Hotels near The Kia Oval Cricket Ground

Though it does not have quite the same kudos as Lord's, The Kia Oval (known so because of a sponsorship deal, but usually referred to simply as The Oval) is in many ways just as pleasant to watch a day's cricket. Test matches against the West Indies and teams from the Indian subcontinent are particularly atmospheric, with south London's large Caribean and Asian populations turning out in force to support their heroes. The Oval is often the venue of the last Test match of the English summer and has played host to many famous finishes to a series, not least England's historic final day Ashes win in 2005. It is also the home of Surrey County Cricket Club and supports a busy programme of fixtures throughout the summer. Believe it or not, but The Oval was first a football ground before giving away to cricket - and the first ever FA Cup Final was played there back in 1872. As such, The Oval is one of two sports ground (Bramall Lane in Sheffield being the other) to have staged both England Football and Cricket internationals, as well as FA Cup Finals. The 23,500-capacity stadium also holds an exhibition match for Australian Rules Football in October each year - and in 2005 drew a record Aussie Rules crowd of 18,884.