3-043-887 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

At Lord's Cricket-Ground: the Eton and Harrow match, 1872. 'The forty-seventh yearly contest between the representative cricket-players of Eton and Harrow Schools took place at Lord's Ground, St. John's-wood [in north London]...The first match between Eton and Harrow took place in 1805...With occasional omissions, these contests were carried on down to 1837, since which time there has been no interruption to their regularity. The last three matches, preceding this year, have been won by Eton, and the general summing up shows the light blues to have won twenty-two, and the dark blues twenty, exclusive of the 1857 match, which was disputed. Four matches have been drawn. The Eton eleven have again won in this year's match, having six wickets yet in reserve when scoring one more than the Harrow eleven had made in two complete innings...The playing was altogether of a high character, and was eagerly watched by a large assemblage of spectators, 16,000 entering the ground on the Friday and 14,000 on the Saturday...Many of the high nobility and persons well known in fashionable society were also present. A few of the less distinguished lookers-on at this interesting game are shown in the Engraving on our front page'. From "Illustrated London News", 1872.