Cricket fans now have the chance to take home a piece of the most iconic playing field in the sport. The hallowed turf at Lord’s is being relaid for the first time in over two decades, and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is offering slabs of the historic outfield for sale at £50 each.
Players walk back to the pavilion at Lord’s(AFP)
Each piece of turf measures 1.2m by 0.6m and gives buyers a rare opportunity to own part of the ground that has witnessed generations of cricketing greatness. The initiative aims to raise funds for the MCC Foundation and support future infrastructure development at the ground.
“To raise funds for the MCC Foundation, and to aid future development of the cricket field, we are offering all Members the chance to own a piece of Lord’s turf, a part of the stage on which so many magical moments have taken place,” the MCC said in a release.
While the offer is formally extended to the club’s 25,000 members, the general public will also be able to purchase a piece of the famous outfield. Ten percent of the proceeds will be directed toward the MCC Foundation, with the remainder invested in improving the ground’s facilities.
The relaying process, scheduled to begin in September, will leave the central 20-pitch square untouched. Grounds staff will remove 15mm of grass from the surface and reseed it to create a new outfield. The decision follows concerns that the turf was becoming unstable, with divots being torn up when fielders dived.
Chief curator Karl McDermott told The Telegraph that the renovation had been on his mind for some time, but packed match calendars had made it difficult. “My predecessor, Mick Hunt, always had a pitch up his sleeve that he could re-lay and not have any cricket on [for three years],” McDermott said. “But we don’t have that luxury now, because of the rise in cricket: The Hundred, there’s more women’s cricket, which is fantastic, but nothing has given way.”
The last time Lord’s relaid its outfield was in 2002, when the turf was upgraded to improve drainage. At the time, slabs of grass were sold at £10 each and raised £35,000. One enthusiastic buyer reportedly paid £1,260 to lay an entire lawn with the sacred sod.
There was pressure to renew the outfield again in 2012 following the London Olympics, when Lord’s was repurposed to host archery events. Some members reportedly complained that the field resembled a “patchwork quilt,” but MCC maintained the surface was fit for use. The International Cricket Council also cleared it after inspection by match referee Jeff Crowe.