Above The City by Rory Sweetman, pub. Otago Boys’ High School Foundation, 2013
From Otago Boys’ High School Archives –
Rory Sweetman wrote a history of the School in his book Above The City. It is from this source the supporting information comes for this superb early cricket photograph.
In the background is the prestigious main School building, designed by Robert Lawson and officially opened in February 1885. The use of dark Leith Valley basalt, lighter Port Chalmers breccia and creamy Oamaru limestone as building material reflects in a way the School colours of blue and white.
Throughout the 1880’s and 1890’s cricket at OBHS had always struggled due to the muddy grounds over summer and the Spartan facilities. So much so, Sweetman labelled cricket then as “the Cinderella of School sports”. For inter-school matches the teams had to walk over a mile to play their cricket at the Oval (Kensington).
This changed after 1900. The area to the south of the main block (called the Green) was very rough and undulating and required major excavation, filling and levelling to bring up to standard. 0nce the work was completed cricket flourished at OBHS. The Green (seen here in the foreground) was used for the next 50+ years before the northern ground of Littlebourne was developed as the number one wicket and the Green was built upon for classrooms to accommodate the School’s growth in roll. OBHS has also had a long tradition of providing well-qualified professional coaching for the players and for those players going on to gain national honours.
There can be no finer place in New Zealand to play cricket than here at the beautiful, elevated Otago Boys’ High School ground with an outlook to die for.