Rectory Field facts for kids
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Rectory Field rugby pitches
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| Ground information | |||||||
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| Location | Blackheath, Royal Borough of Greenwich | ||||||
| Coordinates | 51°28′41″N 0°01′41″E / 51.478°N 0.028°E | ||||||
| Home club | Blackheath Football Club | ||||||
| Establishment | 1883 | ||||||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||||||
| Owner | Blackheath Sports Club | ||||||
| Team information | |||||||
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| As of 30 August 2016 Source: CricInfo |
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Rectory Field is a famous sports ground in Blackheath, south-east London. It was built in the 1880s by the Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company. For many years, it was the main home ground for the rugby union team Blackheath F.C., from 1883 to 2016.
This field has hosted important international rugby matches. It was even considered an unofficial home for the England national rugby union team. This was before Twickenham Stadium was built. Rectory Field was also used for top-level cricket matches. The Kent County Cricket Club played there from 1887 to 1972.
The field gets its name from the Charlton Rectory, a building that used to be on this spot. Today, Blackheath Sports Club uses it for cricket, rugby, tennis, and squash. It's about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Greenwich town centre. You can find its main entrance on Charlton Road.
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How Rectory Field Started
Rectory Field is located a little away from the main part of Blackheath. It sits east of Greenwich Park. Before this field was set up, sports were played on the open land of Blackheath, known as the Heath.
From the Heath to Richardson's Field
The Blackheath Football Club started playing on the Heath in 1871. As rugby became more popular, games began to attract large crowds. In 1877, a match against Richmond had to stop because too many people ran onto the field. This showed the club needed a proper, marked-out ground.
One club member, Maurice Henry Richardson, knew about a part of the Heath his father owned. The club rented this area for their matches. This pitch became known as Richardson's Field. It hosted several international rugby games. This included the first rugby match between England and Wales in 1881.
Finding a New Home
In 1882–83, Richardson's Field was sold for building new businesses. This meant the rugby team had to find a new place to play. The club captain, Lennard Stokes, found a new ground. It was just east of the old Richardson Field, on Charlton Road.
This new spot was a 5-acre (2.0 ha) plot of land. This land would become Rectory Field. Cricket started being played there in 1886. The Blackheath Cricket Club secretary, Montague Druitt, arranged for the field to be used in the summer. With many sports now using the ground, the Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company was created. This company helped manage the field and provide facilities for players.
Rectory Field's Rugby Story
Blackheath Football Club played their first game at Rectory Field in 1883. Their very first match on the new ground was against Guy's Hospital.
Hosting International Rugby Matches
On January 2, 1886, Rectory Field hosted its first international rugby union match. England played against Wales as part of the 1886 Home Nations Championship. England then stopped playing international rugby for a short time in late 1887.
The field was used again by the national team in 1889. This was when the world's first touring rugby team from the Southern Hemisphere, the New Zealand Māori, visited. England continued to use three main places for international rugby: Rectory Field, the Athletic Ground in Richmond, and Whalley Range in Manchester. After 1900, only the two London locations were used.
In 1910, Twickenham Stadium became the new main stadium for the England team. But before that, Rectory Field had one last important international game. In 1909, it hosted the first touring Australian rugby team.
Securing the Future and Moving On
When the first rental agreement for Rectory Field ended, there was a risk it would be sold for building. But £9,000 was raised through special investments called debentures. This allowed the field to be bought in 1921. This made it a permanent home for both the cricket and rugby teams.
After World War II, the Richmond and Blackheath clubs joined together for one season. Other teams, like London Irish, were also allowed to use the grounds.
On April 30, 2016, Blackheath F.C. played their last main team game at Rectory Field. They won against Blaydon 45–17. After 133 years at the ground, the club decided to move. They went to their training ground, Well Hall in Eltham, for the 2016–17 season. This move was to help them earn more money. However, the Rectory Field is still used by other teams from the club.
Rectory Field's Cricket Story
The first cricket match at Rectory Field was between Blackheath and GG Hearne's XI on April 26, 1886. The first top-level cricket match was held in 1887. In this game, Kent played against Surrey.
Kent County Cricket Club at Rectory Field
Kent continued to play regularly at Rectory Field until 1971. They played a total of 84 home first-class matches there. They had at least one match each season from 1905. Most of these games were against Surrey, whose home ground, The Oval, is less than 7 miles (11 km) away. The very last first-class match at Rectory Field was against Derbyshire in June 1971.
Kent also played three List A cricket matches at Blackheath. These were in 1969, 1970, and 1972. The Kent Second XI team used the ground for matches between 1921 and 1936.
Kent has a long history of playing at grounds in what they call "Metropolitan Kent" (areas around London). They have used grounds in nearby Beckenham, Crystal Palace, Catford, and Dartford. The club stopped using Rectory Field because they wanted to focus on their main ground, St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. Also, there were problems with car parking and the quality of the playing field.
Famous Players and Records
A future Kent and England bowler named Colin Blythe was first noticed bowling at Rectory Field. In July 1897, before a match, Blythe was asked to bowl to Kent's Walter Wright for practice. William McCanlis, who managed Kent's player development centre, saw him. Blythe was invited for a trial. He grew up nearby in Deptford and became one of the best bowlers before World War I. He played 381 times for Kent and 19 Test matches for England.
Blackheath Cricket Club, which plays in the Kent Cricket League, has used the ground since 1886. The club has many teams and a youth section.
Key Records at Rectory Field
Here are some top records from the 84 first-class matches played at Rectory Field:
- Highest team score: 560 for 6 declared by Kent against Essex in 1959.
- Lowest team score: 51 by Essex against Kent in 1964.
- Highest partnership: 343 runs for the 3rd wicket by PA Gibb and R Horsfall for Essex against Kent in 1951.
- Highest individual score: 250 runs by MC Cowdrey for Kent against Essex in 1959.
- Best bowling in one innings: 10 wickets for 54 runs by GAR Lock for Surrey against Kent in 1956.
- Best bowling in a whole match: 16 wickets for 83 runs by GAR Lock for Surrey against Kent in 1956.
In the three List A matches, the highest team score was 201 for 8. This was made by Lancashire in 1969. The highest individual score was 69 runs by Kent's Brian Luckhurst in the same match.
Other Sports at Rectory Field
Tennis has been played at Rectory Field since it was first created. There are eight hard courts and three grass tennis courts. They are located north of the rugby and cricket ground. All the courts have lights for playing at night. Two squash courts were built on the south side of the site in 1937 and are still used today.
