Cricket in the Park

Henry North Holroyd, the 3rd Lord Sheffield was born in 1832. After Eton he spent time in the Diplomatic Service and the Army. He became an MP for East Sussex in 1857 and held the seat for eight years. Also in 1857 he began his first term as president of Sussex CCC and remained in office for eleven years.His greatest indulgence was at his home, Sheffield Park, where he built a cricket ground to match any in the country. In 1884 and on four later occasions, the Australian Tourists began their tours with a fixture against Lord Sheffield's XI, captained always by the legendary W G Grace. In 1891/2 Lord Sheffield took the England team to Australia to play a Test series. Other grand matches in the Park included fixtures against South Africa and a team of Parsees from Bombay. Lord Sheffield was famous for his hospitality and no expense was spared in staging these wonderful cricket matches.