County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford

County Ground
The Pavilion at Chelmsford
Ground information
LocationChelmsford, Essex
Capacity6,500
End names
  Sir Alastair Cook End  
Graham Gooch End
International information
First ODI20 June 1983:
 Australia v  India
Last ODI14 May 2023:
 Ireland v  Bangladesh
First WODI20 June 2000:
 England v  South Africa
Last WODI29 May 2024:
 England v  Pakistan
First WT20I29 June 2010:
 England v  New Zealand
Last WT20I2 September 2023:
 England v  Sri Lanka
Team information
Essex (1925 – present)
As of 29 May 2024
Source: Cricinfo

The County Ground in Chelmsford, Essex, has been the official home ground of Essex County Cricket Club since 1967. It is currently known as The Cloud County Ground for sponsorship reasons.[1] It has been used for first-class cricket since 1925 and List A matches since 1969. The capacity is 6,500, mostly in single-tier seating with a single double-tiered stand. The pavilion was completed in the 1970s.[2]

History

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Essex's first match at the ground took place in June 1925 against Oxford University.[3] and their first County Championship game at Chelmsford was against Somerset in 1926.[4] When the club left its headquarters at Leyton Cricket Ground at the end of the 1933 season they began a period of playing games at various venues around the county, with a week allocated to each. Chelmsford was given two weeks a season[5] but poor attendances led to Essex ceasing to play at the ground after 1956.[6] In 1966 the club purchased the Chelmsford ground for £15,000, with some financial assistance from Warwickshire's Supporters Association, and the ground became Essex's headquarters with home matches returning there from the 1967 season.[7] The pavilion was opened during the 1970 season[8] and the permanent scoreboard at the ground was constructed in 1981.[4]

In April 2024, Essex Cricket renamed the two bowling ends of the ground after former players Sir Alastair Cook and Graham Gooch.[1] The River End was renamed to the Sir Alastair Cook End, and the Hayes Close End to the Graham Gooch End.[9]

Domestic cricket

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The River End of the ground, showing the main scoreboard

Chelmsford is a small ground, and is notoriously difficult to defend a total at in limited overs cricket, demonstrated by the fact that no side has ever defended a score of under 170 in T20 cricket here.[10] Former Essex and England batsman Graham Gooch scored most of his first-class runs there.[2] Graham Napier scored 152 off 58 balls (16 sixes and 10 fours) in a Twenty20 match v Sussex at the ground.[11] The success of Essex County Cricket Club in the shorter versions of the game between 2005 and 2008 led to the attraction of many new fans. Eventually the ground was regularly selling out in Twenty20 and Friends Provident Trophy games.

The Ford Motor Company had naming rights for the ground for between 2005 and 2013.[12][13] From 2017 to 2019 the naming rights to the stadium have been bought by Cloudfm and therefore the ground will be known as the Cloudfm County Ground.[14] The large amount of passionate support Essex receive at this ground has led to it being popularly referred to as 'Fortress Chelmsford'.[15]

International cricket

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As of May 2023, the venue has hosted six men's One Day International (ODI) matches. The first ODI was played between Australia and India during the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the most recent ODI match was played between Ireland and Bangladesh during the Bangladeshi cricket team against Ireland in England in 2023 series in May 2023, as part of the 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.[16]

Ground redevelopment since 2010

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New development to the ground include the building of new apartment blocks, the construction of a new cricket school, public square and an access bridge from the Chelmsford town centre side of the ground.[17] In 2019 the ground's floodlights were replaced by larger, square floodlights.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Cook & Gooch honoured at The Cloud County Ground". essexcricket.org.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "County Ground". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  3. ^ Lemmon & Marshall 1987, p. 164.
  4. ^ a b Powell 1989, p. 61.
  5. ^ Lemmon & Marshall 1987, p. 186.
  6. ^ Lemmon & Marshall 1987, p. 239.
  7. ^ Lemmon & Marshall 1987, p. 383.
  8. ^ Preston, Norman, ed. (1971). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 1971. London: Sporting Handbooks. p. 336. ISBN 0850200237.
  9. ^ "Essex rename stands in honour of Gooch and Cook". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  10. ^ "What's a winning score on this pitch?". T20 Head to Head. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Awesome Napier shatters records". BBC Sport. 24 June 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Essex rename ground with sponsors". BBC Sport. 17 March 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  13. ^ Arnold, David (17 January 2013). "Essex keen to sell name of stadium". This is total Essex. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  14. ^ "Cloudfm 'declares' new sponsorship deal with Essex Cricket | Cloudfm Group". cloudfmgroup.com. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  15. ^ Long, James (21 May 2012). "Eagle Extras: Just how big are Essex?". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Ireland to host India for three T20Is in August". ESPNcricinfo. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Essex County Cricket Club signs ground redevelopment deal". BBC News. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

Sources

[edit]
  • Lemmon, David; Marshall, Mike (1987). Essex County Cricket Club The Official History. London: The Kingswood Press. ISBN 0434981117.
  • Powell, William (1989). The Wisden Guide to Cricket Grounds. London: Stanley Paul & Co Ltd. ISBN 009173830X.

See also

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51°43′54″N 0°28′9″E / 51.73167°N 0.46917°E / 51.73167; 0.46917

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