SPORTS fans are only just understanding why the legendary London cricket ground is called Lord’s.

The 31,000-seater venue has played host to some of the most iconic games in Test match history.

It is currently home to the Second Ashes Test between England and Australia.

Yet despite regularly drawing millions of eyes, many people were unaware of the reasoning behind the name Lord’s.

And you have to go all the way back to 1787 to understand its origin.

That was when Thomas Lord – a gifted bowler – opened his first cricket ground on Dorset Fields – now Dorset Square in Marylebone, London.

It came after the Earl of Winchilsea and the Duke of Richmond urged him to find them a new ground.

He laid out a wicket, put up a fence and charged sixpence admission – with the only entrance and exit through his wine shop.

He then moved the venue to Lisson Grove, but eventually landed on its current location in St John’s Wood in 1814.

Middlesex beat Essex by 93 runs in the first match played at the ground in 1787.

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Lord, who also founded the Marylebone Cricket Club, opened the innings for Middlesex, scoring one and 36 in his two innings.

England’s first Test match at Lord’s – which came against a touring side from Australia – took place in 1884.

England won the match by an innings and five runs.