On 8 May 1810 the MCC played Middlesex on the original Lord's ground at Dorset Square — the last major match on the site Thomas Lord had opened in 1787. The Portman Estate's notice to terminate, served in October 1808, took effect at the close of play. The Dorset Square ground was given over to building work within weeks; cricket at Lord's continued at the new Middle Ground at North Bank.
The Dorset Fields ground had been the central venue for major cricket since 1787. Its closure had been signalled by the Portman Estate's October 1808 notice.
Lord had opened the Dorset Fields ground in 1787, and it had served as cricket's central venue for twenty-three years. Following the Portman Estate's October 1808 notice, the lease ran out in spring 1810. The MCC scheduled a single farewell match — MCC v Middlesex — for 8 May. Beauclerk played for MCC and made 41; Middlesex were beaten by an innings. At the close of play the ground was formally vacated. Building work for the surrounding Regency terraces began later in May; the strip itself was preserved as the central garden of the new Dorset Square.
1787
Thomas Lord opens the Dorset Fields ground
Oct 1808
Portman Estate serves notice
8 May 1810
Final match: MCC v Middlesex
Jun 1810
Building work begins on the site
The Middle Ground at North Bank continued in use until 1813, when the Regent's Canal extension forced a second move to the present St John's Wood site.
The end of the original Lord's — a ground that had hosted twenty-three years of major cricket.
The 1810 closure ended the first phase of Lord's history. The site survives as Dorset Square — a small London garden ringed by Regency terraces, with a plaque marking the cricket ground.
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1811-07-04
The 1811 Lord's season was the leanest of the Middle Ground years. With the Napoleonic blockade at its tightest, willow scarce, professionals diverted to militia service and the betting public's purses thin, only fourteen major matches were played at Lord's all summer. The 1811 season is the clearest measure of cricket's wartime contraction.
Officers vs Civilians
1812-12-15
By the close of 1812 cricket was being played regularly in both Madras and Bombay — the earliest documented fixtures in either Presidency. Garrison officers and civilian East India Company servants ran the matches; the Madras Gazette and Bombay Courier preserved the earliest scoresheets. The Calcutta game (documented 1804) had been joined by all three Presidency capitals.
Kent vs MCC
1813-09-09
On 9-10 September 1813 Kent played the MCC at the Vine, Sevenoaks — the first post-war major match at the historic Kent ground and the start of the Vine's revival as a regular major venue. The Vine had hosted little major cricket since 1808; the September 1813 fixture marked its return to the front rank.