The first reported cricket match played in Australia was in
Sydney on 8 January 1804 at the park now known as
Hyde Park. By the 1830s inter-club competition had commenced in Sydney and due to the discovery of gold in the 1850s, cricket spread rapidly to the other colonies of Australia. The land on which Bradman Oval is situated was originally part of Glebe Park, granted to the Church of England by
John Oxley. In 1883 the Bowral Cricket Club was formed and cricket has been played on the ground since 1893. George and Emily Bradman moved from a farm near
Cootamundra to the adjacent (1890) house at 52 Shepherd Street, Bowral, in 1911. Young
Don Bradman, future cricketer, lived here during his formative years, from age three to fifteen. The Bradmans had five children: Victor, Lilian, Islet, Elizabeth May and Donald, their youngest. Don was taught piano in this house, started school at Bowral Public School in 1913, and was later described by his headmaster as especially good at mathematics and French. He later became a gifted pianist, businessman and man of letters. At 12, Bradman scored his first century while living here. Every afternoon after school, Don would arrive home, run through the door, throw his satchel down in the hall and head out to the tank stand to play with his golf ball and stump. It was here as a 12-year-old he met Jessie Menzies, who would later become his wife of 65 years. Against the tank stand Don honed his reflexes with a golf ball, skills that saw him become the greatest batsman in Australia, with an average of 99.94. Bradman first played on this oval when he was 12 and scored 29 not out for the Bowral Cricket Club. Bradman became a member of the Bowral Cricket Club in 1925. During his first season in the
Berrima District competition, Bradman scored 1,318 runs, an average of 94.14 runs. He also took 51 wickets, averaging 7.8 and held 26 catches. Another memorable game on this ground was in 1925 when Bradman scored 234 against the
Wingello team that included
Bill O'Reilly. In 1947 the "A Glebe" wicket was formally named the Bradman Oval. Later, improvements were made to the oval through the efforts of Bowral Municipal Council and
Gordon Whatman of Bowral, personally maintained the wicket area. In 1976 the reopening of a rehabilitated Bradman Oval was performed by Sir Donald Bradman himself in the company of the great Australian bowler Bill O'Reilly. Overlooking the oval is the Pavilion which opened in 1989. It houses the Player's Club Room, change rooms and meeting room. Adjacent to the Pavilion is the Museum, often referred to as the Second Innings, which opened on 27 August 1996 (Sir Donald's 88th Birthday). == Description ==