This is a list of grounds that Kent County Cricket Club have used since the formation of the first county club in August 1842. The club has used 29 grounds for first-class, List A and Twenty20 home matches. Prior to the formation of the first county club an informal county team had appeared in first-class matches from 1773 and cricket had been played in the county from at least the 17th century.[1][2]
The St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury was unusual in having a tree of over 100 feet in height (visible on the left of the picture) within the boundary of the playing area. The tree blew down in a storm in 2005, and a much smaller replacement was planted at the same spot later that year.
White Hart Field in Bromley played host to the club's first home fixture in first-class cricket against an All England cricket team in 1842.[1] The county was based at the Beverley Ground in Canterbury until 1846 and Canterbury Cricket Week was first established at this ground.[3][4] From 1847 the base for the county moved to the St Lawrence Ground, also in Canterbury, and this ground was later established as the county's formal headquarters.[5] It is now the main ground for the county and hosts the majority of home matches, although it was typically only used for county cricket during Canterbury week until well into the 20th century.[6] The ground is famous for having had a tree, the St Lawrence Lime, on the playing area for most of its history.[7][8][9]
Unusually for a first-class county, Kent have played over 100 home fixtures at seven grounds and continued to play the majority of its matches away from the St Lawrence Ground until well into the 20th century.[6][10] The out-grounds still in use as of 2018 are the Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells, which hosts the annual Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week, and the County Cricket Ground, Beckenham.
The 29 grounds that Kent have used for home matches since 1842 are listed below along with The Oval in London, which is the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club which was used for two home matches by Kent.
Below is a list of grounds used by Kent County Cricket Club in first-class, List A and Twenty20 matches. Grounds are listed in order of their first use by the county. The count only includes matches where Kent were the home team. Many grounds have been used by other teams, including for international matches.[a]
Kent have used The Oval, the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club, for "home" matches on two occasions. The quarter-final of the 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup against Warwickshire was scheduled to be played on the St Lawrence Ground but, following heavy rain, the ground was deemed unplayable. Play was impossible on the first two days allocated for the fixture and an inspection on the third day also ruled out play and the match was switched to use The Oval at short notice.[42][43][44]
The second Kent "home" match on the ground was a 2010 Twenty20 Cup fixture against Essex which Kent chose to play on the ground in an attempt to increase attendance and, as a result, income. The experiment was not repeated.[42][45][46]
Notesedit
^Matches known to have been abandoned without a ball being bowled are excluded from the count.
^Another first-class match between Kent and England was played on White Hart Field in 1841 before the formation of Kent County Cricket Club in August 1842.
^Three first class matches were played on the ground by Kent sides prior to the official formation of the first Kent County Cricket Club which took place at the ground during the 1842 Canterbury Cricket Week. The Gentlemen of Kent also played five first-class matches at the ground. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent after the formation of the county cricket club are recorded in the table.
^Some sources refer to the ground as Hensted Park. Contemporary reports, Benendon Cricket Club and Kent's own sources all call it Hemsted or Hempsted.
^The North v South first-class fixture was played at Higher Common Ground five times between 1854 and 1883. One Married v Single first-class match as well as a first-class fixture involving a combined Kent and Sussex cricket team against an All-England Eleven were also played on the ground. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table.
^ abKent County Cricket Club sources do not include a number of matches played by the county in the 19th century where 13 or more players were included in the Kent side as first-class matches. These are not included in the count of matches in this list but are accepted as first-class matches by some sources and particularly effect the count of first-class matches played on the St Lawrence Ground.[16]
^ abA number of other matches have taken place at the St Lawrence Ground, including One Day International matches. Only the matches played at the ground by Kent County Cricket Club are recorded in the table.
^The South played two first-class matches on the Bat and Ball Ground against the touring Australians in 1884 and 1886. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table.
^Kent Cricket Board played five List A matches at Mote Park between 1999 and 2002. Only the List A matches played at the ground by Kent County Cricket Club are recorded in the table.
