Bristol County Ground facts for kids
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| Ground information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ashley Down, Bristol |
| Coordinates | 51°28′38.01″N 2°35′02.96″W / 51.4772250°N 2.5841556°W |
| Establishment | 1889 |
| Capacity | 8,000 17,500 for internationals |
| End names | |
Ashley Down Road End  Bristol Pavilion End |
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| International information | |
| First ODI | 13 June 1983: New Zealand v Sri Lanka |
| Last ODI | 26 September 2023: England v Ireland |
| First T20I | 28 August 2006: England v Pakistan |
| Last T20I | 27 July 2022: England v South Africa |
| Domestic team information | |
| Gloucestershire (1889 – present) | |
The Bristol County Ground is a famous place for playing cricket in Bristol, England. It's also known as Nevil Road or, for now, the Seat Unique Stadium because of sponsorship. This stadium is the home ground for the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club.
Contents
History of the Cricket Ground
How the Ground Started
The Bristol County Ground began its life in 1889. Back then, it was called the Ashley Down Ground. A very famous cricket player named W. G. Grace bought it. Since then, it has been the home for the Gloucestershire cricket team.
Changing Names Over Time
Over the years, the ground has had a few different names!
- First, it was sold to a sweet company called J. S. Fry & Sons and became Fry's Ground.
- Later, the cricket club bought it back, and it went back to being called the Ashley Down Ground.
- In 1976, it was sold again and became the Phoenix County Ground.
- Then, it was renamed The Royal & Sun Alliance County Ground.
- Finally, the club bought it back one more time, and it got its current name, the Bristol County Ground.
Big Matches at Bristol
This ground often hosts big international cricket matches, usually one each year. To fit more fans, they add extra seats for these special games. For example, the England team has played against India and Pakistan here.
The Bristol County Ground was also chosen to host three matches during the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Sadly, two of those games couldn't be played because of bad weather. The only match that happened was between Australia and Afghanistan, which Australia won.
The cricket field here is known for having long boundaries. This means players have to hit the ball a long way to score a four or a six!
Making the Ground Better
Plans for a New Stadium
In 2009, the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club announced exciting plans to make the ground much bigger. They wanted it to hold up to 20,000 people! The main goal was to keep hosting international matches. The new design included a modern media center and special rooms for conferences. To help pay for all this, they also planned to build student homes nearby.
Building the New Features
In 2010, the local council gave permission for the new stadium plans. A year later, the club changed some of the plans. This was to make sure nearby residents were happy. The new permanent seating capacity became 7,500, but with temporary seats, it could still reach 17,500 for big games.
The changes included:
- A brand new pavilion (a main building for players and officials).
- New conference rooms.
- New stands, which meant taking down some old parts of the stadium and rebuilding others.
- They also built apartments as part of the project.
The building work started in October 2012. The new Bristol Pavilion opened in August 2013. In 2015, permanent floodlights were added. These lights are super important because they allow matches to be played in the evening, making it possible to host more international games, like those for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Getting to the Ground
It's easy to get to the Bristol County Ground by train.
- Montpelier railway station is less than 1 kilometer away.
- Larger train stations like Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway are a bit further, but still easy to reach.
- A train station called Ashley Hill used to be very close, but it closed in 1964. Good news! It's planned to reopen as Ashley Down in 2024. Construction for this new station started in March 2023.
Cricket Records at Bristol
Many amazing cricketers have scored centuries (100 runs or more) at the Bristol County Ground in different types of international matches. These include One-Day Internationals (ODIs), Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), and Women's One-Day Internationals. Some of the top players from around the world have achieved this impressive feat right here in Bristol!
