Ground information | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Location | Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent | ||||||
Coordinates | 51°07′19″N0°16′05″E / 51.122°N 0.268°E | ||||||
Establishment | 1898 | ||||||
Capacity | 6,000 [1] | ||||||
Owner | Tunbridge Wells Borough Council | ||||||
Architect | CH Strange | ||||||
Tenants | Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club Tunbridge Wells Tennis Club Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club | ||||||
End names | |||||||
Pavilion End Railway End | |||||||
International information | |||||||
Only ODI | 18 June 1983: India v Zimbabwe | ||||||
Only WODI | 24 July 1993: Australia v West Indies | ||||||
Team information | |||||||
| |||||||
As of 5 September 2020 Source: CricInfo |
The Nevill Ground is a cricket ground at Royal Tunbridge Wells in the English county of Kent. It is owned by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and is used by Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club in the summer months and by Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club in the winter. It was opened in 1898 and was first used by Kent County Cricket Club in 1901. Until 2019, the county held the Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week on the ground annually, despite a suffragette arson attack which destroyed the pavilion in 1913.
As well as hosting over 180 of Kent's first-class cricket matches, the ground played host to a single One Day International during the 1983 Cricket World Cup and was used for one match during the 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup.
The ground is known for being one of the more picturesque county grounds in England and particularly for having rhododendron bushes around the perimeter. [2] [3] It is located around 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the centre of Tunbridge Wells in Hawkenbury. [2] [4]
The ground was established after the purchase of the land, in 1895, by the Tunbridge Wells Cricket, Football and Athletic Club and the Bluemantle's Cricket Club on a 99-year lease from William Nevill, 1st Marquess of Abergavenny. It had formed part of his Eridge Park estate on the edge of Tunbridge Wells. Building of the ground's facilities started in 1896 and it was officially opened by the Marquess, after whom the ground was named, in 1898. [5]
The original cricket pavilion on the ground was designed by local architect CH Strange and built in 1903 at a cost of £1,200. [6] It was destroyed in an arson attack, generally believed to have been the responsibility of militant suffragettes, in April 1913. [7] During the First World War the ground was requisitioned by the British army to graze cavalry horses, damaging the pitch, [2] and during the Second World War it was again requisitioned for military purposes, this time to billet soldiers. [8] Ownership of the ground was transferred in 1946 from the Marquess of Abergavenny to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council after Tunbridge Wells Cricket, Football and Athletic Club had already transferred the lease a year prior. [9]
In the early 20th century the county boundary between Kent and Sussex ran through the ground, the course of a stream beneath the ground marking the boundary at the time. [10] [11] The rhododendron bushes around the ground are considered by cricket commentators as one of the defining images of the Nevill Ground [12] [13] and the ground has been described as "one of the finest cricket grounds in England". [14] [15]
In 1995 a permanent covered brick stand was built, named the Bluemantle Stand after the Bluemantle's Cricket Club pavilion which had been built on the site after the fire of 1913. [16] Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has erected a temporary grandstand at the ground for some cricket weeks, sometimes funded by local businesses. [17]
On 11 April 1913, the original pavilion was burnt down in an arson attack attributed to militant suffragettes. The fire was discovered by a passing lamplighter and the fire brigade extinguished it within an hour, but too late to save the pavilion. In front of the remains of the building firemen found suffragette literature, an electric lantern and a photograph of leading suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. [18] [19] It is generally believed that the fire was caused by militant suffragettes as part of a country-wide campaign of arson and other violent opposition to the withdrawal of the 1912 Franchise Bill co-ordinated by the Women's Social and Political Union. [7] [20]
The fire destroyed archives, including a print of the first Canterbury Cricket Week and the Bluemantle's Cricket Club's archives. [19] The attack has often been linked to a comment from an unknown Kent official who is reported to have said "It is not true that women are banned from the pavilion. Who do you think makes the teas?". [21] However women were admitted to all of Kent's pavilions by 1913 and there is no evidence that the comment was ever made. [18]
There was an angry reaction to the attack locally and nationally. The National League for Opposing Woman Suffrage held a meeting in the town with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a member of Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club, where he called the suffragettes "female hooligans" [7] and compared the attack to "blowing up a blind man and his dog". [7] [18] [22] A new pavilion was built using the original designs after a series of fund raising concerts at the Opera House. Construction was finished in nine weeks, with the building completed just before the start of Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week in July 1913. [7] [18] [15]
The Nevill Ground is used regularly by Kent Cricket League team, Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club, and annually by Kent County Cricket Club, with the county's Second XI also playing on the ground occasionally. [3] [23] It is also used during the winter by Tunbridge Wells Hockey Club as one of their venues for hockey. [4] It was used for association football until 1903 and was originally used for cycle racing, athletics and archery. [5] [24] It is home to Tunbridge Wells Harriers, a running club, [25] and the outfield was used for important lawn tennis competitions - Tunbridge Wells Lawn Tennis Club adjoins the ground. [10] [24] [26] [27]