^Crystal Palace Park later served as the home ground for London County Cricket Club in first-class matches between 1900 and 1904. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table.
^Prior to the formation of the first Kent County Cricket Club in August 1842, Kent sides played ten first-class matches at West Malling between 1836 and 1841. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent after the formation of the county cricket club are recorded in the table.
^The Royal Navy played two first-class matches here in 1929 against MCC and the Royal Air Force. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table.
^ abSeveral teams have played first-class cricket at Cheriton Road and Kent Cricket Board played a single List A match on the ground in the 2002 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy against Hampshire. Only the matches played at the ground by Kent County Cricket Club are recorded in the table.
^The Combined Services cricket team played two first-class matches here in 1949 against Kent and the touring New Zealanders. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent where they were the home team are recorded in the table.
^West Indies A played India A in a first-class match at Beckenham in 2018. Only the first-class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table.
Referencesedit
^ abA brief history of Kent, CricInfo. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
^Jones KH (1934) An early relic of Kent Cricket, in Archaeologia Cantiana, vol 48, pp.240–243. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
^Homer J (2015) Ye Olde Beverlie, St Stephen's Green in Canterbury Pubs. Stroud: Amberley Publishing Limited. (Available online. Retrieved 2017-12-01).
^ abHignell A (2002) Rain Stops Play: Cricketing Climates, pp. 67–112. London: Abingdon. ISBN0-7146-5173-7.
^The Kent County Club and the St Lawrence Ground, The Times, 1896-03-14, p.13.
^Kent County Cricket Club, The Times, 1897-03-25, p.11.
^Moseling M, Quarrington T (2013) A Half-Forgotten Triumph: The story of Kent's County Championship title of 1913, p.35. Cheltenham: SportsBooks. ISBN978-1-907524-40-0.
^Ross A (1981) Surrey's generous offer, The Times, 1981-06-26, p. 13. (Available online at The Times Digital Archive. Retrieved 2022-06-05.)
^Ross, A. (1981) Tavaré the backbone of Kent's victory, The Times, 1981-06-27, p. 15.(Available online at The Times Digitial Archive. Retrieved 2022-06-05.)
^Kent to stage home T20 Cup clash at the Brit Oval, Kent Online, 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
^Kent play host at The Oval but home from home no help against Essex, The Guardian, 2010-07-09. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
Bibliographyedit
Milton H (2020) Kent County Cricket Grounds. Woking: Pitch Publishing. ISBN978-1-78531-661-6
January 01, 1970
list, kent, county, cricket, club, grounds, this, list, grounds, that, kent, county, cricket, club, have, used, since, formation, first, county, club, august, 1842, club, used, grounds, first, class, list, twenty20, home, matches, prior, formation, first, coun. This is a list of grounds that Kent County Cricket Club have used since the formation of the first county club in August 1842 The club has used 29 grounds for first class List A and Twenty20 home matches Prior to the formation of the first county club an informal county team had appeared in first class matches from 1773 and cricket had been played in the county from at least the 17th century 1 2 The St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury was unusual in having a tree of over 100 feet in height visible on the left of the picture within the boundary of the playing area The tree blew down in a storm in 2005 and a much smaller replacement was planted at the same spot later that year White Hart Field in Bromley played host to the club s first home fixture in first class cricket against an All England cricket team in 1842 1 The county was based at the Beverley Ground in Canterbury until 1846 and Canterbury Cricket Week was first established at this ground 3 4 From 1847 the base for the county moved to the St Lawrence Ground also in Canterbury and this ground was later established as the county s formal headquarters 5 It is now the main ground for the county and hosts the majority of home matches although it was typically only used for county cricket during Canterbury week until