A guide to all the out-grounds being used by counties in the 2019 season

Oli Fisher
Glamorgan v Lancashire - LV County Chamionship - Division Two - Day One - Colwyn Bay Cricket Club

One of the charming gems of County Cricket is that every now and again a team uproots from its usual home venue in favour of often more quaint and subtle surroundings.

The beauty of out grounds is that the tend to offer a completely different experience to the huge, modern Test-standard arenas that some clubs play at. They provide a throw-back to a bygone era, capturing nostalgia and reminding even the newest of fans how cricket used to be.

With that said, we’ve provided a guide to the 21 out grounds being used in the 2019 domestic season…

 

County Championship – Division One

 

Newclose County Cricket Ground, Newport (Hampshire v Notts, 20th May)

Opened: 2008

Capacity: Not listed

Fun fact: Was opened by Mike Gatting. Also doubles up as a wedding venue and a conference suite.

 

The Kent County Cricket Ground, Beckenham (Kent v Surrey, 20th May)

Opened: 1920

Capacity: 10,000

Fun fact: The ground was established by Lloyds Bank as its main sports ground in the London area in 1918. Plus Kent made 701/7 there against Northants in 2017.

 

Woodbridge Road, Guildford (Surrey v Somerset, 3rd June)

Guildford Surrey

Opened: 1911

Capacity: 4,500

Fun fact: The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the ground during a county fixture in 1957, as part of the 700th anniversary of a royal charter being presented to Guildford by Henry III.

 

Welbeck Colliery CC, Nettleworth (Nottinghamshire v Hampshire, 9th June)

Opened: 2007

Capacity: Not listed

Fun fact: Prior to their first game at Welbeck in 2015, Nottinghamshire had not played a home match anywhere other than Trent Bridge since 2004.

 

Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells (Kent v Notts, 17th June)

Tunbridge Wells Kent

Opened: 1898

Capacity: 6,000

Fun fact: The Nevill Ground was used as one of the grounds for the 1983 Cricket World Cup, hosting a group stage match between India and Zimbabwe.

 

North Marine Road, Scarborough (Yorkshire v Surrey, 30th June)

North Marine Road, Scarborough

Opened: 1863

Capacity: 11,500

Fun fact: Has hosted the Scarborough Cricket Festival since 1876, which is absolutely worth going to if you haven’t already ticked it off.

 

County Championship – Division Two

 

Spytty Park, Newport (Glamorgan v Gloucestershire, 14th May)

Image: Wikimedia

Opened: 1990

Capacity: Not listed

Fun fact: Is part of Newport International Sports Village, which has a velodrome, swimming pool, tennis centre and houses the former home of Newport County.

 

College Ground, Cheltenham (Gloucestershire v Lancs, 27th May)

Cheltenham cricket ground

Opened: 1872

Capacity: 4,000

Fun fact: Hosts the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, which has been a part of Gloucestershire’s season since the 1870s.

 

Aigburth, Liverpool (Lancashire v Leicestershire, 3rd June)

Aigburth Liverpool

Opened: 1881

Capacity: 3,000

Fun fact: The pavillion at Aigburth was esigned by Thomas Harnett Harrison and built in 1880, making it the oldest at a first-class cricket ground.

 

St. Helen’s, Swansea (Glamorgan v Derbyshire, 11th June)

Cricket - National Cricket League - Glamorgan v Worcestershire

Opened: 1873

Capacity: 4,500

Fun fact: Also doubles up as a rugby ground, and was the venue for the first ever Wales home match in 1882.

 

Arundel Castle, Arundel (Sussex v Gloucestershire, 11th June)

Arundel Surrey

Opened: 1895

Capacity: 6,000

Fun fact: The Zoological Society of London released 1,000 of the endangered British field cricket into the wild at the Arundel Castle in 2003.

 

Radlett Cricket Club, Radlett (Middlesex v Glamorgan, 16th June)

Radlett cricket club

Opened: 1938

Capacity: Not listed

Fun fact: Was also used by Hertfordshire as the venue for six Minor Counties Championship matches between 1975 and 2013.

 

Clifton Park, York (Yorkshire v Warwickshire, 17th June)

Opened: 1967

Capacity: 4,000

Fun fact: York Cricket Club is one of the oldest Clubs in England, dating back to 1784.

 

Sedbergh School, Sedbergh (Lancashire v Durham, 30th June)

Sedbergh school

Opened: School opened in 1525

Capacity: Not listed

Fun fact: Isn’t actually in Lancashire – is in Cumbria but being used by Lancs to help boost their profile in the north west.

 

Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood (Middlesex v Gloucestershire, 7th July)

Old Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood

Opened: 1892

Capacity: Not listed

Fun fact: The ground is the most recent venue in England and Wales to host first-class cricket for the first time.

 

Queen’s Park, Chesterfield (Derbyshire v Northamptonshire, 14th July)

Queens Park, Chesterfield

Opened: 1898

Capacity: 7,000

Fun fact: Was the site of an unusual incident in 1946 when, after two overs had been bowled in the Derbyshire first innings, Yorkshire captain Len Hutton asked for the length of the pitch to be measured. It was measured at 24 yards long, instead of the regulation 22 yards, forcing the pitch to be altered before the game could continue.

 

Colwyn Bay (Glamorgan v Lancashire, 18th August)

Glamorgan v Lancashire - LV County Chamionship - Division Two - Day One - Colwyn Bay Cricket Club

Opened: 1924

Capacity: 4,750

Fun fact: Lancashire batsmen Ashwell Prince and Alviro Petersen put on a ground-record partnership of 501 for the third wicket in a game in 2015.

 

Royal London One-Day Cup

 

Gorse Lane, Grantham (Nottinghamshire v Durham, 3rd May)

Opened: 1941

Capacity: Not listed

Fun fact: Hosted a game between Lincolnshire and the Netherlands in the NatWest Trophy in the year 2000.

 

The Saffrons, Eastbourne (Sussex v Gloucestershire, 5th May)

Opened: 1884

Capacity: 4,500

Fun fact: Sussex were bowled out for 38 by Hampshire in 1950, with Charles Knott returning figures of 5-for-5 off seven overs.

 

T20 Blast

 

Old Deer Park, Richmond (Middlesex v Somerset, 4th August)

Opened: 1867

Capacity: 3,000

Fun fact: Will host a home match for Middlesex even though it is situated in Surrey. The ground is shared with the London Welsh RFC.

 

Uxbridge Cricket Ground, Uxbridge (Middlesex v Sussex, 24th August)

Uxbridge CC club, Middlesex

Opened: 1971

Capacity: 6,000

Fun fact: Highest attendance came in1991 when around 6,500 showed up to watch an exhibition match between India and Pakistan. The game had to be abandoned after a pitch invasion.