Cricket Grounds of County Cricket
County championships are the foundations of cricket history in the world. It’s where cricket was born and evolved throughout the years: England and Wales, the home of county cricket. We will have a look at the cricket grounds present in County Cricket for Test Cricket and Non Tests matches.
Some of the famous county championships are:
- Vitality County Championships
- T20 Vitality Blast
- One Day Cup
- Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy
- Charlotte Edwards Trophy
- The Hundred
Top 5 Grounds:
The Brit Oval Cricket (The Oval): It is called the Kia Oval due to sponsorship reasons. Located in Kennington, South London. It’s the official home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since 1985, when it was opened. It is the first cricket ground in England to host an international Test match in September 1880. The first Test Match was played between England and Australia in 1880, whereas the last Test Match was also played between the same teams in July 2023.
The Lord’s Cricket Ground (Lords): It is known as the “Home of Cricket”, situated in St John’s Wood, London. Lord’s was established in 1814, and the first test match was played here between Australia and England in 1884. The last Test Match was held just a week ago in July 2024 between England and West Indies, where England won the series by a clean sweep. It was also the series when James Anderson played his last Test match of his cricket career and retired with holding the record of being the highest wicket taker as a pacer at the Lords.
Old Trafford Cricket Ground (Old Trafford): This ground is located in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is known as Emirates Old Trafford due to a sponsorship deal with the airline company Emirates. It’s the home ground for Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. It’s the second oldest ground to host Test cricket after the Oval. The first Ashes Test Match was played here in 1884. This ground holds the record for hosting the most number of World Cup matches and semi-final matches.
Also Read: Shoaib Bashir Profile – Carrer, Achievements, Facts, And Personal Life
County Cricket Ground (Headingley): It is known as Headingley Cricket Ground, located in Headingley, Leeds, England. It is the home ground for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, which helped in the redevelopment of this ground as well. The first ever Test Match was played here in 1899 between England and Australia. Don Bradman’s 334 runs in innings came here in the 1930 Ashes Test and followed it up to the next match in 1934, making 304 runs in innings.
County Cricket Club (Riverside): It is called Seat Unique Riverside due to sponsorship. This cricket venue is situated in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England. It is the home ground of Durham County Cricket Club and has also hosted several international matches. The first match hosted in this ground was Durham vs. Warwickshire on 18 May 1995. With a seating capacity of approximately 17000 people, this ground hosted its first international Test match in 2003 between England and Zimbabwe.
Full List of Test Grounds in County Cricket:
| Official name (known as) | City or town | Countryside | Capacity | First used | Ends |
| The Brit Oval Cricket Ground (The Oval) | London | Surrey | 23,500 | 6 September 1880 | Pavilion End, Vauxhall End |
| Old Trafford Cricket Ground (Old Trafford) | Manchester | Lancashire | 22,000 | 10 July 1884 | Stretford End, Brian Statham End |
| Lord’s Cricket Ground (Lord’s) | London | Middlesex | 28,000 | 21 July 1884 | Pavilion End, Nursery End |
| Trent Bridge Ground (Trent Bridge) | Nottingham | Nottinghamshire | 17,500 | 1 June 1899 | Pavilion End, Radcliffe Road End |
| County Cricket Ground (Headingley) | Leeds | Yorkshire | 20,000 | 29 June 1899 | Kirkstall Lane End, Rugby Ground End |
| County Cricket Ground (Edgbaston) | Birmingham | Warwickshire | 21,000 | 29 May 1902 | City End, Pavilion End |
| County Ground (Riverside) | Chester-le-Street | Durham | 17,000 | 5 June 2003 | Finchale End, Lumley End |
| SWALEC Stadium (Sophia Gardens) | Cardiff | Glamorgan | 16,000 | 8 July 2009 | River Taff End, Cathedral Road End |
Full List Of Non-Test Grounds of County Cricket:
| Official name (known as) | City or town | Countryside | Capacity | First used | Ends |
| County Cricket Ground (Racecourse Ground) | Derby | Derbyshire | 9,500 | Not specified | Grandstand End, Scoreboard End |
| County Cricket Ground | Chelmsford | Essex | 6,000 | Not specified | River End, Hayes Close End |
| County Cricket Ground (Nevil Road) | Bristol | Gloucestershire | 7,000 (15,000) | Not specified | Pavilion End, Ashley Down Rd End |
| Rose Bowl | Southampton | Hampshire | 9,000 (22,000) | Not specified | Pavilion End, Northern End |
| St Lawrence Ground | Canterbury | Kent | 15,000 | Not specified | Pavilion End, Nackington Road End |
| Grace Road | Leicester | Leicestershire | 12,000 | Not specified | Pavilion End, Bennett End |
| County Cricket Ground | Northampton | Northamptonshire | 6,500 (10,000) | Not specified | Wantage Road End, Abington Avenue End |
| County Ground (Athletic Ground) | Taunton | Somerset | 6,500 | Not specified | River End, Old Pavilion End |
| County Cricket Ground | Hove | Sussex | 4,000 | Not specified | Cromwell Road End, Sea End |
| New Road | Worcester | Worcestershire | 4,500 | Not specified | New Road End, Diglis End |
