Antelope Ground
Southampton St. Mary's F.C. (1887–1896) |
The Antelope Ground,
The ground was situated on the east side of St Mary's Road at the corner of the present-day Brinton's Terrace and extended south to Clovelly Road and east to Exmoor Road. The ground took its name from the Antelope Hotel, which was situated on the opposite side of St Mary's Road.[1]
Hampshire County Cricket Club
1842 to 1845
The first known cricket match played at the ground was on 23 August 1839 when "North of Hampshire" opposed "South of Hampshire".[2]
In 1842 three local gentlemen,
During the period when the ground was under the supervision of Daniel Day the ground was known as "Day's Ground" rather than the Antelope.[2] Five first-class matches were played there between 1842 and 1845. The first was in September 1842, when Hampshire played England. This was a low-scoring match with Hampshire being bowled out for 67 in the first innings; England replied with a total of 99, but Hampshire only managed 27 in their second innings and England thus won by an innings and 5 runs. England's best bowler was William Hillyer who took 15 wickets in the match.[4]
In 1845, the ground was first threatened by building speculation, resulting in Daniel Day moving to a ground at the Woolston Hotel on the south side of Woolston Road, Itchen, a few hundred yards across the River Itchen from Southampton. First-class matches in Southampton were then played on what was known as "Day's Itchen Ground".[2]
The building development fell through and the lease of the Antelope Ground was taken by a Mr. Brooks (or Brooke), with cricket matches involving the "Gentlemen of South Hampshire" being staged there.[2]
In 1861 James Southerton, the Surrey cricketer was engaged at Southampton and resided at the Antelope Ground. He remained there until 1867.[2] The first recorded individual century made on the ground was in 1862, when George Ede hit 122 for South Hampshire v East Hampshire.[2]
1863 to 1884
On 11 September 1863, at a meeting held at the Antelope Hotel, Hampshire County Cricket Club was re-formed,[1] following which top-class cricket returned to the Antelope, with the County Club renting the ground from 1864 on a yearly basis.[2]
The first county match at the ground following the revival of the club was against Sussex starting on 7 July 1864, which Sussex won by 10 wickets with James Lillywhite claiming ten wickets in the match for 80 runs, including taking his 100th wicket in first-class matches.[5]
Over the next twenty years, 27 first-class matches were played at the Antelope Ground as well as regular matches involving the "Gentlemen of Hampshire".
The best bowling figures were in a match against Derbyshire in July 1876 when Derbyshire's William Mycroft claimed 17–103 in the match. Despite this, Hampshire won a low-scoring match by one wicket.[6]
Francis Lacey claimed the highest individual score at the ground, with 211 in the first innings against Kent in June 1884, which he followed with 92 not out in the second, as Hampshire won by 3 wickets. This was Lacey's top score in first-class matches.[7]
The last recorded match at the ground was between Hampshire and Somerset in August 1884, when a total of 645 runs were scored, with Ernest Powell and Francis Lacey scoring 140 and 100 respectively in Hampshire's first innings. Hampshire won the match by an innings and 169 runs.[8]
In 1883, Col. James Fellowes opened negotiations for the lease and development of land in Northlands Road, Southampton (part of the Hulse Estate) and by the Annual General Meeting of Hampshire County Cricket Club, held at the George Hotel, Winchester in January 1884, Col. Fellowes was able to report that 8 acres (32,000 m2) of land had been leased at an annual rent of £160 on condition that the club erected a pavilion. The new lease was to run for 28 years. The first match played at the new County Ground was on 9 May 1885.[9]
Southampton St. Mary's Football Club
Formation to 1891
In the next round, the Saints were drawn at home to play
The next recorded match at the Antelope Ground was on 14 April 1888, when St. Mary's lost 3–0 to Woolston Works in an end-of-season friendly.[14] During the summer of 1888, the Saints committee endeavoured to find a more suitable permanent location than the common. An application to play on Hoglands Park was refused by the town council. With pitches at the County Ground and the Antelope costing between £2.10s and £3 to rent (necessitating an attendance of 240 at 3d each to break even) the club were in great need of a permanent home.[15]
For the 1888–89 season, the Saints continued to play most of their home matches on the common, although some more prestigious friendly matches were played at the County Ground.
