County Cricket Ground, Beckenham

The County Ground, Beckenham

The pavilion at the County Ground, Beckenham after redevelopment
Ground information
Location Beckenham, London Borough of Bromley
Coordinates 51°25′12″N 0°01′41″W / 51.420°N 0.028°W / 51.420; -0.028Coordinates: 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. As of 2016 the Kent Women cricket team play the majority of their matches at the ground

The ground was first used for first-class cricket in 1954. It hosted two games during the 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup and has been used by Kent as a regular outground since 2003. The ground was redeveloped in 2013–14 and facilities include a 2048-seater stand, an indoor cricket school and 3G football pitches.

Cricketing history

Housing at Beckenham, June 2016

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 in Beckenham between 1885 and 1905, and played one John Player League match at the nearby Midland Bank Sports Ground in 1970.[5][6] The county 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 and is treated by the club as being "Metropolitan Kent". Grounds in nearby Blackheath, Catford, Crystal Palace and Dartford have all also been used by the club in the past for a total of more than 150 matches and the first match played by the county club after its initial foundation in 1842 was played at White Hart Field in Bromley.

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 September 2016 it has hosted five County Championship matches, five List A matches and has mainly been used for Twenty20 cricket, most commonly matches against 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 being the main ground used by the Kent Women's cricket team.[11]

Redevelopment

The new stand at Beckenham, June 2016
New buildings at Beckenham, June 2016

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.[12][13][14] 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][12][15][16][17][18][19]

The ground owners, Leander Sports and Leisure,[20] built 48 houses on part of the site in order to fund the redevelopment[2][21] which includes a number of year-round facilities including an indoor cricket school, 3G football pitches and a physiotherapy clinic.[4][11] 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 north-west of the county, to develop younger cricketers[21][22][23][24] and as a general sports development hub in metropolitan Kent.[20] Kent took an initial 20 year lease on the ground and have the aim of further developing the ground in the future.[11][19][23][24]

Records on the ground

All records last updated 10 August 2016

First-class cricket

List A cricket

Twenty20 cricket

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 3 Match guide June 2016, Kent County Cricket Club, June 2016.
  12. 1 2 Kent Cricket, Beckenham, Bromley District Council. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ Kent Cricket will start 2015 season with two away trips, Canterbury Times, 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  15. ↑ Residents to oppose Beckenham’s Kent County Cricket’s plans, Bromley Times, 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  16. ↑ Kent offered loan for development, CricInfo, 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  17. ↑ Beckenham Redevelopment Project Advances at Pace, Kent County Cricket Club, 2014-01-29. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  18. ↑ Kent Cricket Club, Beckenham, Delta Balustrades. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  19. 1 2 Outstanding outgrounds have much to offer, England and Wales Cricket Board, 2015-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  20. 1 2 Kent to continue at Beckenham, CricInfo, 2003-02-09. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
  21. 1 2 Kent buoyed by Beckenham ground redevelopment approval, Kent Online, 2012-01-14. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  22. ↑ Beckenham’s future as Kent outground hangs on development plans, Eastern Daily Press, 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  23. 1 2 Beckenham development given green light, England and Wales Cricket Board, 2013-11-25. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  24. 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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