List of Hampshire County Cricket Club grounds

Last updated

The Rose Bowl (pictured) has been Hampshire's main home ground since 2001. Test Match at the Rose Bowl - geograph.org.uk - 4143623.jpg
The Rose Bowl (pictured) has been Hampshire's main home ground since 2001.

Hampshire County Cricket Club was established in August 1863. [1] Since then, Hampshire has played first-class, List A one-day, and Twenty20 matches at various venues across what is considered the historic extent of Hampshire. [a] Unlike most professional sports in which a team usually has a single fixed home ground, county cricket clubs have traditionally used different home grounds in various towns and cities for home matches, although the use of minor "outgrounds" has diminished since the 1980s. [2] [3] Particularly in the early days of county cricket where personal transportation was a rare commodity, it was an expectation that cricket would have to be taken to the large and diverse areas a county would geographically cover. [4] The Antelope Ground hosted their inaugural home first-class match in 1864, whilst the County Ground has hosted the most home matches in both first-class and one-day cricket, when it was used as Hampshire's headquarters between 1885 and 2000. Hampshire's current headquarters, since 2001, has been at the Rose Bowl. As of 2025, Hampshire have played home fixtures at 14 venues.

Contents

History

Headquarters

Hampshire's inaugural home first-class match came against Sussex at the Antelope Ground in Southampton in 1864, a ground which had been used by various ad-hoc Hampshire representative sides since 1842. [5] The Antelope Ground was Hampshire's first headquarters. Hampshire left the Antelope Ground in 1885, moving to their new headquarters at the County Ground in Southampton, after a lease was successfully acquired by the cricketer James Fellowes, [6] which began an association at the County Ground which would last for 115 years. [7] During Hampshire's tenure of the County Ground, they played 565 first-class and 209 one-day matches there. [8] [9] Necessitated by a need to move from the cramped conditions of the County Ground and develop a headquarters which could attract international cricket, [10] Hampshire moved to the purpose-built Rose Bowl in the Southampton suburb of West End ahead of the 2001 season, which remains their main home venue. [11] In addition to hosting Hampshire matches, the Rose Bowl has played host to Test, [12] One Day International, [13] and Twenty20 International [14] matches for England.

Outgrounds

Hampshire have used several "outgrounds" as venues for home matches. Beginning in 1875, Hampshire played two matches in Winchester at the Green Jackets Ground and Winchester College. [15] In 1888, Hampshire began playing first-class matches in Portsmouth at the United Services Recreation Ground, [16] which was used by the officers and ranks of services teams based in the city. [17] Hampshire would use the United Services Recreation Ground as an outground for over a century, [17] playing 316 first-class and 54 one-day matches there, [18] [19] before matches hosted in Portsmouth were moved to the Rose Bowl upon its completion. In 1897, Hampshire began playing at Dean Park Cricket Ground in Bournemouth. With the early matches played there proving to be financially successful, the ground was afforded two Hampshire home matches per season starting in 1899, [20] which formed part of the matches played there during the Bournemouth Cricket Week. [21] Following changes to county borders in 1972 that transferred Bournemouth from Hampshire to Dorset, Hampshire's use of the ground diminished and it last played host to a Hampshire home fixture in 1992. [22] During Hampshire's use of Dean Park, they played 336 first-class and 68 one-day matches there. [23] [24]

Shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, Hampshire played one first-class match in Alton at the Municipal Ground against the touring South Africans in 1904. [25] The following year, they played at the Officers Club Services Ground in Aldershot for the first time, which is also the home ground of the British Army cricket team; [26] they would play five first-class matches there up to 1948. [27] In 1906, Hampshire played at May's Bounty in Basingstoke for the first time. [28] They played intermittently at May's Bounty until 2010, playing 46 first-class and 30 one-day matches there. [29] [30] Hampshire played on the Isle of Wight, which had become its own administrative county separate from Hampshire in 1890, for the first time in 1938 at the Victoria Recreation Ground in Newport, but played there for only two seasons before the Second World War. [31] They later returned to the island in 1956, playing annually at the newly constructed J Samuel White's Ground in Cowes until 1962. [32] [4] Half a century would pass before Hampshire would play matches at a new outground. This would come in 2013, when the Nursery Ground, located adjacent to the Rose Bowl, hosted a first-class MCC Universities Match against Loughborough MCCU. [33] In 2019, with the Rose Bowl hosting matches in the World Cup, Hampshire returned to the Isle of Wight to play at the Newclose County Cricket Ground near Newport; [34] since 2019, one first-class and two one-day matches have been played there. [35] [36]

Grounds

As of 2025, Hampshire have played 1,494 first-class matches at fourteen home grounds, and 509 List A matches at six home grounds. They have also played 125 Twenty20 matches, all of which have been played at the Rose Bowl. The twelve grounds that Hampshire have used for home matches are listed below, with statistics complete through to the end of the 2024 season. Note: Only matches which involve Hampshire as the home team are recorded, while matches which were abandoned without a toss or a ball being bowled are excluded from the count.

Grounds
NameLocation First-class List A Twenty20
FirstLastMatchesFirstLastMatchesFirstLastMatches
Antelope Ground [37]
Antelope Ground 01.gif
Southampton 7 July 1864
v Sussex 		7 August 1884
v Somerset 		27 [38] ––0––0
Green Jackets Ground [39]
St Cross Cricket Club playing field - geograph.org.uk - 946174.jpg
Winchester only match:
1 July 1875
v Sussex 		–1 [40] ––0––0
Winchester College Ground [41]
Winchester College playing fields 'Meads' - geograph.org.uk - 375812.jpg
Winchester only match:
19 August 1875
v Kent 		–1 [42] ––0––0
United Services Recreation Ground [43]
Main stand at US Portsmouth Sports Ground. - geograph.org.uk - 698709.jpg
Portsmouth 28 August 1882
v Sussex 		19 July 2000
v Kent 		316 [18] 22 May 1965
v Kent 		23 July 2000
v Middlesex 		54 [19] ––0
County Ground [44] Southampton 15 June 1885
v Marylebone Cricket Club 		13 September 2000
v Yorkshire 		565 [45] 1 May 1965
v Norfolk 		17 September 2000
v Nottinghamshire 		207 [46] ––0
Dean Park [47]
DeanPark1.jpeg
Bournemouth 1 July 1897
v Gentlemen of Philadelphia 		18 August 1992
v Middlesex 		336 [23] 22 May 1963
v Derbyshire 		16 August 1992
v Northamptonshire 		68 [24] [b] ––0
Municipal Ground [49]
Tree shadows on rugby pitches, Alton - geograph.org.uk - 3238629.jpg
Alton only match:
7 July 1904
v South Africans 		–1 [50] ––0––0
Officers Club Services Ground [51] Aldershot 25 May 1905
v Surrey 		16 June 1948
v Combined Services 		5 [27] ––0––0
May's Bounty [52]
May's Bounty.jpg
Basingstoke 21 May 1906
v Warwickshire 		3 August 2010
v Durham 		46 [29] 29 April 1967
v Lincolnshire 		18 June 2000
v Durham 		30 [30] ––0
Victoria Recreation Ground [53] Newport 20 August 1938
v Northamptonshire 		24 June 1939
v Middlesex 		2 [54] ––0––0
J. Samuel White's Ground [55] Cowes 26 May 1956
v Worcestershire 		26 May 1962
v Worcestershire 		7 [56] ––0––0
Rose Bowl [11]
Pavilion stands.JPG
West End 9 May 2001
v Worcestershire 		still in use185 [57] 4 May 2001
v Surrey 		still in use148 [58] 13 June 2003
v Sussex 		still in use125 [59]
Nursery Ground [60]
Recreation land near Telegraph Woods - geograph.org.uk - 29396.jpg
West End only match:
17 April 2013
v Loughborough MCCU 		–1 [33] ––0––0
Newclose County Cricket Ground [61]
Newclose County Cricket Ground.JPG
Newport only match:
20 May 2019
v Nottinghamshire 		–1 [35] 9 August 2022
v Northamptonshire 		22 August 2023
v Kent 		2 [36] ––0