In the summer of 1889, the Woolston Works team folded leaving it clear for the Saints to claim the Antelope Ground as their home base, with the Trojans Rugby Club as joint tenants.[1] Having obtained a permanent home, St. Mary's could now claim to be the premier club in the town, although Freemantle would continue to contest this claim, despite having a much poorer record in the local cups.[1]
For the 1889–90 season, St. Mary's played their friendly matches at the Antelope Ground as well as a third-round match in the Hampshire Junior Cup, but the semi-final and final of the cup were played at the County Ground, with the Saints defeating
In the following year, the Saints continued to arrange friendly matches at the Antelope Ground inviting teams from further afield, suffering defeats against teams such as
1891 to 1894 (Entering the FA Cup)
The success in local cup competitions prompted the club committee to enter a national tournament for the first time[20] – in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup they played at Warmley near Bristol winning comfortably 4–1. The draw for the next round was a home match against Reading to be played on 24 October 1891. Two weeks before the tie at the Antelope Ground, the Saints arranged a friendly against the 93rd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, after which two members of the Highlanders side, Jock Fleming and Sandy McMillan, were signed by the Saints.[20]
For the first FA Cup match to be staged in Southampton, the St Mary's committee "pulled out all the stops" to make sure that the Antelope Ground met the standards expected of a venue for the country's top football tournament, although the local press complained of the poor facilities, not having a covered press box, and there were problems with the pitch markings.
In 1892–93, the Saints defeated
Before the start of the 1893–94 season, the Saints signed further players on professional terms, including
During the 1893–94 season, the Saints arranged a match under
In June 1894,
1894 to 1896 (The Southern League)
In
Saints' first league match was played at the Antelope Ground on 6 October 1894 in front of a crowd estimated at between 4,000 and 5,000, who paid 6d each for admittance;
The Saints' first defeat at the Antelope Ground came against
In the
The match against Nottingham Forest was played at the Antelope Ground on 2 February 1895. On the day of the match, the pitch was covered with three inches (76 mm) of snow. After a long delay, while the referee assessed whether or not the frozen ground was fit to play on, the crowd (estimated at 7,000) were admitted.[29] By this time a grandstand had been erected at the ground, for which spectators were charged admission of 1s 6d, compared to the standing spectators for whom the admission was still 6d.[27] The Nottingham Forest players complained about the spartan state of the changing accommodation, demanding an oil stove,[29] before the match eventually kicked off. Despite scoring 31 goals in the qualifying stages, the Saints were no match for the "skill, subtlety and cohesion"[27] of their opponents who ran out 4–1 victors, with two goals from Thomas Rose.[30] The local press blamed the defeat on the failure of the Southampton players to train adequately and also suggested that the "more northerly visitors were more accustomed to the Arctic conditions".[29]
Shortly before the FA Cup exit, the Saints had entertained a team from the
For the Saints'
Further excitement came in the
For the match, played at the Antelope Ground on 1 February 1896, the crowd was estimated at 12,000, by far the largest yet recorded for a football match in Southampton.[29] In an effort to avoid the crowd congestion from the previous year, the gates were opened at 1 o'clock. According to the report in one local newspaper, "The Independent", by the time of the kick-off,
"the scene at the ground was a sight for the gods. Thousands lined the ropes and crowded the embankments, and hundreds packed the stands. The enclosure was encircled by a dense and perfect sea of faces. Every coign of vantage had been monopolised, windows and house tops not excepted."[29]
The reporter for "the Echo", writing under the name "Ariel", added:
"All the world and his wife were there, including many of our "city fathers" and grave and reverend seigniors, whose curiosity had been aroused by the chatter that was going on in the town... It was a sight calculated to excite the feelings of the Saintly executive, and make them look as pleased and comfortable as if the very cockles of their hearts were being tickled. A sea of faces ten thousand strong bordered the field of play when ... the referee first tooted the whistle."[32]
