County Cricket Ground, Beckenham

The County Ground, Beckenham

The County Ground, Beckenham after redevelopment
Ground information
Location Beckenham, London Borough of Bromley
Coordinates Coordinates: 51°25′12″N 0°01′41″W / 51.420°N 0.028°W / 51.420; -0.028
Establishment 1925
Capacity 10,000[1]
Owner Leander Sports and Leisure[2]
Operator Kent County Cricket Club
Team information
Kent (1954–present)
As of 3 February 2016
Source: Cricinfo

The County Ground, Beckenham (previously known as the Lloyds TSB Sports and Social Club Ground)[3][4] is a cricket ground in Beckenham, England. The ground is owned by Leander Sports and Leisure[2] and is used as an outground by Kent County Cricket Club for first XI fixtures as well as for other matches.

Cricketing history

The ground was first used by the Kent first XI in 1954 when it hosted a County Championship match against Gloucestershire. Kent had previously played home matches at Foxgrove Road and the Midland Bank Sports Ground in Beckenham[5][6] and have had a tradition of playing at outgrounds in what is now south-east London. Until 1965, Beckenham, along with other parts of south-east London, was part of the county of Kent.

The ground was used for two women's One Day Internationals during the 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup[7] but, after a single game in 1954, Kent did not use it again until the 2003 season. As of the end of the 2015 season, it has hosted four County Championship matches, four List A matches and has mainly been used for Twenty20 matches, most commonly with near neighbours Surrey as the opposition.[8][9] Notable matches include a one day game against the touring West Indians in 2004 and the 2008 Friends Provident Trophy quarter final, a game which had to be moved from the County's usual base at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury due to heavy rainfall.[10]

The County Ground is also used by Kent's second XI and junior sides as well as by the Kent Women's cricket team.

Redevelopment

Redevelopment of the ground saw Kent play no matches at it in either 2013 or 2014, returning in 2015 with six days of cricket scheduled, including a County Championship match and two NatWest t20 Blast fixtures.[11][12][13] The £30million redevelopment has seen the club open a new indoor cricket centre and a function centre and the ground now features a permanent 2,048-seat spectator stand and all-weather sports facilities.[4][11][14][15][16][17]

The ground owners, Leander Sports and Leisure, built 48 houses on part of the site in order to fund the redevelopment[2][18] which includes a number of year-round facilities such as a physiotherapy clinic.[4] Redevelopment was seen as essential in order to keep the ground as a financially viable cricketing venue, with the aim of developing a significant base for Kent in the west of the county and to help develop younger cricketers.[18][19][20][21] Kent have taken an initial 20 year lease on the ground and have the aim of further developing the ground in the future.[17][20][21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Kent County Cricket Ground, Cricinfo. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  2. 1 2 3 Beckenham plans will breathe new life into Kent, Kent News, 2013-11-29. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  3. ↑ Pennell.M (2010) Counties - Media Guide to the Grounds - Kent, Cricket Writers' Club
  4. 1 2 3 The County Ground, Beckenham, Kent County Cricket Club. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  5. ↑ First-Class Matches played on Foxgrove Road, Beckenham, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  6. ↑ List A matches played on Midland Bank Sports Ground, Beckenham, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  7. ↑ Women's World Cup, 1993, The Cricketer. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  8. ↑ The Kent County Ground, Beckenham, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  9. ↑ Twenty20 Matches played on the Kent County Ground, Beckenham, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  10. ↑ Dexter steers Kent into semi-finals, Cricinfo, 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  11. 1 2 Kent Cricket, Beckenham, Bromley District Council. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  12. ↑ Kent Cricket fixtures for 2015 season reveal a return to Beckenham for two NatWest T20 Blast games and an LV= County Championship Division 2 match, Kent Online, 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  13. ↑ Kent Cricket will start 2015 season with two away trips, Canterbury Times, 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  14. ↑ Residents to oppose Beckenham’s Kent County Cricket’s plans, Bromley Times, 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  15. ↑ Beckenham Redevelopment Project Advances at Pace, Kent County Cricket Club, 2014-01-29. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  16. ↑ Kent Cricket Club, Beckenham, Delta Balustrades. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  17. 1 2 Outstanding outgrounds have much to offer, England and Wales Cricket Board, 2015-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  18. 1 2 Kent buoyed by Beckenham ground redevelopment approval, Kent Online, 2012-01-14. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  19. ↑ Beckenham’s future as Kent outground hangs on development plans, Eastern Daily Press, 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  20. 1 2 Beckenham development given green light, England and Wales Cricket Board, 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  21. 1 2 Development plans agreed for Kent’s Beckenham home, Welwyn Hatfield Times, 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2016-02-03.

External links

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