South Australia - Sport

Cricket

A history of the game in South Australia appears in the Advertiser (special edition),
1 September 1936, page 56.

The Adelaide Oval

"The Adelaide Oval - How South Australian Cricket Began" is in the Register,
7 November 1911, page 8c (includes photographs);
also see 17 February 1911, page 4g.

"Founder of Adelaide Oval" is in the Advertiser,
10 February 1933, page 22g.

It was described as a "scrubby little bit of lumpy, bare looking waste-land they call a cricket ground..."
- see Register,
14 and 18 February 1871, pages 7c and 6c.

"Fire at the Cricket Reserve" is in the Observer,
9 December 1871, page 7f.

"A Colonial Cricket Ground" is in the Register,
8 September 1871, page 5d, 20 March 1872, page 7a, 22 June 1872, page 3f,
Observer,
9 September 1871, page 8d;
also see 23 September 1871, page 13g,
24 February 1872, page 7a,
23 March 1872, page 5e,
29 June 1872, page 7e,
13 July 1872, page 8a,
31 August 1872, page 7a,
2 November 1872, page 10c,
8 March 1873, page 4c,
27 September 1873, page 10c,
18 April 1874, page 2f,
29 August 1874, page 17e,
12 September 1874, page 13e,
3 October 1874, page 17g, 4,
11 and 25 September 1875, pages 5c, 5d and 17d.

Other references in respect of a proposal to lease portion of the Parklands, etc, are in the Register,
8, 11 and 19 September 1871, pages 5d-7e, 5e and 3f;
also see 22 June 1872, page 3f,
8 July 1872, page 5f,
1 and 30 August 1872, pages 3f and 5d,
6 September 1873, page 5b,
Express,
22 August 1872, page 2c,
6 and 15 September 1873, pages 3b and 3d,
Register,
22 April 1881, page 4d,
26 July 1881, page 4f,
Observer,
23 April 1881, page 726e,
21 October 1882, page 18d,
Register,
19 November 1883, page 5f.

Its opening is discussed in the Express,
13 and 15 December 1873, pages 2d and 3e,
Observer,
13 and 20 December 1873, pages 8b and 20d,
Register,
13 and 15 December 1873, pages 5e and 6e,
3 April 1874, page 5a.

A match between "British born" and "Colonial born" is reported in the Observer,
16 November 1872, page 4c.

Troubles with locusts are the subject of comment in theObserver,
8 and 22 March 1873, pages 4c and 3e.

A letter from Mr H. Copas concerning the grassing of the oval is in the Observer,
4 December 1897, page 13c.

On 15 December 1873 at page 6e the Register reports that:

Owing to a visitation from the locusts last season the ground could not be utilised... on 13 December a passable pitch was obtained, although for a while it was rather bumpy... several players consequently received bruises...

An editorial on the Adelaide Oval and allied matters is in the Register,
3 April 1874, page 5a;
also see 25 August 1874, page 6b and 5 September 1874, page 5c,
5 July 1889, page 6c,
Express,
12 August 1875, page 3a,
Observer,
4 and 11 September 1875, pages 5c and 5d,
29 April 1876, page 4c,
Advertiser,
20 November 1876, page 4f,
Chronicle,
15 September 1877, page 15e.

"The Oval" is in the Register,
25 August 1874, page 6b,
5 and 29 September 1874, pages 5c and 6g;
also see 30 August 1875, page 5c.

The opening of the oval is reported in the Register,
17 October 1876, page 6f.

The first century scored at the Adelaide Oval is reported upon in the Register,
3 December 1877, page 5c.

Complaints about entrance fees to the Adelaide Oval are in the Register,
12 and 14 December 1877, pages 6e and 6c.

Military sports on Adelaide Oval are reported in the Observer,
7 August 1880, page 214e,
Register, 9 October 1882 (supp.), page 1c:

As for the oval itself, it is so well laid down, so trim and neat, that it seemed a sacrilege for poles to profane its smooth sward and rude heels dig into its grassy surface...

"Arrangements at the Oval is in the Register,
11 December 1882, page 5a.

"Cricket and Courtesy" is in the Observer,
16 December 1882, page 27d.

A sketch of a proposed grandstand is in the Pictorial Australian in February 1882, page 29.

"Cricket Reserves" is in the Express,
21 September 1883, page 3e;
also see Observer,
3 October 1885, page 19a.

Caledonian sports on the oval are reported in the Register,
15 April 1884, page 6g.

"The Oval and the Caledonian Society" is in the Register,
27 February 1885, page 3g.