Kent County Cricket Club use the ground as one of its outgrounds for at least one match each year. After a single match in 1901, the Tunbridge Wells Cricket Festival was established in 1902 and two first-class cricket matches were played every year, with the exception of the truncated 1919 season, until 1992, when the number was reduced. [18] [23] [28] One-day fixtures have been played on the ground in some seasons. [23]
The Nevill Ground was first used as an outground by Kent in 1901 at the behest of George Harris, 4th Baron Harris. In order to assist Kent, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has contributed around £25,000 annually to cover the running costs of hosting Kent's games at the Nevill Ground. [17] [29] The Nevill Ground was popular with Kent's players due to its surroundings and it was described by cricket historian EW Swanton as "no mean contender for the most delectable English cricket ground." [30]
In 2012, Kent's Friends Life t20 match against Sussex was moved to the St Lawrence Ground after the Nevill Ground was flooded after heavy rainfall leading to the 100th Cricket Week being cut short. [31] The 2016 T20 fixture was the last one-day match to be held by Kent at the Nevill, the movement of one-day fixtures to blocks of games by the ECB meaning it was no longer considered possible to hold shorter matches at Tunbridge Wells. [32]
Kent's match at Tunbridge Wells in 2017 almost had to be moved to another ground due to concerns over the maintenance of the ground by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. [33] [29] [34] The pitch had been left uncovered by the council's ground staff and had flooded which, combined with poor maintenance of the outfield, meant that Kent's own ground staff had to work with Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club to ensure the game could go ahead. [33] [14] The 2018 fixture at the ground was confirmed in February 2018 after a pre-season pitch inspection by Kent, but was subject to a further inspection prior to the match itself. [35] The match went ahead and the ground continued to be used by the county during the 2019 season. [3] However, it has not been used since, as the venue's facilities are no longer considered to meet the required standards. [36] Kent County Cricket Club says it "remains open to a return to the Nevill Ground in future". [36]
The Nevill Ground was used as one of the grounds for the 1983 Cricket World Cup, hosting one group stage match between India and Zimbabwe on 18 June 1983. Kapil Dev scored 175 not out, made after the Indian side was initially reduced to 17 for 5, helped India win by 31 runs. [37] India went on to win the tournament – their first World Cup title. [38]
Dev's partnership of 126 runs with Syed Kirmani set a world record for the largest ninth wicket stand in ODI cricket. [37] This match led to the Nevill Ground being held in high regard by Indian cricket fans [39] with there being a view that the match inspired a change in the way cricket was played in India. [38] Leading Indian players such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid have spoken about how India winning the tournament inspired them to dream of playing for their country. [40]
There was no official television footage of the match as BBC cameramen were on strike on the day of the match, [41] the Nevill Ground being ruled as too small and India and Zimbabwe being deemed too "irrelevant" for a camera crew to be sent to the match. [42] Despite this there were reports of an Indian spectator who filmed unofficial coverage of the match with a camcorder. The tape was purchased by Dev after the match for an unknown amount, [43] although it has been claimed that this is an urban legend and that there was no proof of this occurring. [42]
In 2008, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the game, Dev returned to the Nevill Ground to film a news segment. Afterwards he was welcomed by representatives of Kent County Cricket Club and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. [39] In 2019, it was used as a filming location for a recreation of the match for the Bollywood film 83 . [44]
The ground was one of the venues used in the 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup, hosting one match between Australia and the West Indies. Australia won by eight wickets. [45]
A total of 189 first-class matches have been held on the ground, all featuring Kent as the home side. [46] Another 27 List A fixtures have been played, all but one featuring Kent as the home side, the other being the One Day International between India and Zimbabwe held during the 1983 World Cup. Kent have also played six Twenty20 matches on the ground. [23]
All records last updated 17 June 2019
The 633 runs scored by Kent against Essex in 2015 set a new record for the highest score by the county on a home ground. [47] As of 2018 it remains the fourth highest innings score in the county's history, having been surpassed in 2018 at Beckenham.
Kent's County Championship match at the Nevill Ground against Worcestershire in 1960 was, as of 2018, the last first-class match to finish in less than a day. [30] After the match, Kent's Colin Cowdrey called the pitch "disgraceful". [48]
Kapil Dev's 175 not out against Zimbabwe was a One Day International record for the highest number of individual runs scored. This record was later beaten by Viv Richards. [49] The partnership of 126 runs between Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani set the world record for the highest ninth wicket partnership in an ODI of 126 not out. This record stood for 27 years before being beaten by Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga for Sri Lanka. [50]
The highest score made in the six T20 matches held on the ground was 182/4 made by Kent in 2009 against Hampshire. Daniel Bell-Drummond made the only century on the ground in T20 cricket, scoring 112 not out in 2016 against Surrey, at the same time setting a new Kent record for any partnership in T20 cricket of 151 runs with Sam Northeast. This record was beaten twice the following year by Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly, although it remains a Kent record for the 2nd wicket in T20 cricket. [51] [52]
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Kent teams have played top-class cricket since the early 18th century, and the club has always held first-class status. The current Kent County Cricket Club was formed on 6 December 1870 following the merger of two representative teams. Kent have competed in the County Championship since the official start of the competition in 1890 and have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. The club's limited overs team is called the Kent Spitfires after the Supermarine Spitfire.
