Punt Road Oval

Events held at Punt Road Oval (Richmond Cricket Ground) throughout its history.
On October 24 1855, an application was presented by the committee and members of the Richmond Cricket Club, at How's Royal Hotel on Punt Road, to "select and improve a site in the Richmond paddock, opposite How's Royal Hotel, for the purpose of playing the game of cricket"

ATHLETICS
Tuesday 20 November 1860
Handicap foot-races are held on the ground. Permission is obtained to install six-eight artificial brush fences as hurdles, and cut a 16-foot wide water jump on the ground. (there was a hurdle in the water as well). A steeplechase of 440 yards, a flat race of 250 yards, and an 80 yard race are held. After the races, with the crowd wanting more, a '100 yard spin' won by C Timbury by a yard, a 400 yards race between H C Harrison and J Were
The course was defined by flags, and around 1,000 spectators watch.

21 Oct 1865
Athletic Sports to raise funds for the Pavilion Building Fund. Program includes 80 yard race, 100 yards match race, 150 yards handicap flat race, Quarter mile handicap flat race. Plus the one mile flat race for the amateur championship of the colony between Mr Flood and Mr Higgins.

April 1907
Victorian Railways Cricket Association Annual Sports Meeting. Events include 150 yards handicap hurdle race, tug-of-war between Prince's Bridge team and South Yarra team.

October 1911
Trinity Grammar School (Kew) sports. Includes egg and spoon race, 100 yard dash.

November 1911
Camberwell Grammar School sports carnival

June 15 1912
6th Infantry Regiment Sports Meeting

16 Oct 1918
Richmond State Schools Athletics Carnival

8 Feb 1932
Womens' Interstate Cricket Carnival -NSW vs QLD

November 1932 -
Metropolitan High Schools' sports carnival.

November 1935 -
St Kevin's college sports carnival. Includes Under 12's Siamese race (participants tied together at an ankle)

23 October 1940
Richmond District State School's sports day.

23 October 1942
Associated Grammar Schools Sports

4 July 1943
American Independence Day sports meeting in front of 35,000 spectators. Athletes from US Army, RAAF Army, RAN, and women participated. Navy won the championship. A US band of 80 performers entertained the crowd. A display of unarmed combat by Australian Army soldiers trained in jungle combat. Goff Vockler (Swimmer), Geoff Weber (wrestler), Brighton Diggins (footballer) were participants. Wrestler Lieutenant Bonnie Muir described the moves over microphone.

July 2 1944
Independence Day Sports Carnival . Silver coin donation, proceeds to be divided between Australian Women's Auxillary for Children's Hospital (75%), and Richmond Football Club Prisoners of War Fund (25%)
Description of the events on the day as here

BASEBALL
Curtain Raisers to VFL and VFA matches until 1947 (the introduction of the VFL Thirds)
Included Victorian Baseball League final between Prahran and Northcote in 1916.

September 1910 - Interstate Baseball Carnival - Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria, NSW

21 Aug 1912
Interstate Baseball Carnival between Victoria, NSW and South Australia.

June 1954. Victoria vs South Australia.
(+ as curtain raiser Provincial Baseball League grand final)

CRICKET
Richmond Cricket Club matches 1856 - 2010/2011 season.

27 Dec 1861
The 1861 England Cricket Team train from 10.30am until 5pm. A large number of spectators watched after rumour spread of the team practicing. George Griffiths hits a ball into the Royal Hotel across the road, while Tom Sewell jnr hits a ball over the trees between the ground and the police barracks.

17-18 January 1879
Richmond vs Canterbury (from England).

8 April 1904
Jewish Cricket Match - Married vs Single -

10 Feb 1905
A.M.P Society vs Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society

April 1905
Steamship Owners Association NSW vs Victoria

22 Nov 1905
S.M.CC 'Biffs' v Chemists

January 1907
Ladies cricket - North vs South of the Yarra

March 1907
Interstate Shipping Cricket match (teams representing overseas shipping companies) for the Appleton Shield

March 1911
Interstate Shipping Cricket match (teams representing overseas shipping companies) Victoria vs NSW

25 Jan 1912 - The Opera House vs The Argus cricket match

2 April 1919 - Dental Graduates vs Dental Students match

11 Dec 1940
Don Bradman scores 109 in a charity match for Army Physical Training Corps

27 Jan 1941 Boots Trade Association vs Richmond District Industries Association

25 -26 Dec 1942
Australia Army v Australia Other Services

11 Dec 1988
Shell Bicentennial Women's World Cup Australia v England

17 Dec 1988
Shell Bicentennial Women's World Cup Ireland v New Zealand.

9- 12 Feb 1991
Indian Women test match vs Australia.

