Page:Cricket, by WG Grace.djvu/214

 it was taken up and relaid on the North Bank Ground, and afterwards transferred to St. John's Wood Road. The earliest recorded match of the M.C.C. on its present ground was played against Hertfordshire on the 22nd June, 1814, the M.C.C. winning by an innings and 27 runs. In the eleven representing the winning side were four players who were well known all over the cricket world, and who maintained their reputation for many years afterwards Lord Frederick Beauclerk, Messrs. E. H. Budd, G. Osbaldeston, and W. Ward.

Harrow and Winchester played against each other for the first time at Lord's on the 27th and 28th July, 1825, and the match will be remembered for the disastrous fire which took place in the pavilion during the night of the last day. Valuable records of the game which could not be replaced were destroyed, and Lord suffered rather heavily. Something like 2,600 was due to him for subscriptions; but as the books had been burnt, it was difficult for him to remember who had paid and who had not.

It is just possible that Lord was discouraged by it: anyhow, we find he desired to retire, and for the moment it looked as if the ground would fall into the hands of the builders, who had coveted it for many years. Mr. Ward very generously stepped in and purchased the remainder of the lease at a very high price, and the club continued its prosperous career. The pavilion was quickly rebuilt, and two years later Oxford and Cambridge began their annual contests.

Mr. Ward unfortunately could not see his way to hold the lease after 1835, and Mr. J. H. Dark took it off his hands and became the proprietor in 1836. The club seems to have got on pretty smoothly under the proprietorship of Mr. Dark until 1863, when he proposed to part with the remainder of his lease of 29, years for the sum of £15,000. The year after he accepted £11,000;