Eastern Oval 3.02

Eastern Oval is a cricket ground in the city of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.The first recorded match on the ground in 1862 when Ballarat played HH Stephenson's XI. The ground was an important early centre of cricket in Victoria, hosting the Australia team, as well as personal teams from important cricketing figures such as George Parr, W. G. Grace and John Lillywhite to name a few.The oval is characterised by its steep grassy embankments, historic timber grandstand, and large trees that surround the playing field. It remains popular as a sports venue in Ballarat because of its intimacy, closeness to the city centre, and historic character.CricketMore than a hundred years later the ground held its first First-Class match when Victoria played an England XI in a List A match in 1985. The only first-class match to be held there to date was played in 1990 when Victoria played an England XI. The ground was selected as a venue for the 1992 Cricket World Cup, staging a One Day International between England and Sri Lanka. This match resulted in an England win by 106 runs. Two further List A matches have been held there, one in the 2003/03 ING Cup between Victoria and Queensland and another between the same teams in the following season's competition.