well into the 20th century 6 The ground is famous for having had a tree the St Lawrence Lime on the playing area for most of its history 7 8 9 Unusually for a first class county Kent have played over 100 home fixtures at seven grounds and continued to play the majority of its matches away from the St Lawrence Ground until well into the 20th century 6 10 The out grounds still in use as of 2018 are the Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells which hosts the annual Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week and the County Cricket Ground Beckenham The 29 grounds that Kent have used for home matches since 1842 are listed below along with The Oval in London which is the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club which was used for two home matches by Kent Contents 1 Grounds 1 1 The Oval 2 Notes 3 References 4 BibliographyGrounds editBelow is a list of grounds used by Kent County Cricket Club in first class List A and Twenty20 matches Grounds are listed in order of their first use by the county The count only includes matches where Kent were the home team Many grounds have been used by other teams including for international matches a As of 19 April 2024 Name Location FC LA T20 First match Last match Refs White Hart Field Bromley 1 b 0 0 25 August 1842 v England 11 Beverley Ground Canterbury 7 c 0 0 13 July 1843 v Sussex 3 August 1846 v England 12 Hemsted Park d Benenden 1 0 0 17 August 1843 v England 13 Higher Common Ground nbsp Tunbridge Wells 28 e 0 0 31 July 1845 v Sussex 25 August 1884 v Somerset 14 Preston Hall Ground Aylesford 2 0 0 23 July 1846 v Surrey 15 July 1847 v Surrey 15 St Lawrence Ground nbsp Canterbury 604 f g 371 g 92 2 August 1847 v England 19 April 2024 v Surrey 17 18 Bat and Ball Ground nbsp Gravesend 142 f h 0 0 21 June 1849 v All England Eleven 26 May 1971 v Pakistanis 17 19 School Field nbsp Cranbrook 2 0 0 15 July 1850 v All England Eleven 24 July 1851 v All England Eleven 20 Mote Park nbsp Maidstone 218 53 i 2 23 June 1859 v MCC 5 June 2005 v Derbyshire 21 New Brompton Cricket Ground Chatham 1 0 0 12 June 1862 v Cambridgeshire 22 Swifts Park Cranbrook 2 0 0 24 July 1862 v Yorkshire 23 July 1863 v Nottinghamshire 23 Sandgate Plain Folkestone 2 0 0 31 July 1862 v Sussex 30 July 1863 v Sussex 24 Crystal Palace Park nbsp Crystal Palace 5 j 0 0 21 July 1864 v Nottinghamshire 25 August 1870 v Sussex 25 New Cricket Ground Margate 1 0 0 28 July 1864 v Sussex 26 B M Close s Ground Southborough 1 0 0 8 July 1867 v Hampshire 27 Angel Ground Tonbridge 106 0 0 22 July 1869 v Nottinghamshire 7 June 1939 v Glamorgan 28 Private Banks Sports Ground nbsp Catford 38 0 0 31 May 1875 v Sussex 29 June 1921 v Nottinghamshire 29 Mount Field Faversham 1 0 0 17 August 1876 v Hampshire 30 Old County Ground nbsp West Malling 4 k 0 0 3 June 1878 v Nottinghamshire 3 July 1890 v Sussex 31 Foxgrove Road nbsp Beckenham 14 0 0 22 July 1886 v Surrey 3 August 1905 v Surrey 32 The Rectory Field nbsp Blackheath 84 3 0 26 May 1887 v Gloucestershire 3 June 1972 v Surrey 33 Nevill Ground nbsp Tunbridge Wells 189 27 l 6 15 July 1901 v Lancashire 17 June 2019 v Notts 17 34 Crabble Athletic Ground nbsp Dover 106 4 0 11 July 1907 v Gloucestershire 21 July 1976 v Derbyshire 35 Garrison 1 Cricket Ground nbsp Chatham 3 m 0 0 9 June 1926 v Derbyshire 14 May 1927 v Northamptonshire 36 Cheriton Road nbsp Folkestone 85 n 23 n 0 8 September 1926 v MCC 1 July 1995 v Cambridge University 37 Garrison Ground 2 nbsp Gillingham 28 o 3 0 5 May 1937 v Worcestershire 6 August 1972 v Leicestershire 38 The Kent County Cricket Ground nbsp Beckenham 8 p 17 23 9 June 1954 v Gloucestershire 13 August 2023 v Middlesex 17 39 Hesketh Park Dartford 33 2 0 16 May 1956 v Essex 8 August 1990 v Leicestershire 40 Midland Bank Sports Ground nbsp Beckenham 0 1 0 10 May 1970 v Lancashire 41 The Oval edit Kent have used The Oval the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club for home matches on two occasions The quarter final of the 1981 Benson amp Hedges Cup against Warwickshire was scheduled to be played on the St Lawrence Ground but following heavy rain the ground was deemed unplayable Play was impossible on the first two days allocated for the fixture and an inspection on the third day also ruled out play and the match was switched to use The Oval at short notice 42 43 44 The second Kent home match on the ground was a 2010 Twenty20 Cup fixture