Hitchin Town Cricket Club Ground
Encyclopedia
Hitchin Town Cricket Club Ground is a cricket
ground in Hitchin
, Hertfordshire
. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1877, when Hertfordshire
played Essex
. Hertfordshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match on the ground in 1908 against Cambridgeshire
. Hertfordshire used the ground until 1914, and following a 37 year break from the ground, it returned in 1951. From 1914 to 1998, the ground played host to 38 Minor Counties Championship matches and 2 MCCA Knockout Trophy
matches.
The ground has also hosted List-A matches, the first of which came in the 1966 Gillette Cup
between Hertfordshire and Berkshire
. From 1966 to 1989, the ground held 8 List-A matches, the last of which was between Hertfordshire and Nottinghamshire
in the 1989 NatWest Trophy
. The most famous List-A match on the ground saw Hertfordshire defeat first-class
county Essex in the 1976 Gillette Cup
.
In local domestic cricket, Hitchin Town Cricket Club Ground is the home ground of Hitchin Town Cricket Club. They play in the Hertfordshire Cricket League
, their best position being in 1976 when they came second. The club shares their ground with the Blueharts Hockey Club
and Hitchin Lacrosse Club. In 1988, the club constructed a second pitch at the ground.
Perhaps the biggest claim to fame for the club was in 1994, when the New Zealand cricket team started their tour of England with a match against Hitchin. The g was also the scene of Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
's victory over Essex County Cricket Club
in the 1976 Gillette Cup - the first time a minor county had defeated a first class county in a major competition.
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...
ground in Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1877, when Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Hertfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
played Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
. Hertfordshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match on the ground in 1908 against Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cambridgeshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy.The club is based at The Avenue...
. Hertfordshire used the ground until 1914, and following a 37 year break from the ground, it returned in 1951. From 1914 to 1998, the ground played host to 38 Minor Counties Championship matches and 2 MCCA Knockout Trophy
MCCA Knockout Trophy
The Minor Counties Cricket Association Knockout Cup was started in 1983 as a knockout one-day competition for the Minor Counties in English cricket...
matches.
The ground has also hosted List-A matches, the first of which came in the 1966 Gillette Cup
1966 Gillette Cup
The 1966 Gillette Cup was the fourth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 28 April and 3 September 1966 . The tournament was won by Warwickshire County Cricket Club in the final at Lord's.-Format:...
between Hertfordshire and Berkshire
Berkshire County Cricket Club
Berkshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Berkshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and MCCA Knockout Trophy....
. From 1966 to 1989, the ground held 8 List-A matches, the last of which was between Hertfordshire and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
in the 1989 NatWest Trophy
1989 NatWest Trophy
The 1989 NatWest Trophy was the 9th NatWest Trophy. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 28 June and 2 September 1989...
. The most famous List-A match on the ground saw Hertfordshire defeat first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
county Essex in the 1976 Gillette Cup
1976 Gillette Cup
The 1976 Gillette Cup was the fourteenth Gillette Cup, an English limited overs county cricket tournament. It was held between 26 June and 4 September 1976...
.
In local domestic cricket, Hitchin Town Cricket Club Ground is the home ground of Hitchin Town Cricket Club. They play in the Hertfordshire Cricket League
Hertfordshire Cricket League
The Hertfordshire Cricket League is an amateur league cricket competition based in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It serves as a feeder league to the Home Counties Premier Cricket League, which is a designated ECB Premier League, the highest level of recreational club cricket in England and...
, their best position being in 1976 when they came second. The club shares their ground with the Blueharts Hockey Club
Blueharts Hockey Club
Blueharts Hockey Club is a hockey club based in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. They were founded in 1946 and train at Hitchin Boys' School. The clubhouse is located in Lucas Lane which is also the home of Hitchin Cricket Club and Hitchin Lacrosse Club....
and Hitchin Lacrosse Club. In 1988, the club constructed a second pitch at the ground.
Perhaps the biggest claim to fame for the club was in 1994, when the New Zealand cricket team started their tour of England with a match against Hitchin. The g was also the scene of Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Hertfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
's victory over Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex 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 Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
in the 1976 Gillette Cup - the first time a minor county had defeated a first class county in a major competition.
External links
- Hitchin Town Cricket Club Ground on CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Hitchin Town Cricket Club Ground on CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
- Hertfordshire Cricket League
- New Zealand in England