Edgbaston Cricket Ground

Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Ground information
Location Edgbaston, Birmingham
Establishment 1882
Capacity 25,000
End names
Pavilion End
Birmingham End
International information
First Test 29 May 1902: England v Australia
Last Test 29 July 2015: England v Australia
First ODI 28 August 1972: England v Australia
Last ODI 9 June 2015: England v New Zealand
First T20I 5 July 2010: Australia v Pakistan
Last T20I 9 September 2014: England v India
Team information
Warwickshire (1894 – present)
As of 5 August 2015
Source: Matches played at Edgbaston

Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England. It is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club, and is also used for Test matches, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals.

With permanent seating for 25,000 spectators, Edgbaston is the second-largest cricketing venue in the United Kingdom, after Lord's Cricket Ground in London.[1]

History

Early history

The land that now makes up Edgbaston Cricket Ground was originally owned by the Calthorpe Estate, who have now sold the site onto Wylam Investments (Edgbaston Holdings) on a long lease. Calthorpe Estates had developed the manor of Edgbaston into an exclusive Birmingham suburb over the course of the 19th century, and believed that a cricket ground would be an asset that would add to the genteel image of the area.[2] Warwickshire County Cricket Club had considered Rugby and Leamington Spa for their headquarters, but club secretary William Ansell believed that Birmingham's large population and comprehensive railway connections made it preferable – envisaging first-class status for the county and Test status for the ground.[2]

The Pavilion and East Stand in 1895

The club had initially favoured the Wycliffe Ground on Pershore Road, but were instead offered a 12-acre "meadow of rough grazing land" in an undeveloped area on the banks of the River Rea by the Calthorpe Estate – the less attractive development land having more to gain from association with the cricket ground.[3] With the site only 20 minutes' walk from New Street Station, Warwickshire agreed in 1885 to lease the land for £5 per acre over a 21-year period.[4] A further £1,250 was spent on draining and enclosing the site and building a wooden pavilion.[5] The new ground's first match took place on 7 June 1886 against the MCC, watched by 3,000 spectators over two days, with 6,000 turning out on 9 and 10 August to watch Warwickshire play Australia.[6]

Edgbaston's first test match was the first in The Ashes series against Australia in 1902,[7] for which the club erected a permanent stand, two temporary stands and facilities for 90 members of the press.[5] These developments cost a total of £1,500, however, and Warwickshire's share of the tour funds was only £750.[8]

Post-war development

Edgbaston in 2008: the former Pavilion, Leslie Deakins and R. V. Ryder Stands, all now demolished.

The first piece of development in the post-war era was the construction of the Rea Bank and the Thwaite Memorial Scoreboard in 1950.[5] In 1956 an Indoor Cricket School was built[9] and the Pavilion Suite was completed in the same year.[5] By the time the William Ansell Stand opened in 1967 the facilities at Edgbaston were considered to rival those at Lord's.[5]

In 1989 executive boxes were added to the rear of the Priory and Raglan Stands and the Sidney Barnes Stand was reconstructed and enlarged, expanding the ground capacity of 17,500.[10]

In July 1997, Edgbaston was the scene of the first competitive floodlit day-night cricket match in Britain.[11]

The pavilion end on the south side of the ground was completely redeveloped between 2010 and 2011 at a cost of £32 million, partly paid for from a £20 million loan from Birmingham City Council, bringing the ground's capacity up to 25,000.[12] Demolition of the pavilion – parts of which dated back to the 1890s – and the Leslie Deakins, R. V. Ryder and William Ansell Stands took place in January 2010, with construction of the new South and West Stands starting in April 2010 and reaching completion 66 weeks later.[13] 5 permanent floodlight pylons were erected around the ground at the same time, allowing up to 15 days of day-night cricket annually.[13] The new development was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh on 25 July 2011.[14] The first test match to be played at the redeveloped venue was the third Test vs India on 10 August 2011, which saw England reach the number 1 position in the ICC Test Championship for the first time with victory by an innings and 242 runs on the fourth day of the match.[15]

Ground

The Eric Hollies and South Stands and the Press Box.

Edgbaston is considered to be one of England's leading cricket grounds. Wisden's guide to cricket grounds in 1992 commented that "Lord's is really its only superior in the United Kingdom"[10] with The Daily Telegraph agreeing in 2009 that "taken all in all, it is now the best ground outside Lord's."[16] After the opening of the new South and West Stands in 2011 the England and Wales Cricket Board commented that "the spacious facilities are cutting edge, marginally better than the Home of Cricket".[1]

The atmosphere at Edgbaston is reputed to be the most hostile in England for visiting teams.[17] Former England captain Alec Stewart recalled "On a world level I would put it up there with Eden Gardens in Calcutta, which holds about 100,000. It inspires a team. It's like having another man in your side."[17] and the former England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones describes how "The crowd here makes such a big noise when you are doing well ... it's a unique environment."[17] After winning the 2015 Ashes Test Match with Australia at Edgbaston, England captain Alastair Cook commented "The Edgbaston crowd was up there with the loudest I can remember. With some of the chants, even guys who have played a fair bit of cricket were looking at each other and realising how special it was. Edgbaston has been a fantastic venue for us."[18]

The record attendance at a County Championship match at Edgbaston is 28,000 against Lancashire in the championship-winning season of 1951, and the record for a single day of a test match is 32,000 against the West Indies in 1957.[10]

For some years until 2000, Edgbaston had a distinctive motorized rain cover system, known as the Brumbrella.

