County Cricket Ground, Northampton
Encyclopedia
The County Ground, is a cricket
venue on Wantage Road in the Abington
area of Northampton
, UK
. It is home to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
.
It is known to be a venue which favours spinners
, and in the last County Championship
game of 2005
, Northamptonshire's two spin bowlers Jason Brown
and Monty Panesar
took all 20 wickets for Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire played their first match at the ground in 1886 before competing in the Minor Counties Championship competition between 1895 and 1904, winning the title three times. They were accepted into the County Championship
and played their first first-class match at the ground on June 5, 1905. Northamptonshire drew with Leicestershire
in a rain-hit match that only permitted 75 overs
of play.
The County Ground hosted two 1999 Cricket World Cup
matches. South Africa
's victory over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh's first ever World Cup victory against eventual finalists Pakistan by 62 runs.
also known as "The Cobblers" played their home games for 97 years at the County Ground between 1897 and 1994. The ground only had three sides with an open side due to the size of the cricket ground.
The team began in the Northants League working upward through various leagues before being elected to the Football League in 1920. The team played in all four main divisions during their tenure at the County Ground. Between 1958 and 1965 the team rose from Division 4
all the way to the top tier, the First Division
, where they stayed for only one season - 1965-66
. Subsequently the team then fell into decline, being relegated to the Fourth Division in 1970.
On 7 February 1970, Northampton Town played Manchester United in the FA Cup
fifth round at the County Ground and lost 8-2, with George Best
scoring six goals.
From the 1970s to the 1990s team occupied Division 3
and Division 4
with the team finishing at the bottom of the league in 1994. However, they stayed in the league as the stadium of Kidderminster Harriers, the non-league winners, did not meet the standard required for promotion. By this stage, however, construction work on the new all-seater Sixfields Stadium had started. The new stadium was still under construction when the 1994-95 season
began, and so the club began that season still at the County Ground.
The Cobblers played their last game there on 12 October 1994 (a 1-0 league defeat to Mansfield Town
),and then moved to Sixfields
, a four sided stadium more suitable for football.
played the first ever concert at the County Ground on June 25, 2011. The show lasted for over two and a half hours. Sir Elton was supported by Ed Drewett
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
venue on Wantage Road in the Abington
Abington, Northamptonshire
Abington is a district of the town of Northampton to the east of the town centre.Originally a small village outside the borough boundary of Northampton, Abington is mentioned in The Domesday Book. In the 17th century the village was enclosed and depopulated...
area of Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is home to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club
Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Northamptonshire. Its limited overs team is called the Northants Steelbacks. The traditional club colour is Maroon. During the...
.
It is known to be a venue which favours spinners
Spin bowling
Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...
, and in the last County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
game of 2005
2005 English cricket season
Before the beginning of the 2005 English cricket season began, a resurgent English cricket team had won four Test series in a row, going unbeaten through the 2004 calendar year. The start of the international season saw England defeat Bangladesh 2–0 in their two-match series, winning both Tests by...
, Northamptonshire's two spin bowlers Jason Brown
Jason Brown (cricketer)
Jason Fred Brown is a cricketer who has previously played for Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, England A and Staffordshire.-Career:...
and Monty Panesar
Monty Panesar
Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, known as Monty Panesar , is an English cricketer who currently plays for Sussex. A left-arm spinner, Panesar played Test and one-day cricket for England until 2009. In English county cricket he played for Northamptonshire until 2009...
took all 20 wickets for Northamptonshire.
Northamptonshire played their first match at the ground in 1886 before competing in the Minor Counties Championship competition between 1895 and 1904, winning the title three times. They were accepted into the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
and played their first first-class match at the ground on June 5, 1905. Northamptonshire drew with Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
in a rain-hit match that only permitted 75 overs
Over (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it is completed by a teammate....
of play.
The County Ground hosted two 1999 Cricket World Cup
1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
matches. South Africa
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
's victory over Sri Lanka and Bangladesh's first ever World Cup victory against eventual finalists Pakistan by 62 runs.
Football
Northampton Town F.C.Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
also known as "The Cobblers" played their home games for 97 years at the County Ground between 1897 and 1994. The ground only had three sides with an open side due to the size of the cricket ground.
The team began in the Northants League working upward through various leagues before being elected to the Football League in 1920. The team played in all four main divisions during their tenure at the County Ground. Between 1958 and 1965 the team rose from Division 4
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
all the way to the top tier, the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, where they stayed for only one season - 1965-66
1965-66 in English football
The 1965–66 season was the 86th season of competitive football in England.-Diary of the season:7 October 1965: An experiment to broadcast a live game to another ground takes place...
. Subsequently the team then fell into decline, being relegated to the Fourth Division in 1970.
On 7 February 1970, Northampton Town played Manchester United in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
fifth round at the County Ground and lost 8-2, with George Best
George Best
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
scoring six goals.
From the 1970s to the 1990s team occupied Division 3
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
and Division 4
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
with the team finishing at the bottom of the league in 1994. However, they stayed in the league as the stadium of Kidderminster Harriers, the non-league winners, did not meet the standard required for promotion. By this stage, however, construction work on the new all-seater Sixfields Stadium had started. The new stadium was still under construction when the 1994-95 season
1994-95 in English football
-Premiership:Blackburn Rovers ended their 81-year wait for the league title thanks to the strike partnership of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton which scored a total of more than 50 league goals. Manchester United would have made it three league titles in a row if they had been able to turn a 1-1 draw...
began, and so the club began that season still at the County Ground.
The Cobblers played their last game there on 12 October 1994 (a 1-0 league defeat to Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
),and then moved to Sixfields
Sixfields Stadium
Sixfields Stadium is a 7,653-capacity all-seater sports stadium in Northampton, England. It has been the home ground of Northampton Town Football Club following their move from the County Ground in October 1994....
, a four sided stadium more suitable for football.
Trivia
Sir Elton JohnElton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
played the first ever concert at the County Ground on June 25, 2011. The show lasted for over two and a half hours. Sir Elton was supported by Ed Drewett
Ed Drewett
Ed Drewett is a singer-songwriter signed to EMI Virgin Records. Drewett first came to public attention in 2007 on the BBC television show Any Dream Will Do but he did not make the final 12 chosen for the live shows. He is best-known, however, for the single "I Need You Tonight" produced by The...