Stradey Park Cricket Ground
Encyclopedia
Stradey Park is a cricket
ground in Llanelli
, Carmarthenshire
. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1861, when Carmarthenshire played Glamorganshire.
A venue of Llanelli Cricket Club since the 1870's, Stradey Park Rugby Stadium
, which adjoins the cricket ground was selected as part of the 1887 Home Nations Championship
, with the opening home match for Wales
being against England
. The game was arranged for the 8 January and a temporary stand was erected to allow a seating area so the club could charge higher ticket prices; but on the day the English team refused to play on the ground as the pitch was frozen. The cricket ground being in better condition was pulled into action, so the match was moved there along with the entire crowd of 8,000, many members of which were extremely unhappy as they lost their seating area.
The ground was first used for a Minor Counties Championship match when Carmarthenshire
played Monmouthshire
in 1908. From 1908 to 1911, the ground hosted 13 Minor Counties Championship matches, with the final Minor Counties Championship fixture Carmarthenshire played on the ground coming against Buckinghamshire
.
The ground was first used for first-class
matches in 1933, when Glamorgan
played Worcestershire
in the County Championship
. From 1933 to 1965, the ground hosted 23 first-class matches, the last of which was between Glamorgan and Essex
. County Championship cricket at the ground ended in 1965 when Glamorgan opted to concentrate their western fixtures on Swansea and Neath. Glamorgan later returned to the ground, in the capacity to play List-A matches. The first List-A match on the ground saw Glamorgan play Leicestershire
in the 1988 Refuge Assurance League. From 1988 to 1993, the ground held 5 List-A matches, with the final List-A match seeing Glamorgan play Sussex
in the 1993 AXA Equity and Law League.
The ground was used in 1991 by Wales Minor Counties
when they played Oxfordshire
in the Minor Counties Championship. In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Llanelli Cricket Club.
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 Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1861, when Carmarthenshire played Glamorganshire.
A venue of Llanelli Cricket Club since the 1870's, Stradey Park Rugby Stadium
Stradey Park
Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800...
, which adjoins the cricket ground was selected as part of the 1887 Home Nations Championship
1887 Home Nations Championship
The 1887 Home Nations Championship was the fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 8 January and 12 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales....
, with the opening home match for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
being against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. The game was arranged for the 8 January and a temporary stand was erected to allow a seating area so the club could charge higher ticket prices; but on the day the English team refused to play on the ground as the pitch was frozen. The cricket ground being in better condition was pulled into action, so the match was moved there along with the entire crowd of 8,000, many members of which were extremely unhappy as they lost their seating area.
The ground was first used for a Minor Counties Championship match when Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire County Cricket Club
Carmarthenshire County Cricket Club was a county cricket club based in the historic Welsh county of Carmarthenshire that competed in the Minor Counties championship from 1908 to 1911, without success...
played Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire County Cricket Club
Monmouthshire County Cricket Club was a cricket team that represented the county of Monmouthshire in the Minor Counties Championship competition from 1901 to 1934....
in 1908. From 1908 to 1911, the ground hosted 13 Minor Counties Championship matches, with the final Minor Counties Championship fixture Carmarthenshire played on the ground coming against Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire 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 Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
.
The ground was first used for 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...
matches in 1933, when Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
played Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire...
in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. From 1933 to 1965, the ground hosted 23 first-class matches, the last of which was between Glamorgan and 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...
. County Championship cricket at the ground ended in 1965 when Glamorgan opted to concentrate their western fixtures on Swansea and Neath. Glamorgan later returned to the ground, in the capacity to play List-A matches. The first List-A match on the ground saw Glamorgan play 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 the 1988 Refuge Assurance League. From 1988 to 1993, the ground held 5 List-A matches, with the final List-A match seeing Glamorgan play Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
in the 1993 AXA Equity and Law League.
The ground was used in 1991 by Wales Minor Counties
Wales Minor Counties Cricket Club
Wales Minor Counties Cricket Club, representing the historic counties of Wales except Glamorgan is currently the only non-English member of the Minor Counties Championship in the England and Wales domestic cricket structure....
when they played Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire County Cricket Club
Oxfordshire 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 Oxfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in the Minor Counties Championship. In local domestic cricket, the ground is the home venue of Llanelli Cricket Club.
External links
- Stradey Park 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...
- Stradey Park 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...