formerly owned the land, which by 1850 remained a part of Cowley Marsh. Under an Enclosure Act, the land which made up Cowley Marsh was put up for auction by the Parish of Cowley. It was purchased under the Vice-Chancellorship of Frederick Charles Plumptre for the University of Oxford, with an Act of Convocation dated 30 May 1851 authorising the purchase for the special purpose of enabling members of the university to play cricket. The following month, an agreement was signed between Plumptre and William Ridding, steward of the University Cricket Club, to let the ground the cricket club, enabling them to become permanent lessees of an enclosed cricket ground; this began a trend for other colleges to become lessees of their own enclosed grounds within Oxford. The most famous first-class match held on the ground came in 1877 when Oxford played the MCC. Played before a large crowd and fair, but cold, weather, Oxford won the toss and elected to bat. They were dismissed for 12 runs in 43.2 four ball overs in their first innings, which remains the second lowest first-class score of all time; Fred Morley, who would go on to play Test cricket for England, took figures of 7 for 6 in the Oxford first innings and figures of 6 for 8 in their second innings. His return of 13 for 14 remains the most outstanding match analysis of all time. By the 1870s, it was an opinion amongst Oxford cricketers that the cricket facilities at the University of Cambridge, with their ground at Fenner's, were better than those that Oxford possessed at the Magdalen Ground; the pavilion at the Magdalen Ground dated from its foundation and did not afford the comforts and conveniences expected of a modern cricket facility of the time. Ranjitsinhji described the turf at the ground as "magnificent", but that it required fine weather to remain so; with the Oxford cricket season being played mostly in the spring, the ground was often wet and flooding could occur; the 1843 University Match had to be moved to Bullingdon Green due to this problem. Chief amongst complaints from students was that they found the location of the ground was inconveniently situated from the main buildings of the university. Therefore, with the encouragement of the Vice-Chancellor The Reverend Evan Evans, a petition was started by Ranjitsinhji (then treasurer of the University Cricket Club) for the