Rose Bowl (cricket ground) facts for kids
| Utilita Bowl | |||||||||
The pavilion flanked by the Colin Ingleby-MacKenzie and Shane Warne Stands
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| Ground information | |||||||||
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| Location | West End, Hampshire SO30 3XH | ||||||||
| Coordinates | 50°55′26″N 1°19′19″W / 50.9240°N 1.3219°W | ||||||||
| Establishment | 2001 | ||||||||
| Capacity | 15,000 (25,000 with temporary seating) | ||||||||
| Owner | RB Sport & Leisure Holdings plc | ||||||||
| End names | |||||||||
Northern End Pavilion End |
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| International information | |||||||||
| First Test | 16–20 June 2011: England v  Sri Lanka |
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| Last Test | 19–23 June 2021: India v  New Zealand |
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| First ODI | 10 July 2003: South Africa v  Zimbabwe |
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| Last ODI | 10 September 2023: England v New Zealand |
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| First T20I | 13 July 2005: England v  Australia |
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| Last T20I | 10 June 2025: England v  West Indies |
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| First WODI | 24 August 2006: England v India |
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| Last WODI | 16 July 2025: England v India |
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| First WT20I | 1 July 2010: England v New Zealand |
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| Last WT20I | 6 July 2024: England v New Zealand |
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| Team information | |||||||||
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| As of 6 July 2024 Source: ESPN Cricinfo |
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The Utilita Bowl is a famous cricket stadium and hotel complex in West End, Hampshire, England. It used to be known as the Rose Bowl. This stadium is the home ground for the Hampshire County Cricket Club, who have played their matches here since 2001.
The Utilita Bowl was built to replace older cricket grounds in Southampton and Portsmouth. Hampshire played their very first big match here in May 2001 and won! Since then, it has hosted many exciting international cricket games. These include One Day Internationals, Twenty20 Internationals, and important Test matches.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Utilita Bowl was one of only two special "biosecure" venues in England. This meant players could stay safe while playing international matches. The stadium also hosted the first-ever final of the World Test Championship in 2021, where New Zealand beat India.
To become a top international venue, the stadium got a big upgrade starting in 2008. New stands were built to hold more fans, and a fancy four-star Hilton Hotel was added in 2015. This hotel even overlooks the cricket field!
Contents
History of the Cricket Ground
How the Stadium Started
Before the Utilita Bowl, Hampshire County Cricket Club played at a ground called Northlands Road in Southampton. That old ground was too small and couldn't be made bigger. Hampshire wanted a new, modern stadium that could host big international games.
So, they chose a new spot in West End, near a motorway and some woods. A famous architect named Sir Michael Hopkins designed the stadium. He made the main building, called the pavilion, with a cool tent-like roof. Building started in 1997, and it cost about £20 million to finish the first part by 2001. The club's future was saved by a new chairman, Rod Bransgrove.
The stadium is built into a gentle hill, making it look like a natural bowl. It was first named "The Rose Bowl" because of the club's rose logo and its bowl shape.
Exciting Early Matches
The first official match at the ground was in May 2001. Hampshire won their first big match there against Worcestershire. Soon after, the stadium was given permission to host One Day International (ODI) matches starting in 2004. The main pavilion was finished in 2002. It was special because it had jacuzzis in the players' changing rooms!
In 2003, the Utilita Bowl hosted one of the very first Twenty20 matches ever played. Later that year, it held its first ODI game between South Africa and Zimbabwe. Everyone thought it was a huge success.
The stadium hosted five ODI matches during the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy. During this tournament, some amazing records were set. India scored 290 runs, which is still the highest ODI score there. The USA team was bowled out for only 65 runs, the lowest score. Also, Mervyn Dillon took 5 wickets for only 29 runs, which is the best bowling performance.
In 2005, England played their first-ever Twenty20 International (T20I) match against Australia at the Utilita Bowl. England won that game by 100 runs! Before the big upgrades, temporary seats were added for major matches to increase the crowd from 6,500 to 15,000 people.
In the early years, the cricket pitches at the ground were tricky for batsmen. They often helped bowlers take many wickets. For example, in 2001, Alan Mullally took 8 wickets for 90 runs, which is still the best bowling in a single innings at the ground. But as the pitches improved, batsmen started scoring more runs. In 2005, Hampshire scored a massive 714 runs, and John Crawley made an incredible 311 runs by himself! These are still the highest team and individual scores at the venue.
Growing Bigger and Better
Hampshire wanted the stadium to host even bigger games, like Test cricket. To make this happen, they planned a huge £35 million upgrade. This included building new roads, making the stadium bigger, and adding a hotel. The cost later went up to £45 million.
These plans helped the Utilita Bowl get permission to host its first Test match in 2011, between England and Sri Lanka. The upgrades faced some challenges, including delays and legal issues with the hotel construction.
Despite the problems, the stadium was voted "Best International Ground" by fans in 2010. The first Test match in June 2011 ended in a draw because of rain. But Ian Bell and Kumar Sangakkara scored the first Test centuries there, and Chris Tremlett took the first "five-wicket haul" (meaning he got five wickets in one innings).
