Albert Ground had significant advantages over Sydney’s existing cricket facilities. It was centrally located and featured good facilities for players and crowd alike. There was a grandstand in the north west corner and a pavilion ran around three sides of the ground. A row of trees had been planted by the English cricket tourists of 1863-1864 captained by George Parr.
The pitch was made of a matted couch grass and was very spongy and soft. It was a slow pitch that favoured the bowlers. The ground was the home of the Albert Club, one of the most powerful in Sydney, which could boast three teams of 11. The club’s players wore white caps and pants and blue shirts and counted amongst their number the greatest bowler of the day ‘The Demon’ Fred Spofforth
Fred Spofforth
Frederick Robert "Fred" Spofforth , also known as "The Demon Bowler", was arguably the Australian cricket team's finest pace bowler of the nineteenth century and was the first bowler to take 50 Test wickets, and the first to take a test hat-trick in 1879...
.
Above all however, the Albert Ground had been established as a business with the aim of making money and fees were charged to those who wanted to use it, including the NSW Cricket Association
New South Wales Cricket Association
The New South Wales Cricket Association is a sporting club who administer cricket in New South Wales, based at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Their trading name is Cricket NSW....
. The cost to the NSWCA of staging matches there was so high that until the early 1870s it continued to use the Domain whenever possible despite its disadvantages. By then inter-colonial games had become so important and popular that the NSWCA had little choice but to use the Albert Ground for these at least. In all, five first-class matches were played at the Albert Ground between the 1870 and 1877 seasons.
In the late 1870s however, the Albert Ground company was wound up and the ground closed. The NSWCA began using the Garrison Ground at Moore Park
Moore Park, New South Wales
Moore Park is a large area of parkland in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Centennial Parklands, a collective of three parks being Moore Park, Centennial Park and Queens Park. Centennial Parklands is administered by the Centennial Park &...
, later to be renamed the Association Ground and then the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. Eventually the Albert Ground was demolished.
The Albert Ground was located to the east of Redfern Park in the block now roughly bounded by Elizabeth, Redfern, Kettle and Moorehead Streets. The site is now occupied by public housing.