Sports on the Oval are reported in the Observer,
17 and 24 October 1885, pages 19a and 19a.

A wrestling match and athletics on the Oval are reported in the Register,
28 December 1885, page 7c,
Observer,
2 January 1886, page 34a.

A corroboree on the Adelaide Oval is reported in the Advertiser,
30 May 1885, page 6d,
1 June 1885, page 5f,
Register,
3 and 4 June 1885, pages 7c and 6d.

"Smoking in the Pavilion" is in the Register,
10 July 1886, page 7a.

A fireworks display is reported in the Register,
16, 17 and 24 March 1887, pages 5b, 7c and 5a,
Observer,
19 March 1887, page 32c and motor car racing on 18 October 1902, page 34d.

Centennial sports are reported in the Chronicle,
28 January 1888, page 21g.

A report on sports played under electric light is in the Express,
15 and 22 February 1889, pages 4a and 4c,
1 March 1889, page 4b.

Editorial comment on the Oval is in the Register,
19 March 1889, pages 4h-5b;
also see 20 March 1889, page 7h.

"Adelaide Oval and the Public" is in the Express,
4 May 1889, page 4e.

Cycling and other entertainments during the intervals of football and baseball matches are reported in the Observer,
19 May 1894, page 19d,
28 July 1894, page 20b,
8 September 1894, page 19c.
Photographs are in the Observer,
4 April 1903, page 23.
Cycling record attempts at the oval are reported in the Observer,
18 April 1903, page 20a.
Photographs are in The Critic,
24 February 1904, page 16.

"Management of the Adelaide Oval" is in the Observer,
20 November 1897, page 30c.

A photograph of a match in progress is in the Chronicle,
6 November 1897 (supplement);
also see The Critic,
22 January 1898, pages 10 and 11.

"Improvements at the Oval" is in the Register,
24 November 1899, page 7e.

"Entertaining a Crowd [at the Cricket] is in the Register,
23 November 1899, page 4g,
Observer,
2 December 1899, page 28a.

"The Adelaide Oval Track" is in the Register,
10, 23, 24 and 26 March 1900 pages 4i, 4h, 4f and 7d,
2 April 1900, page 3c.

"Royalty has an Arbor Day" is in the Observer,
13 July 1901, page 32c.

"Adelaide Test Matches - Some Reminiscences" is in the Observer,
25 January 1902, page 19e.

Photographs are in The Critic,
22 November 1902, page 5,
23 January 1904, pages 16 and 17.

A "gold find" on the oval by the caretaker, Mr Checkett, is reported in the Observer,
26 September 1903, page 34b.

"A Splendid Cricket Pitch" is in the Express,
10 November 1903, page 4d.

A dispute with the football association in respect of the use of the oval is discussed in the Observer,
18 April 1903, page 18e,
12 March 1904, pages 19e-20a,
23 April 1904, page 19d,
Express,
31 March 1904, page 4f,
16 September 1904, page 4f.
Also see South Australia - Sport - Football

Photographs of Light Horse sports at the Oval are in the Observer,
25 June 1904, page 24.

"Cycling and Motor Records" on the Oval is in the Observer,
22 October 1904, page 34a.

"Improving the Oval" is in the Advertiser,
28 October 1907, page 6f.

"New Score Board at Oval" is in the Register,
3 May 1911, page 6f.

"Vaudeville on the Oval" is in the Express,
30 November 1911, page 1d.

The reminiscences of Charles Checkett, curator of the Adelaide Oval for 30 years, are in the Register,
7 January 1911, page 8,
1 March 1913, page 13f
and of his successor, Albert Wright, in The News,
23 January 1928, page 6e.
Further Checkett reminiscences are in the Register,
15 March 1919, page 6g,
Observer,
15 March 1919, page 17e;
also see The Critic,
5 March 1919, page 14 (photograph),
The News,
26 August 1930, page 5c (obit.).
A benefit match is reported upon in the Register,
11 and 12 April 1919, pages 6e and 7c.
Information on his successor, George Dunn, is in the Register,
30 March 1920, page 6g.

The New Tivoli Gardens on the oval are discussed in the Register,
17 and 19 January 1914, pages 12d and 9b.

"Turf Wickets Outback" is in the Register,
9 January 1915, page 6g.

"Oval Patrons - Comfort Callously Disregarded" is in The Mail,
8 January 1921, page 2c.

"New Members' Pavilion" is in the Register,
22 February 1922, page 7d.

"Adelaide Oval Tells History of Cricket" is in The Mail,
26 July 1930, page 20d.

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