Story: Sport and society
Image
This watercolour by George O'Brien shows the Southern Recreation Ground in January 1864 during the colony's first international sporting occasion. A local enterpreneur, Shadrach Jones, had brought George Parr's All England cricket team across from Australia. Otago and Canterbury teams played each other, then the All England XI defeated an Otago XXII. Spectators were charged admission.
Using this item
Reference: 1988/78/1
by George O'Brien
Permission of Toitū Otago Settlers Museum must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
How to cite this page
Greg Ryan, Sport and society – Growth, 1860s and 1870s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/artwork/39377/cricket-match-dunedin-1864 (accessed 17 February 2026).
Story by Greg Ryan, published 30 November 2012.