1996 - 2008
Under 17 championships
Under 19 championships
Vic Second XII vs ACT / NSW / NT
Richmond vs Victoria

1997 - 2002
Woman's National Cricket League

13 November 1999
Mercantile Mutual Cup match between Victoria and Canberra.

29 Oct 2000
Mercantile Mutual Cup match between Victoria and NSW

12 Nov 2000
Mercantile Mutual Cup match between Victoria and SA

28 October 2001
ING Cup match between Victoria and QLD

4 Nov 2001
ING Cup match between Victoria and SA

CYCLING
2 April 1887
Richmond Bicycle Sports day. Included One Mile Maiden race, One Mile Open Bicycle race, One mile club championship,One Mile bicycle race. Richmond FC President George Bennett was the starter.

3 Nov 1925 (Cup Day)
Cycling carnival from the Richmond amateur club, including scratch races and match races

FOOTBALL
Pre-VFA Richmond matches 1858 - 1885
VFA Richmond matches from 1885 - 1907.
Wanderers vs Richmond Trades May 27 1886
Vic Junior Football Ass vs Richmond April 25 1903
Brighton Grammar School vs Hawthorn Grammar School - 5 June 1908
Trinity Grammar School vs University High School - June 1908
Metropolitan Association (junior) matches 1909 (incl Semi Final)
VFL Richmond matches from 1908 - end of 1964
Burnley State School Old Boys' Association vs Brighton Street State School Old Boys' Association 8 June 1914
Williamstown High School vs Melb Junior Technical School July 1916
A scratch match of a Soldiers Team - Thursday 7 August 1919. "As guernseys only will be supplied , men are asked to bring their own kits."
Diggers v Navy Football Team - Thursday 21 August 1919. Admission Free. Domain camp band plays music Match Review here
Maribyrnong Field Artillery vs Diggers' Football Team Wednesday 28 August 1919
VFL Reserve Richmond matches from 1919 - 1964, 1996-2000, 2014 - onwards
VFA vs South Australia representative match (June 24 1905)

Richmond Seconds team in fancy dress vs Women's team - 1923
Victorian Junior Football League (A Grade) - 1937
Melbourne FC VFL matches 1942 -1946 (as MCG was unavailable due to WW2 services)
South Melbourne 1 home VFL game (July 11 1942) owing to the football fixture.
Wednesday Football League matches (including Finals)
Combined Services Team vs Richmond FC 12 July 1942 (Crowd: 40,000)
Services Football matches 1942.
Combined Services (Air Force, Navy, Army) vs Essentials Service (Police, Fire, Railways, Tramways, Munitions,Engineering) 15 Aug 1943.
Victorian Tramways Football Association Final - 23 Aug 1944
Racing Writers' Association vs 3XY Radio Station charity match (31 July 1949).
Metropolitan Boys League (Under 17s) Grand Final - 29 August 1953. / Preliminary Final East Brunswick v Hawthorn City (curtain raiser Sunshine vs Richmond District)

All Australian Amateur Team vs Queensland (7 July 1954) (Players incl Ray Allsop)

5 September 1954 : League vs Association Footballers (in aid of Sportsmen's Ward in Prince Henry Hospital).
(Roy Wright, Brownlow Medallist to present trophies to long-distance kicking winners)

1955 VFL Thirds Grand Final (August 27, 12noon) Fit vs South
1956 VFL Thirds Grand Final
1957 VFL Thirds Grand Final (Aug 31 )

1967 VFA Grand Final between Port Melb and Dandenong. Midway through second quarter Port Melbourne captain Brian Buckley begins to lead his team off in protest over the umpiring.
1968 VFA Grand Final between Preston and Prahran.
1969 VFA Grand Final between Preston and Dandenong

8 June 1925
Richmond 18 vs Chinese Progressive Association football match.

Women's Football - Victoria vs NSW/ACT June 7 2015.
Youth Girls National Championship 6 May 2016: NT Thunder vs Woomeras, Vic Country vs QLD, NSW/ACT vs SA

2016 AFL National Inclusion Carnival Game 1-6, Wed 10 August .

2016 Bachar Houli Academy vs Jim Stynes Squad Thurs 29 Sept.

2016 Under 18s NAB All-Stars match. Team O'Loughlin vs Team Judd. Fri 30 Sept. 1.30pm
2016 Under 17s NAB All-Stars match. Team O'Loughlin vs Team Judd. Sat Oct 1 10.30am

2017 March 4, Youth Girls TAC Cup match - Murray Bushrangers vs Bendigo Pioneers
2017 May 27 The Laguntas (102) def Jim Stynes Academy (71)
2017 July 9 Bendigo Thunder vs Kew (Women's Match)
2017 September 25 NAB AFL All Star match (Under 18s talent). Teams are called Enright (after Corey Enright), and Harvey (after Brent Harvey) . Brad Johnson will coach the Enright team, and Peter Sumich will coach the Harvey team.
2017 September 30 - Live site for supporters to watch 2017 Grand Final.
2017 October 1 - Richmond players, coach and staff present the 2017 Premiership Cup to the supporters

2017 November 8 - The Irish Gaelic Football Team train at Punt Road in preparation for the International Rules competition in Adelaide that weekend.

