Brockton Oval

Brockton Oval is a playing area near the Brockton Point located on the north side of Coal Harbour in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The ground was established 1891 with 10 sport's groups joining together. In 1927, cricket and rugby fields were carved out.[1]

Brockton Oval
Ground information
LocationBrockton Point, Stanley Park, Vancouver
Establishment1889
Capacity2,000 to 3,000
OwnerBrockton Point Cricket Club
OperatorBrockton Point Cricket Club
TenantsVancouver Cricket Club
Team information
Brockton Point Cricket Club (1891 -)
Vancouver Cricket Club (1889 -)
As of August 8, 2014
Source: Brockton Oval

Brockton Oval has been visited by cricket players such as Donald Bradman, Fred Trueman and Geoffrey Boycott. Around 2,000 to 3,000 people arrived to see the match at the ground when Australians and MCC sides visited the ground.[2]

The Oval is the home of Brockton Point Cricket Club which was one of the 7 founding member clubs of the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League in 1914. Vancouver Cricket Club began their journey on this ground in 1889.

History

Before 1865, the point was utilised as a graveyard for early settlers who came to Vancouver. That year, Edward Stamp—a British businessman in the timber industry—cleared away part of the site in order to build a sawmill. However, he was forced to abandon his plans after realising the strong currents from the harbour impeded the construction of log booms.[3] He ended up moving the mill to Gastown,[3] becoming Hastings Mill.[4][5]

The land cleared by Stamp was converted into sports fields by 1891. One of these, Brockton Oval, became a key amateur sports venue and was mostly used for cricket.[5] Donald Bradman and Fred Trueman both played at the Oval,[6] and after Bradman's visit in 1932, he called the venue the most beautiful cricket ground in the world.[7] Geoffrey Boycott also played at the grounds in September 1964 and echoed Bradman's sentiments and praise of the Oval.[8]

Most recently the ground hosted two matches in July 2012 when MCC visited Canada. They played against British Columbia Mainland League and British Columbia Cricket Association President's XI in Cliff Cox's Memorial Game.

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References
  1. brocktonpavilion
  2. brocktonpavilion
  3. Jepson, Tim (2004). The Rough Guide to Vancouver. Rough Guides. pp. 252–255. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  4. Ficken, Robert E. (January 1, 1987). The Forested Land: A History of Lumbering in Western Washington. University of Washington Press. p. 38. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  5. Mackie, John (August 17, 2013). "Stanley Park, the natural wonder of Vancouver, was shaped by humans". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  6. "Brockton Point". Lonely Planet. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  7. Varghese, Mathew (September 15, 2007). "When the Don met the Babe". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
  8. "Biography". Geoff Boycott.com. Geoffrey Boycott – The Official Website. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013.


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