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampshire County Cricket Club</span> Cricket club in England

Hampshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Hampshire. Hampshire teams formed by earlier organisations, principally the Hambledon Club, always had first-class status and the same applied to the county club when it was founded in 1863. Because of poor performances for several seasons until 1885, Hampshire then lost its status for nine seasons until it was invited into the County Championship in 1895, since when the team have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. Hampshire originally played at the Antelope Ground, Southampton until 1885 when they relocated to the County Ground, Southampton until 2000, before moving to the purpose-built Rose Bowl in West End, which is in the Borough of Eastleigh on the north east outskirts of Southampton. The club has twice won the County Championship, in the 1961 and 1973 seasons.

Iain Brunnschweiler is an English former professional cricketer, and semi-professional footballer. He played first-class cricket as a wicket-keeper for Hampshire between 2000 and 2003, and later coached cricket for both Hampshire and England, the latter at youth levels. He also played association football for A.F.C. Totton between 2005 and 2007, and later coached at Southampton until 2023.

The County Ground in Southampton, England, was a cricket and football ground. It was the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club from the 1885 English cricket season until the 2000 English cricket season. The ground also served as the home ground for Southampton Football Club from 1896 to 1898.

Arthur George Holt was an English sportsman of the 1930s and 1940s. He played professional football for Southampton as an inside-forward, making 206 appearances and scoring 46 goals. As a cricketer, he played first-class cricket for Hampshire, making 79 appearances and scoring nearly 3,000 runs. After retirement from playing both sports, he became a coach with Hampshire from 1949 to 1965, coaching the county to its first first County Championship title in 1961. He was also the proprietor of a successful sports shop in Southampton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arundel Castle Cricket Ground</span> Cricket ground

Arundel Castle Cricket Ground is a cricket ground in Arundel, West Sussex, England, nearby to Arundel Castle. It has been in use since 1952. The ground was first used by the Sussex 1st XI in 1972 for limited-over matches and in 1990 for County Championship matches. As of the end of the 2015 English cricket season, Arundel Castle has hosted 32 first-class matches, 20 List A matches, and 5 T20 matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antelope Ground</span> Sports ground

The Antelope Ground, Southampton was a sports ground that was the first home of both Hampshire County Cricket Club, who played there prior to 1884, and of Southampton Football Club, who played there from 1887 to 1896 as "Southampton St. Mary's F.C."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Robson (cricketer)</span> English cricketer (1859–1943)

Charles Robson was an English cricketer, who played first-class cricket as a wicket-keeper for Middlesex between 1881 and 1883, and for Hampshire from 1891 to 1906, for whom he served as captain for three years from 1900 to 1902. He was later associated with W. G. Grace's London County team. He was also secretary to Southampton St Mary's Football Club for one season, from 1895 to 1896, and was one of the founding directors of the company which was established in 1897 when the club changed its name to Southampton Football Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Bencraft</span> English cricketer (1858–1943)

Sir Henry William Russell Bencraft was an English first-class cricketer, sports administrator, medical doctor, businessman and philanthropist. Bencraft was an important figure in the early history of Hampshire County Cricket Club, overseeing the club from the loss of its first-class status to its reacquisition of that status, both as a player and an administrator. As an administrator, he is credited with saving Hampshire County Cricket Club from extinction in 1880, and later played a role in its reacquisition of first-class status and joining of the County Championship in 1895. Outside of Hampshire cricket, he sat on the committee of the Marylebone Cricket Club, then the governing body of cricket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May's Bounty</span> Cricket ground in Basingstoke, England