The St Lawrence Ground is a cricket ground in Canterbury, Kent. It is the home ground of Kent County Cricket Club and since 2013 has been known as The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, due to commercial sponsorship. It is one of the oldest grounds on which first-class cricket is played, having been in use since 1847, and is the venue for Canterbury Cricket Week, the oldest cricket festival in the world. It is one of the two grounds used regularly for first-class cricket that have had a tree, the St Lawrence Lime, within the boundary.
The Vine Cricket Ground, also known as Sevenoaks Vine, is one of the oldest cricket venues in England. It was given to the town of Sevenoaks in Kent in 1773 by John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset (1745–1799) and owner of nearby Knole House. The land is thought to have possibly been used as a vineyard for the Archbishops of Canterbury.
The County Ground, Beckenham is a cricket ground in Beckenham in the London Borough of Bromley. The ground is owned by Leander Sports and Leisure and is used as an outground by Kent County Cricket Club for First XI fixtures, as well as for other matches. As of 2019 the Kent Women cricket team played the majority of their matches at the ground.
Cheriton Road is a complex of sports grounds at Folkestone in the English county of Kent. The complex includes football pitches, a cricket ground, hockey pitches, netball courts and an indoor sports facility. It includes the home ground of Folkestone Invicta F.C., known as The Alcaline Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and the Three Hills Sports Park which includes the home grounds of Folkestone Cricket Club and Folkestone Optimist Hockey Club. The cricket ground, which was previously called the Cheriton Road Sports Ground, was used by Kent County Cricket Club for top level cricket matches.
Higher Common Ground is a cricket ground on Tunbridge Wells Common in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. It was used as a ground by Kent County Cricket Club in the 19th century and is the home ground of Linden Park Cricket Club.
Mote Park, also known as The Mote, is a cricket ground in Maidstone in the English county of Kent. It is inside the grounds of the Mote Park and is owned by The Mote Cricket Club. The ground is also used by the Mote Squash Club and Maidstone rugby club. It was used by Kent County Cricket Club as one of their out-grounds for county cricket matches. The club played over 200 first-class cricket matches on the ground between 1859 and 2005.
Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week is a festival of cricket during which Kent County Cricket Club play their home matches at Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club's Nevill Ground in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Games held during it are considered some of Kent's most popular fixtures. Historically the event has usually been held in May or June but moved to July in 2015 for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Following a reorganisation of the English domestic cricket season the week reverted to its more traditional place in the calendar for the 2017 season.
Daniel James Bell-Drummond is an English professional cricketer, who plays for Kent County Cricket Club. He has represented England at youth level and has played for the England Lions cricket team at senior level.
The 2012 FriendsLife T20 was the tenth edition of the T20 Blast formerly known as the FriendsLife T20, England's premier domestic Twenty20 competition. The competition ran from 12 June to 25 August 2012. The teams in the tournament remained the same as the previous season.
Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club is an amateur cricket club in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. It was founded in 1782 and they play their home matches at the Nevill Ground. As of 2019 they play in the Kent Cricket League Premier Division.
In 2016, Kent County Cricket Club competed in Division Two of the County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the NatWest t20 Blast. The season was the fifth, and last, in charge for head coach Jimmy Adams and the first for new club captain Sam Northeast, who took over from Rob Key at the end of the 2015 season, having captained the side on the field for much of the season.
In 2017, Kent County Cricket Club competed in Division Two of the County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the NatWest t20 Blast. In addition, before the start of the English cricket season, Kent competed in the 2016–17 Regional Super50, the List A competition of the West Indian domestic season. This was the first time that any English county had competed in an overseas domestic competition. The invitation to take part in the tournament was largely due to the influence of former West Indian captain Jimmy Adams who had been Kent's Head Coach until September 2016.
George Edward Coles was an Indian-born English amateur cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club. He was born in Ratnagiri in British India in 1851, the son of George and Letitia Coles. He grew up in India until he was sent to King's College School in London. He went on to study at the Royal Indian Civil Engineering College at Cooper's Hill near Egham in Surrey.
In 2018, Kent County Cricket Club competed in Division Two of the County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the 2018 t20 Blast. The county finished second in Division Two of the Championship and were promoted to Division One for the 2019 season. They reached the final of the One-Day Cup. losing to Hampshire at Lord's, and the quarter-final stage of the t20 Blast. In addition, before the start of the English cricket season, Kent competed in the 2017–18 Regional Super50, the List A competition of the West Indies domestic season, reaching the semi-final stage. This was the second time that Kent have competed in the competition, having played in the 2016–17 competition.
In 2019 Kent County Cricket Club competed in Division One of the County Championship after gaining promotion in the 2018 season, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the 2019 t20 Blast.