A quaint cricket ground in a sylvan setting on the banks of the Hooghly has emerged from more than 150 years of obscurity to demand a place beside the Eden Gardens as a sporting venue befitting its famous name: the Oval.

The ground, located on the campus of the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) in Shibpur, was designed by the British and called the Oval for its shape, just like its international counterpart at Kennington in South London.

But unlike Calcutta's Eden Gardens that is hailed as "cricket's answer to the Colosseum", Howrah's Oval has remained a college playground despite its history and leafy surroundings that evoke the atmosphere of an English village cricket ground.

Professors at IIEST said the rows of trees encircling the ground were all planted by the British, though there is no confirmation of when it was inaugurated and named the Oval.

The earliest available record dates back to 1848, when the ground appears in a painting of a building called Principal's House by the British artist Charles D'Oyly. The first pictures of Eden date back to the 1850s, some years before it was formally established in 1864.

On Friday, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) confirmed that it would take over the Oval and turn it into a venue for first class and club cricket by 2016-17. The plan is to lay four pitches and spruce up the infrastructure in time for the first-class season starting next year.

Galleries would be added by matching the design with that of the two small stands on either side of the ground. An electronic scoreboard is part of the blueprint, according to Ajoy Kumar Ray, the director of IIEST-Shibpur.

While the Oval gets a makeover, non-cricket sporting activity on the IIEST campus would shift to a neighbouring ground called... Lord's! The ground would be developed for soccer and athletics, CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey said.

CAB joint secretary Sourav Ganguly, the first Indian to score a century on Test debut at Lord's in 1996, recently signed an agreement with the IIEST to develop the two grounds. The association has also promised the services of a coach for the institute's cricket team that competes in the CAB college league.

Director Ray called the CAB's decision to develop the Oval as a "win-win situation" for the institute". He described the ground as "the pride of IIEST".

From the ninth-floor terrace of the new academic and administrative building at IIEST, the Oval is a roll of green with a rivulet and the river just 500 metres away.

A clock tower to the east and the Victorian architecture of the 195-year-old residence of the principal of the erstwhile Bishop College - it is now the IIEST director's bungalow - along with the nearby Madhusudan Bhawan that houses a chapel add to the English ambience.

At one end of the ground, a tin tent for the ground staff has "OVAL" written in large white letters on the roof. Two small concrete stands done up with tiles on either side of the pavilion, which was renovated with contributions from the batch of 1982, are more recent additions.

The trees surrounding the Oval are mostly tall deodars, which don't grow naturally in India. "The setting is unlike any cricket ground you will find in the country," a professor said.

That "Lord's" is just next door is probably inconsequential.

In London, The Oval and Lord's are 7km apart. At IIEST, they are separated by a 200-metre winding walkway, portions of it under a canopy of green.

On the opposite bank of the Hooghly, the Eden Gardens remains a lush oasis along with the Maidan.

With the Hooghly a loud LBW appeal away, the afternoon river breeze that blows across Eden is said to make the ball do things. As and when the Oval hosts first-class matches on the opposite bank, the ball could act just as mischievous in the morning session.

Not everyone at IIEST is happy with the CAB's plan, though. "This ground is very close to our hearts. Our boys want to play on the beautiful turf whenever they feel like. But when it is pre-booked for club or first-class matches, they won't be able to play there," said a professor who didn't wish to be named.

A section of students has written to the alumni, seeking their support in opposing the CAB's involvement in their Oval and Lord's. But CAB officials are keen to make Howrah's Oval famous.

"It's a very beautiful ground and the cricket community will take note of it soon," Dey said.

Can Howrah's Oval rival Calcutta's Eden? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com