Warwickshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon and Victorian novelist George Eliot,, at Nuneaton. Other significant towns include Rugby, Leamington Spa, Bedworth, Kenilworth and Atherstone. The county offers a mix of historic towns and large rural areas. It is a popular destination for international and domestic tourists to explore both medieval and more recent history.
Durham 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 Durham. Founded in 1882, Durham held minor status for over a century and was a prominent member of the Minor Counties Championship, winning the competition seven times. In 1992, the club joined the County Championship and the team was elevated to senior status as an official first-class team. Durham has been classified as an occasional List A team from 1964, then as a full List A team from 1992; and as a senior Twenty20 team since the format's introduction in 2003.
The 2005 English cricket season was the 106th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. Before it began, a resurgent England cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by an innings. This was followed by a tri-nations one-day tournament that also featured Australia. Australia still started the Test series as favourites but most fans expected England to put up a challenge.
New Road is a cricket ground in the English city of Worcester. It has been the home ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club since 1896. Since October 2017 the ground has been known for sponsorship purposes as Blackfinch New Road following a five-year sponsorship arrangement with Blackfinch Investments.
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. The club has twice won the County Championship, in the 1961 and 1973 seasons.
The Birmingham & District Premier Cricket League is the oldest club cricket league in the United Kingdom, formed in 1888. It was the first ECB Premier League, being designated such in 1998, and is one of the strongest of the ECB Premier Leagues.
Stratford Town Football Club is a football club representing the town of Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England, but currently based in nearby Tiddington. They are currently members of the Southern League Premier Division Central and play at Knights Lane.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in England, and has been played since the 16th century. Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lord's, developed the modern rules of play and conduct. The sport is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board and represented at an international level by the England men's team and England women's team. At a domestic level, teams are organised by county, competing in tournaments such as the County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup, T20 Blast and the Women's Twenty20 Cup. Recent developments include the introduction of a regional structure for women's cricket and the establishment of The Hundred for both men's and women's cricket. Recreational matches are organised on a regional basis, with the top level being the ECB Premier Leagues.
The Saffrons is a multi-purpose sports ground in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The ground is home to Eastbourne Cricket Club, Eastbourne Town Football Club, Eastbourne Hockey Club and Compton Croquet Club. There is also a sand dressed astroturf pitch. The sports ground is located on the edge of Eastbourne town centre, next to the town hall and is in easy reach of local transport links. The ground was first used in 1884. Sussex County Cricket Club played some of their matches there between 1896 and 2000, and recently from 2017.
Michael Burns is an English first-class list cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Warwickshire and Somerset in a first-class career which spanned from 1992 until 2005. He also played Minor Counties cricket for Cumberland and Cornwall. An adaptable cricketer, he appeared for Cumberland and Warwickshire as a wicket-keeper, but when he moved to Somerset he developed into an aggressive batsman who bowled at medium-pace when needed.
Orleton Park is a cricket ground in Wellington, Shropshire. The ground was established in 1891, when Shropshire played a non first-class match against Worcestershire. It is now home to Wellington Cricket Club whose first team are in the Shropshire Premier League. Peter Byram was groundsman who since his death has been replaced by Steven Gough.
Campbell Park is a cricket ground in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, located in Campbell Park. The first recorded match on the ground in 1981, when the Northamptonshire Second XI played the Leicestershire Second XI in the Second Eleven Championship.
Clifton Park Ground is a cricket ground in York, North Yorkshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1971, when the Yorkshire Second XI played the Lancashire Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship. The ground held its second and final Minor Counties Championship match the following year when Yorkshire Second XI played Cumberland.
Kibworth Cricket Club New Ground is a cricket ground in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England. The ground replaced the original Kibworth Cricket Club Ground which was sold for development at the end of the 2005 season.
Nuneaton Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. The first recorded match played by Nuneaton Cricket Club was in 1826. In 1880 Nuneaton played a United South of England Eleven. The ground hosted its first first-class match in 1912, when Warwickshire played Leicestershire. The following season the ground held its second first-class match, which was between Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. The third and final first-class match held on the ground came in 1914 when Warwickshire played Sussex.
Edgbaston Foundation Ground, formerly Mitchells and Butlers' Ground, is a cricket ground in Birmingham, Warwickshire. The ground, near the Mitchells & Butlers brewery, was owned by Mitchells & Butlers, which had its headquarters in Birmingham. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1888, when Mitchells played Warwickshire Club and Ground. The first first-class match came in 1931 when Warwickshire played Kent. From 1931 to 1939, the ground hosted 9 first-class matches. First-class cricket returned to the ground in 1957, with Warwickshire play 4 further first-class matches at the ground. The following season the last of which was between Warwickshire and Cambridge University.
Leamington Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1900, when Leamington played Stratford-upon-Avon. The ground hosted its first first-class match in 1905, when Warwickshire played Hampshire. In 1908, the ground held its second first-class match, which was between Warwickshire and Somerset. The third first-class match held on the ground came in 1909 between Warwickshire and Hampshire, with the final first-class match at the ground between Warwickshire and Sussex in 1910.
Bulls Head Ground is a cricket ground in Coventry, West Midlands. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1848, when Coventry played an All-England Eleven. It hosted its first first-class match in 1903, which was between Warwickshire and the Gentlemen of Philadelphia. From 1909 to 1919, the ground played host to 12 first-class matches. First-class cricket returned to the Bulls Head in 1990, and from 1990 to 1992 it hosted a further 3 first-class matches, the last of which was between Warwickshire and Middlesex.
Rowland Powell-Williams was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket between 1897 and 1905 for Warwickshire, London County and the Gentlemen of England. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire and died in Yelverton, Devon. Up to 1900, which includes the whole period when he played for Warwickshire, he was known as Rowland Williams.
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