Unfortunately, the ground was unable to take such a large crowd. Shortly before the teams ran out onto the pitch, a shed roof collapsed, resulting in injuries to fans who had been inside the shed or perched on top.[29] One spectator, George May, suffered a broken ankle and a Mr. George Bett, who had been inside, suffered serious knee damage that subsequently prevented him from working in his occupation as a carriage maker at the Eastleigh railway works.[32] Bett later unsuccessfully sued the club for damages, his case failing because it was found that the club had declared the shed "out of bounds", although the defendants did agree to help Bett in his hardship.[29]
For the match itself, the Saints had to play their third-choice goalkeeper,
Closure
Although the Saints had previously set up a sub-committee to discuss purchasing the Antelope Ground outright,[31] no agreement could be reached with the freeholders.[32] Following the failure of these negotiations, the church agreed the sale of the site to property developers. On 18 January 1896, the local press reported that contracts had already been drawn up for the sale and that "eligible villa residences" would be built on the ground where "many historic battles" had been fought.[32]
The club, through the connections of their president Dr. H. W. R. Bencraft, who was also Hon. Secretary to Hampshire County Cricket Club, secured the use of the County Ground, at an annual rental of £200.[31]
The last football match played at the Antelope Ground was on the evening of Wednesday 29 April 1896, when a crowd estimated at 3,000 saw the Saints defeat their local rivals
Southampton Football Club spent the next two seasons as tenants at the County Ground, during both of which they won the Southern League title, before eventually obtaining a permanent home, when they moved to The Dell in 1898.
The Antelope Ground was demolished, with Graham Road being built across the site.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f Juson & Bull 2001, p. 26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Antelope Ground, Southampton, England". www.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ "Marylebone Cricket Club v Hampshire (Scorecard)". www.cricketarchive.com. 30 June 1842. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
- ^ "Hampshire v England (Scorecard)". www.cricketarchive.com. 5 September 1842. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ "Hampshire v Sussex (Scorecard)". www.cricketarchive.com. 7 July 1864. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ "Hampshire v Derbyshire (Scorecard)". www.cricketarchive.com. 24 July 1876. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ "Hampshire v Kent (Scorecard)". www.cricketarchive.com. 16 June 1884. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ "Hampshire v Somerset (Scorecard)". www.cricketarchive.com. 7 August 1884. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ "County Ground, Northlands Road, Southampton, England". www.cricinfo.com. Retrieved 10 March 2009.
- ^ a b Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 9.
- ^ Bull & Brunskell 2000, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 10.
- ^ a b c Juson & Bull 2001, p. 22.
- ^ Juson & Bull 2001, p. 23.
- ^ Juson & Bull 2001, p. 24.
- ^ a b c Juson & Bull 2001, p. 25.
- ^ a b Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 11.
- ^ a b c d Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 12.
- ^ Juson & Bull 2001, p. 27.
- ^ a b c Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 13.
- ^ a b Juson & Bull 2001, p. 29.
- ^ Bull & Brunskell 2000, pp. 10–11.
- ^ a b Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 14.
- ^ Holley & Chalk 1992, p. 105.
- ^ a b c d Chalk & Holley 1987, p. 15.
- ^ a b c Juson & Bull 2001, p. 35.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chalk & Holley 1987, pp. 16–17.
- ^ a b Bull & Brunskell 2000, pp. 14–15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bull & Brunskell 2000, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Collett 2003, p. 453.
- ^ a b c d e Chalk & Holley 1987, pp. 18–19.
- ^ a b c d e Juson & Bull 2001, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Collett 2003, p. 545.
Bibliography
- Bull, David; Brunskell, Bob (2000). Match of the Millennium. Hagiology Publishing. ISBN 0-9534474-1-3.
- Chalk, Gary; Holley, Duncan (1987). Saints – A complete record. Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
- Collett, Mike (2003). The Complete Record of the FA Cup. Sports Books. ISBN 1-899807-19-5.
- Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
- Juson, Dave; Bull, David (2001). Full-Time at The Dell. Hagiology Publishing. ISBN 0-9534474-2-1.