against Essex which Kent chose to play on the ground in an attempt to increase attendance and as a result income The experiment was not repeated 42 45 46 Notes edit Matches known to have been abandoned without a ball being bowled are excluded from the count Another first class match between Kent and England was played on White Hart Field in 1841 before the formation of Kent County Cricket Club in August 1842 Three first class matches were played on the ground by Kent sides prior to the official formation of the first Kent County Cricket Club which took place at the ground during the 1842 Canterbury Cricket Week The Gentlemen of Kent also played five first class matches at the ground Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent after the formation of the county cricket club are recorded in the table Some sources refer to the ground as Hensted Park Contemporary reports Benendon Cricket Club and Kent s own sources all call it Hemsted or Hempsted The North v South first class fixture was played at Higher Common Ground five times between 1854 and 1883 One Married v Single first class match as well as a first class fixture involving a combined Kent and Sussex cricket team against an All England Eleven were also played on the ground Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table a b Kent County Cricket Club sources do not include a number of matches played by the county in the 19th century where 13 or more players were included in the Kent side as first class matches These are not included in the count of matches in this list but are accepted as first class matches by some sources and particularly effect the count of first class matches played on the St Lawrence Ground 16 a b A number of other matches have taken place at the St Lawrence Ground including One Day International matches Only the matches played at the ground by Kent County Cricket Club are recorded in the table The South played two first class matches on the Bat and Ball Ground against the touring Australians in 1884 and 1886 Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table Kent Cricket Board played five List A matches at Mote Park between 1999 and 2002 Only the List A matches played at the ground by Kent County Cricket Club are recorded in the table Crystal Palace Park later served as the home ground for London County Cricket Club in first class matches between 1900 and 1904 Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table Prior to the formation of the first Kent County Cricket Club in August 1842 Kent sides played ten first class matches at West Malling between 1836 and 1841 Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent after the formation of the county cricket club are recorded in the table A One Day International was played at the Nevill Ground during the 1983 Cricket World Cup Only matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table The Royal Navy played two first class matches here in 1929 against MCC and the Royal Air Force Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table a b Several teams have played first class cricket at Cheriton Road and Kent Cricket Board played a single List A match on the ground in the 2002 Cheltenham amp Gloucester Trophy against Hampshire Only the matches played at the ground by Kent County Cricket Club are recorded in the table The Combined Services cricket team played two first class matches here in 1949 against Kent and the touring New Zealanders Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent where they were the home team are recorded in the table West Indies A played India A in a first class match at Beckenham in 2018 Only the first class matches played at the ground by Kent are recorded in the table References edit a b A brief history of Kent CricInfo Retrieved 2016 02 14 Early Cricket Pre 1799 International Cricket Council Retrieved 2018 03 24 Jones KH 1934 An early relic of Kent Cricket in Archaeologia Cantiana vol 48 pp 240 243 Retrieved 2017 12 01 Homer J 2015 Ye Olde Beverlie St Stephen s Green in Canterbury Pubs Stroud Amberley Publishing Limited Available online Retrieved 2017 12 01 Sweetinburgh S 2015 Kent Cricket and a Tudor Mansion Canterbury Christchurch University 2015 08 06 Retrieved 2018 03 24 a b Hignell A 2002 Rain Stops Play Cricketing Climates pp 67 112 London Abingdon ISBN 0 7146 5173 7 The Kent County Club and the St Lawrence Ground The Times 1896 03 