Stands and spectator facilities

The Raglan and R. E. S. Wyatt Stands, with Birmingham City Centre in the distance.

Gallery

Other facilities

Notable moments

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Barnett, Rob (10 August 2011). "Edgbaston at the cutting edge". England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  2. 1 2 Hignell 2002, p. 63.
  3. Hignell 2002, p. 63-64.
  4. Hignell 2002, p. 64.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Pringle 1994.
  6. Bannister 1990, p. 18.
  7. Powell 1992, p. 443.
  8. Ryder, Rowland (1968). "Warwickshire the unpredictable – Where cricket is always played as it should be". In Preston, Norman. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. London: Sporting Handbooks. ISBN 0-85020-017-2. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  9. 1 2 Ryder 1973.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Powell 1992, p. 445.
  11. "Counter culture: Good venue guide: Edgbaston". The Guardian (Guardian Newspapers). 27 June 1998. p. 11.
  12. Halford, Brian (18 March 2011). "It was new Edgbaston or nothing, says Warwickshire CCC chief". Birmingham Post (Trinity Mirror Midlands). Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Edgbaston To Become World-Leading Test And County Ground". Cricket World. Cricket World Media Ltd. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  14. "Prince Philip marks Edgbaston Cricket Ground revamp". BBC News (BBC). 25 July 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  15. "England thrash India to reach summit". International Edition (CNN). 14 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  16. Henderson, Michael (30 July 2009). "The Ashes: patriotic Edgbaston makes England feel at home". Daily Telegraph (London: Telegraph Media Group). Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 Weaver, Paul (29 July 2009). "If Australia thought Cardiff and Lord's was noisy, they haven't heard anything yet". The Guardian (London: Guardian News and Media). p. 4. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  18. http://www.edgbaston.com/2450/talk-of-the-investec-ashes-test-match-at-edgbaston.html#sthash.fizfq15g.dpuf, Edgbaston.com
  19. Engel, Matthew, ed. (1996). "Obituary – Bob Wyatt". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. John Wisden & Co. ISBN 0-947766-31-6. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  20. Keith Prowse 2011, p. 6.
  21. Edwards, Paul (2011). "One day at Edgbaston – Paul Edwards bades farewell to the old press box". Tales from 2011. Lancashire County Cricket Club. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  22. "Major Match Tickets Information, Contact Us Information & FAQs". Warwickshire County Cricket Club. 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  23. "Eric Hollies Stand, Edgbaston". Work. Bryant Priest Newman Architects. Retrieved 20 August 2011.; "Eric Hollies Stand, Warwickshire County Cricket Club". www.SteelConstruction.org. British Constructional Steelwork Association. 2003. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  24. "The Centre of Excellence". Warwickshire County Cricket Club. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  25. "Description". Indoor Cricket Centre, Warwickshire CCC. Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. Archived from the original on 18 January 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  26. "Indoor Cricket Centre, Warwickshire CCC". Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. Archived from the original on 18 January 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  27. "Warwickshire County Cricket Club Museum". Mather and Co. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  28. "EDGBASTON CRICKET MUSEUM". Figment Productions. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  29. Brenkley, Stephen (14 August 2011). "On the Front Foot: Edgbaston's passion for the past is a lesson for the future". The Independent (Independent Digital News and Media). Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  30. Halford, Brian (15 March 2012). "How dedicated trio resurrected Warwickshire CCC museum in old offices". Birmingham Mail (Trinity Mirror Midlands). Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  31. Edgbaston International Stadium – Planning Statement (PDF) (Report). Turley Associates. 2008. p. 22. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  32. Phil Wattis and Julie Anderson. "Edgbaston - The Bears - History - Alumni - Brian Lara". thebears.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 December 2007.
  33. "Final: England v India at Birmingham, Jun 23, 2013 - Cricket Scorecard". ESPN Cricinfo.
  34. "Final: Warwickshire v Lancashire at Birmingham, Aug 23, 2014 - Cricket Scorecard". ESPN Cricinfo.

Bibliography

External links

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Coordinates: 52°27′20.93″N 1°54′08.96″W / 52.4558139°N 1.9024889°W / 52.4558139; -1.9024889

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