2018 - February 10 - Richmond Academy vs Hawthorn NGA talent
"The NGA introduces the game of Australian Rules to both boys and girls, aged 11-18 years, who are from Indigenous and multicultural backgrounds." (RFC Website)

2018- March 18 - RAAF vs Navy (Womens) / RAAF vs Navy (Mens)
2018 - May 6 Jim Stynes Academy 13.13.92 def Laguntas 4.8.32

GRIDIRON
31 July 1925
U.S.S Pennsylvania vs U.S.S Trenton gridiron match

3 April 1943
Bears vs Redskins exhibition American Football match. Attendance: 20,000
Background info here, info on the match here and here

July 18 1943
AUSTUS (combined Aussie Rules + Gridiron game) is first played at Punt Road Oval . Footage of the match .
Americans 8.5.53 def Explosives 5.8.38Rule booklet
Explosive team: Alf Hacker (capt), Charles Skinner (v/c), W Dunstan, T Calvert, R Matthews, W Best, R Brewis, F Walshe, J Bateman, L Killcullen, F Gordon, B Heaven, F Schrape, J Barnes, B Roberts, J Joyce, W Beauvis, C Pearce

August 15 1943
Another game of AUSTUS. U.S 12.3.75 def Ordanance 7.10.52 is played at Punt Road Oval

HOCKEY
8 Aug 1914
Interstate men's hockey between Victoria and South Australia.

7 Sept 1918
Interstate women's hockey match between Victoria and Western Australia. (Played Saturday, Monday and Tuesdays)

31 July 1926
Indian Army hockey team vs a Victorian Eleven.

MUSIC
1914
Open Air Concerts every saturday night, includes the Richmond Citizen Brass Band, Baritone Herbert Purton, Soprano Ida Fowler and John Hill, England's leading player of the Edephone. Skipper Francis who swam the Bristol Channel will screen film of his feat. Professor Godfrey and his performing birds and monkeys, and direct films from Austral Photoplay.

OLYMPICS
Athletes of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics opening ceremony were assembled on the Punt Road Oval and then marched over to the MCG where they entered the stadium country by country.

OTHER
5 July 1913
A race for one legged men is held at the half-time interval of Richmond vs South Melbourne. “Crutchy” Keating wins easily.

7 June 1915
Monster Charity Carnival (under auspices of Combined Richmond State Schools Old Boys Associations) : boys football, bicycle races, tug-of-war, pillow fights, maypole dance, dumb-bell exercises, long distance kicking

October 16 1918
Competitive sports meeting of Richmond State Schools.

26 May 1920
The Prince of Wales procession heads down Punt Road right beside the Richmond Cricket Ground. Richmond and Collingwood who had played 10.45am match finished their match, and both teams watched the Prince's arrival down Punt Road.

Working Men's College Sports - Thursday 28 Oct 1920

Richmond Sunday Sports Display - 8 July 1945 -Relay events with footballers and jockeys, goalkicking contest with Ron Todd, Jack Titus, Jack Dyer and Ron Baggott, boxers competing in a walk-run event, Vic Women softballers vs Services, Special displays by ServiceWomen. 500 men and women of Air Training Corps also attend.

Jockey's relay race as part of the Charity day on 31 July 1949.

Victorian jockey sprint race. 5 September 1954. (Winner received a whip from jockey Jack Purcell)

A Skittle alley was constructed in 1886 at the ground, with a Richmond Skittle club formed.

RUGBY
June 2015 - Queensland State of Origin side train at Punt Road prior to State of Origin 2.
October 2017 - Australia's National Rugby League (Kangaroos) train at Punt Road.

SOCCER
30 March 1883
The Anglo-Australian Football Club is formed and intends to play according to British Association (soccer) rules.
They have secured the Richmond Cricket Ground for the season, to play their matches.

July 18 1885 - Victorian vs New South Wales Intercolonial soccer match

11 June 1951
England soccer club defeat Australian XI 6-1 at Punt Road.

SOFTBALL
Women's softball match between Dodger and Posties, as part of the Charity day on 31 July 1949
American softball teams play opening round of knockout tournament March 1943

TENNIS

Asphalt Tennis courts were built and opened in 1885.
Federal Taxation Department Tennis Sports Carnival - Dec 1922