In 2012, the club faced financial difficulties. To help, the land lease was sold to the local council, and more money was invested. The hotel, which was put on hold, finally got the green light and opened in 2015.
On August 29, 2013, Australian player Aaron Finch set a new world record for Twenty20 international cricket at the Utilita Bowl. He scored an amazing 156 runs off just 63 balls, including 14 sixes! This was the highest score ever in a T20 International at the time.
New Names for the Stadium
In 2012, the cricket club signed a deal with an insurance company called Ageas. The stadium was then officially known as the "Ageas Bowl" for many years. This partnership ended in 2023.
In January 2024, a new deal was announced with Utilita Energy. So, the stadium is now officially called the Utilita Bowl.
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What You Can Find Here
The Utilita Bowl is more than just a cricket ground! It has a lot of other cool facilities:
- Nursery Ground: Next to the main stadium is a smaller cricket field. It's used for practice matches and games for younger players. It even has its own pavilion named after a famous coach, Arthur Holt.
- Rod Bransgrove Pavilion: This is the main building. It has changing rooms for players, special rooms for club members, and a restaurant.
- Cricket Academy: This academy has six indoor cricket nets. It's used by professional teams, young players, and even the public can book it to practice their cricket skills. It's considered one of the best academies outside of Lord's Cricket Ground.
- New Stands: The two big stands on either side of the pavilion have food and drink areas. They also have a club shop and rooms for conferences or events. These stands are named after two popular Hampshire captains: Colin Ingleby-MacKenzie and Shane Warne.
- Boundary Lakes Golf Club: Opened in 2017, this is an 18-hole golf course right next to the stadium. The golf shop is inside the Hilton Hotel.
- Health Club: There's also a David Lloyd health club on site.
The Utilita Bowl also hosts other fun events. Every November, it puts on one of the biggest fireworks displays on the South Coast. It's also a popular place for big music concerts. Famous bands and singers like Oasis, Billy Joel, the Who, Neil Diamond, R.E.M., Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams, Little Mix, and Arctic Monkeys have all performed here.
Amazing Cricket Records
The Utilita Bowl has seen many incredible moments in cricket history. Here are some of the top records:
Test Match Records
- Highest Team Score: England scored a massive 583 runs against Pakistan in 2020.
- Lowest Team Score: India was bowled out for 170 runs against New Zealand in 2021.
- Most Runs in One Game: Zak Crawley scored an amazing 267 runs for England against Pakistan in 2020.
- Best Bowling: Jason Holder took 6 wickets for only 42 runs for West Indies against England in 2020.
One-Day International Records
- Highest Team Score: England scored 373 runs against Pakistan in 2019.
- Lowest Team Score: The USA team was bowled out for just 65 runs against Australia in 2004.
- Most Runs in One Game: Martin Guptill scored an unbeaten 189 runs for New Zealand against England in 2013.
- Best Bowling: Mervyn Dillon (West Indies) and Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) both took 5 wickets for 29 runs.
Twenty20 International Records
- Highest Team Score: Australia scored 248 runs against England in 2013.
- Lowest Team Score: Australia was bowled out for 79 runs against England in 2005.
- Most Runs in One Game: Aaron Finch scored a record-breaking 156 runs for Australia against England in 2013.
- Best Bowling: Paul Collingwood took 4 wickets for 22 runs for England against Australia in 2005.
Domestic Cricket Records
These are records from matches played by county teams at the Utilita Bowl:
- Highest First-Class Team Score: Hampshire scored 714 runs against Nottinghamshire in 2005.
- Most Runs in a First-Class Game: John Crawley scored an unbeaten 311 runs for Hampshire in 2005.
- Best First-Class Bowling: Alan Mullally took 8 wickets for 90 runs for Hampshire in 2001.
- Highest List A Team Score: Gloucestershire scored 350 runs against Hampshire in 2008.
- Highest Twenty20 Team Score: Hampshire scored 225 runs against Middlesex in 2006.
- Most Runs in a Twenty20 Game: Michael Lumb scored an unbeaten 124 runs for Hampshire in 2009.
Images for kids
Before redevelopment
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View from the Pavilion End, looking toward the Northern End of the ground. -
Main pavilion at the Rose Bowl. The England team are taking to the field in a friendly match against Hampshire. -
Another view of the pavilion. -
Nursery Ground.
After redevelopment
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The pavilion, with seating section removed. -
The East Stand. Top right of the stand is the Shaun Udal suite. -
The new West Stand. Top left of the stand is the Shane Warne suite. -
The new East Stand under floodlights during an England v Australia ODI in 2010. -
Similar view of the East Stand, in the foreground Eoin Morgan has just brought up his century with the winning runs. -
The Hilton Hotel under construction in May 2013.
See also
- List of Hampshire County Cricket Club grounds
- List of cricket grounds in England and Wales
- List of Test cricket grounds