May's Bounty is a cricket ground situated along Bounty Road in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. The ground is compact and is lined on all sides by trees, with its northern side overlooked by residential housing. The Bounty was used intermittently by Hampshire County Cricket Club in the early 20th-century, before Hampshire began to play there annually from 1966 to 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Services Recreation Ground</span>

The United Services Recreation Ground is a sports ground situated in Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The ground is also bordered to the north by Park Road, along which the railway line to Portsmouth Harbour and Gunwharf Quays overlooks the ground, and to the east by Anglesea Road. The southern end of the ground is dominated by the Officer's Club building, which overlooks the ground. The ground is owned by The Crown. A multitude of sports have been played at the ground, including cricket, rugby and hockey. The ground was used by Hampshire County Cricket Club from 1882 to 2000, serving as one of three home grounds used during this period, alongside the County Ground, Southampton, and Dean Park, Bournemouth. United Services Portsmouth Cricket Club currently play at the ground. The ground is used in its dual capacity as a rugby venue by United Services Portsmouth Rugby Football Club, who have played there since 1882. The Royal Navy Rugby Union also use the ground for their home matches. The end names are the Railway End to the north and the Officer's Club End to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampshire Cricket Board</span>

The Hampshire Cricket Board (HCB) was formed in 1996 and is the governing body for all recreational cricket in the historic county of Hampshire. Following a restructuring in January 2010, the HCB now operates as a limited company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Jackets Ground</span>

The Green Jackets Ground is a cricket ground in St Cross, Winchester, Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Fellowes (cricketer)</span> English cricketer and soldier

James Fellowes was an English first-class cricketer, cricket administrator, and an officer in the Royal Engineers. As a first-class cricketer, he was mostly associated with Kent County Cricket Club and Hampshire County Cricket Club. At Hampshire, he was joint-secretary alongside Russell Bencraft from 1883 to 1885, later serving as honorary secretary until 1887. He was an important figure in the relocation of Hampshire from the Antelope Ground to the County Ground in Southampton in 1885.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Soar</span> English cricketer (1865–1939)

Thomas Soar was an English first-class cricketer. Soar initially played an important part in facilitating Hampshire's readmission as a first-class county in 1895, forming a potent bowling partnership with Harry Baldwin. With Hampshire's return to first-class status in 1895 and their admission to the County Championship, he went onto make 101 first-class appearances, in which he took over 300 wickets and scored nearly 2,000 runs. He later coached cricket at Llandovery College in Wales, where he played minor counties cricket for Carmarthenshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold McDonell</span> English cricketer and educator

Harold Clark McDonell was an English first-class cricketer and educator. As a cricketer, he played county cricket for both Surrey and Hampshire, and varsity cricket for Cambridge University. In nearly 130 first-class appearances, he took nearly 450 wickets with his leg spin bowling, in addition to scoring over 3,000 runs. As an educator, McDonnell began his teaching career at Twyford School, where he had attended in his youth. From 1910 to 1937, he was headmaster of the school.

1889–90 was the fifth season for St. Mary's Football Club based in Southampton in southern England. The club retained the Hampshire Junior Cup for the third consecutive year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Bowl (cricket ground)</span> Cricket ground

The Rose Bowl, known for sponsorship reasons as Utilita Bowl, is a cricket ground and hotel complex in West End, Hampshire. It is the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club, who have played there since 2001.

Michael James Porter is an English former cricketer.