14 p 13 Kent County Cricket Club The Times 1897 03 25 p 11 Moseling M Quarrington T 2013 A Half Forgotten Triumph The story of Kent s County Championship title of 1913 p 35 Cheltenham SportsBooks ISBN 978 1 907524 40 0 Hignell op cit pp 65 66 White Hart Field Bromley CricketArchive Archived on 2017 11 13 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Beverley Ground Canterbury CricketArchive Archived on 2017 12 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Hensted Park sic Benenden CricketArchive Archived on 2017 12 02 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Higher Common Ground Tunbridge Wells CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Preston Hall Ground Aylesford CricketArchive Archived on 2017 11 13 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Kent Records in Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2018 p 141 Canterbury Kent County Cricket Club a b c d Grounds Records in Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2018 pp 180 181 Canterbury Kent County Cricket Club St Lawrence Ground Canterbury CricketArchive Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Bat and Ball Ground Gravesend CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required School Field Cranbrook CricketArchive Archived on 2017 12 05 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Mote Park Maidstone CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required New Brompton Chatham CricketArchive Archived on 2016 11 14 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Swifts Park Cranbrook CricketArchive Archived on 2017 10 15 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Sandgate Plain Ground Sandgate CricketArchive Archived on 2017 11 13 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Crystal Palace Park Crystal Palace CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Clifton Villa Estate Margate CricketArchive Archived on 2017 11 13 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required BM Close s Ground Southborough CricketArchive Archived on 2017 11 13 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Angel Ground Tonbridge CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required St Dunston s College Ground Catford CricketArchive Archived on 2015 09 07 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Mount Field Faversham CricketArchive Archived on 2017 01 28 Retrieved 2017 05 26 subscription required Old County Ground Town Malling CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Foxgrove Road Beckenham CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required The Rectory Field Blackheath CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required The Nevill Ground Tunbridge Wells CricketArchive Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Crabble Athletic Ground Dover CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 01 Retrieved 2018 06 25 subscription required Garrison 1 Cricket Ground Chatham CricketArchive Archived on 2017 12 14 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Cheriton Road Sports Ground Folkestone CricketArchive Archived on 2017 06 30 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Garrison Ground 2 Gillingham CricketArchive Archived on 2017 07 10 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required The Kent County Cricket Ground Beckenham CricketArchive Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Hesketh Park Dartford CricketArchive Archived on 2017 09 24 Retrieved 2018 05 26 subscription required Midland Bank Sports Ground Beckenham CricketArchive Archived on 2017 11 13 Retrieved 2018 06 25 subscription required a b Milton 2020 pp 203 204 Ross A 1981 Surrey s generous offer The Times 1981 06 26 p 13 Available online at The Times Digital Archive Retrieved 2022 06 05 Ross A 1981 Tavare the backbone of Kent s victory The Times 1981 06 27 p 15 Available online at The Times Digitial Archive Retrieved 2022 06 05 Kent to stage home T20 Cup clash at the Brit Oval Kent Online 2009 12 09 Retrieved 2016 01 30 Kent play host at The Oval but home from home no help against Essex The Guardian 2010 07 09 Retrieved 2016 01 30 Bibliography editMilton H 2020 Kent County Cricket Grounds Woking Pitch Publishing ISBN 978 1 78531 661 6 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of Kent County Cricket Club grounds amp oldid 1220940678, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
