Sir Jack Hobbs - The Oval Cricket Ground, London, UK
N 51° 28.975 W 000° 06.815
30U E 700410 N 5707480
Jack Hobbs was a magnificent cricketer who played for Surrey and England. In his memory, a pair of gates, at the entrance in front of the main pavillion, have been erected.
Waymark Code: WMHGY9
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/10/2013
Views: 2
The black gates have wrought ironwork above in silver and
between the two is lettering that reads:
The Hobbs Gates
In Honour of a Great Surrey & England Cricketer
The
ESPN CricInfo website tells us about Hobbs:
Jack Hobbs was cricket's most
prolific batsman. He finished with 61,237 first-class runs and 197
centuries*, most of them stylishly made from the top of the Surrey or
England batting orders. And he might have scored many more had the Great War
not intervened, or if he hadn't been inclined to get out shortly after
reaching 100 to let someone else have a go. Hobbs was known as "The Master",
and scored consistently throughout a long career that didn't end till he was
past 50. Half his hundreds came when he was over 40, and he remains, at 46
in 1928-29, the oldest man to score a Test century. His opening partnerships
with Yorkshire's Herbert Sutcliffe are part of the game's rich folklore.
Hobbs was also a charming man, and the world of cricket rejoiced in 1953
when he became the first professional cricketer to be knighted. Steven Lynch
* Two further centuries made on a
private tour to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) were subsequently deemed first-class by
the Association of Cricket Statisticans.
The
Alpha
Rail website tells us about the restoration of the gates:
Kirkby in Ashfield based metal
railings and gates manufacturer, Alpha Rail, have been appointed to restore
the original Jack Hobbs Gates at the Kia Oval in London.
Significant changes were being made to the Hobbs Gate entrance to improve
access at this historic entrance. Alpha Rail were appointed to remove the
original Hobbs Gates and to restore them to their former glory. This
involved transportation of the old gates back to Alpha Rail’s workshops to
carry out the refurbishments and add the bespoke metalwork modifications
required to re-fit the gates into their new location. The company also
supplied additional railings for the perimeter wall running either side of
the new entrance.
The Kennington area has a long history with cricket, the first reference
being in 1730 when Surrey and Middlesex played on Kennington Common, now
Kennington Park.
In 1835 a ten acre plot of land called the ‘Oval’ was leased to the Otter
family. Ten years later a new sub-lease was agreed which allowed the land to
be converted into a cricket ground, and later in 1845 the Surrey County
Cricket Club was formed. The first county match was played in 1846 against
the MCC.
In 1934 Jack Hobbs retired as the leading batsman in the world and the ‘Jack
Hobbs Gates’ opened and became one of the major ground entrances at the
Oval.
Phil Ball, sales director at Alpha Rail said, “The Jack Hobbs Gates are an
important and iconic feature of the Kia Oval Cricket Ground. It was
important to ensure that the gates retained their heritage but also ensure
the new railings fitted in well with the new building work. We hope that
Cricket fans will still think that the finished effect is still a fitting
tribute to great player!”