Observatory Lane
Cricket ground in Dublin, Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Observatory Lane is a cricket ground in Rathmines, Dublin, Ireland.
 Interactive map of Observatory Lane | |||
| Ground information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Country | Ireland | ||
| Coordinates | 53.3256°N 6.2620°W | ||
| Establishment | 1865[1] | ||
| End names | |||
| Rathmines[2] Mount Pleasant[2] | |||
| International information | |||
| First WODI | 17 August 1990: Ireland v  England | ||
| Last WODI | 17 July 2013: Ireland v  Pakistan | ||
| First WT20I | 29 May 2009: Ireland v Pakistan | ||
| Last WT20I | 6 August 2009: Ireland v  Netherlands | ||
| Team information | |||
| |||
| As of 3 September 2020 Source: Ground profile | |||
History
Leinster Cricket Club was founded in 1852, originally playing matches at nearby Grosvenor Square, before moving to Observatory Lane in 1865.[1]
First-class cricket was first played at Observatory Lane in 1912 when Ireland played Scotland.[3] The ground hosted six first-class matches before World War II, including a match between Ireland and the touring New Zealanders in 1937, in which no team passed 100 in any of the four innings.[4] Ireland played the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1948, with a 27 year wait before the next first-class match was played at the ground in 1975.[3] To date, 13 first-class matches have been played at Observatory Lane, the last in 2012 against Afghanistan in the ICC Intercontinental Cup.[3] List A cricket was first played at Observatory Lane in the 2005 ICC Trophy, with the ground hosting two matches.[5] A third List A match was played there between Leinster Lightning and Northern Knights in the 2017 Inter-Provincial Cup, with Leinster Lightning due to play a further List A match there in the 2018 Inter-Provincial Cup.[5] Women's international cricket was first played at Observatory Lane in 1990, when Ireland women played England women in a Women's One Day International (WODI).[6] To date six WODIs have been played at the ground,[6] along with two Women's Twenty20 Internationals in 2009.[7]
Rugby international
The Ireland rugby union team played their first home match at Observatory Lane in 1875 against England,[8][1] after Lansdowne Road was deemed unsuitable.[9]
| Ireland International Rugby Union Matches | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Home | Score | Opponent | Competition | Attendance |
| 13 December 1875 |  Ireland | 0G–1G | England | 1875–76 Home Nations | [10][11] |
Records
First-class
- Highest team total: 462 by Ireland v Canada, 2011[12]
- Lowest team total: 30 by Ireland v New Zealanders, 1937[13]
- Highest individual innings: 144 by Andrew White for Ireland v Netherlands, 2010[14]
- Best bowling in an innings: 8-80 by Robert Gregory for Ireland v Scotland, 1912[15]
- Best bowling in a match: 10-45 by James Boucher for Ireland v Minor Counties, 1937[16]
List A
- Highest team total: 239/8 by Leinster Lightning v Northern Knights, 2017[17]
- Lowest team total: 132 by Northern Knights v Leinster Lightning, as above[17]
- Highest individual innings: 126* by Kenneth Kamyuka for Uganda v Papua New Guinea, 2005[18]
- Best bowling in an innings: 5-23 by Andrew Britton for North West Warriors v Leinster Lightning, 2018[19]