The County Cricket Ground, usually shortened to County Ground and also known as the Racecourse Ground, is a cricket

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 Derby

Derby

Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...

 and has been the home of Derbyshire County Cricket Club

Derbyshire County Cricket Club

Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...

 since at least 1871. As the name implies it originally hosted horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

.

It also held the games of Derby County Football Club

Derby County F.C.

Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 until their move to the Baseball Ground

Baseball Ground

The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 1997. It was commonly referred to as the "BBG".As the name suggests, the stadium was...

 in 1895. The first 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...

 final outside London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 was held at the ground in 1886

1886 FA Cup Final

The 1886 FA Cup Final was contested by Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion at the Kennington Oval. The match finished goalless, Albion wanted to play extra time but Blackburn Rovers declined, meaning a replay was necessary....

 when Blackburn Rovers

Blackburn Rovers F.C.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....

 beat West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion F.C.

West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...

 2-0 in a replay. England

England national football team

The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...

 played one football international here, beating Ireland 9-0 in the British Home Championship

1895 British Home Championship

The 1895 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by England, who like second placed Wales, did not loose a game. Wales however failed to win one either, scoring three draws and so finishing behind England....

 on March 9, 1895.

The playing area used to feature pitches laid on an east-west axis. Most first-class grounds feature pitches laid north-south to avoid problems with the light from the setting sun. Derbyshire re-laid the pitch on a north-south axis over the 2009/10 winter at a cost of £100,000, ready for the 2010 season

2010 English cricket season

-External links:* from Cricinfo...

. This involved moving some of the floodlights and the electronic scoreboard to suit the new alignment.

In early 2010 a large new 1,800 seat stand was erected at the North end (Racecourse) of the ground, which opened in May. A new marquee was also built next to the media centre which is used for private functions and entertainment during match days.