References

Explanatory notes

  1. ↑ First-class cricket has been played in Hampshire since 1772. This list only covers the grounds used by Hampshire County Cricket Club since 1864, and not those used by ad-hoc Hampshire representative sides prior to that date.
  2. ↑ Hampshire also played a one-day match at Dean Park as the away team against Dorset in the 1998 NatWest Trophy. [48]

Citations

  1. ↑ Collis, Sam (9 October 2006). "A brief history of Hampshire". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  2. ↑ Glover, Andrew (10 April 2013). "Remembering Yorkshire County Cricket Club's out grounds". BBC News . Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Stockton, Edward (13 June 2006). "Out of town but not out of favour". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 Allen, Dave (4 December 2019). "From The Archive: Hampshire's Outgrounds". www.utilitabowl.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  5. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 9.
  6. ↑ "Wisden – Other deaths in 1916". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  7. ↑ Laven, Kate. "Hampshire bids farewell to Northlands Road". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  8. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on County Ground, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  9. ↑ "List A Matches played on County Ground, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  10. ↑ Chevallier 2015, p. 471.
  11. 1 2 "The Rose Bowl". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  12. ↑ "Test Matches played on The Rose Bowl, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  13. ↑ "ODI Matches played on The Rose Bowl, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  14. ↑ "International Twenty20 Matches played on The Rose Bowl, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  15. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, pp. 11, 14.
  16. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 14.
  17. 1 2 Allen, Dave (20 July 2000). "United Services Portsmouth – The Hampshire Years 1888–2000". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  18. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on United Services Recreation Ground, Portsmouth" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  19. 1 2 "List A Matches played on United Services Recreation Ground, Portsmouth" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  20. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 19.
  21. ↑ A Pictorial and Descriptive Guide to Bournemouth, Poole and District. London: Ward, Lock & Co. 1933. p. 11. OCLC   35284946.
  22. ↑ O’Hara, Liam. "Field of Dreams – Dean Park Ground". Dorset Life (April 2016 ed.). Corfe Castle. Archived from the original on 20 July 2016.
  23. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on Dean Park, Bournemouth" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  24. 1 2 "List A Matches played on Dean Park, Bournemouth" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  25. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 23.
  26. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 22.
  27. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on Officers Club Services Ground, Aldershot" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  28. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 24.
  29. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on May's Bounty, Basingstoke" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  30. 1 2 "List A Matches played on May's Bounty, Basingstoke" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  31. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 26–27.
  32. ↑ Cricket Grounds of Hampshire 1988, p. 27.
  33. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on The Rose Bowl (Nursery), Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  34. ↑ Tennant, Ivo (26 November 2018). "Hampshire to play Championship game on Isle of Wight in 2019". www.thecricketer.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  35. 1 2 "First-Class Matches played on Newclose County Cricket Ground, Newport" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  36. 1 2 "List A Matches played on Newclose County Cricket Ground, Newport" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  37. ↑ "Antelope Ground, Southampton". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 30 November 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  38. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Antelope Ground, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  39. ↑ "Green Jackets Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  40. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Green Jackets Ground, Winchester" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  41. ↑ "Winchester College Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  42. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Winchester College Ground, Winchester" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  43. ↑ "United Services Recreation Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  44. ↑ "County Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  45. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on County Ground, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  46. ↑ "List A Matches played on County Ground, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  47. ↑ "Dean Park". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 23 November 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  48. ↑ "Dorset v Hampshire, National Westminster Bank Trophy 1998 (1st Round)" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  49. ↑ "Municipal Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  50. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Anstey Park, Alton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  51. ↑ "Officers Club Services Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  52. ↑ "May's Bounty". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  53. ↑ "Victoria Recreation Ground, Newport" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  54. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Victoria Recreation Ground, Newport" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  55. ↑ "J Samuel White's Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 9 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  56. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on J Samuel White's Ground, Cowes" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  57. ↑ "First-Class Matches played on Rose Bowl, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  58. ↑ "List A Matches played on Rose Bowl, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  59. ↑ "Twenty20 Matches played on Rose Bowl, Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  60. ↑ "Rose Bowl (Nursery), Southampton" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  61. ↑ "Newclose County Cricket Ground, Newport" . CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 May 2019.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.