Sophia Gardens (cricket ground) facts for kids
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The Discover Leeks Pavilion
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| Ground information | |
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| Location | Cardiff, Wales |
| Coordinates | 51°29′14″N 3°11′29″W / 51.48722°N 3.19139°W |
| Capacity | 15,643 |
| Owner | Cardiff City Council |
| Architect | HLN Architects |
| End names | |
River Taff End  Cathedral Road End |
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| International information | |
| First Test | 8–12 July 2009: England v Australia |
| Last Test | 8–11 July 2015: England v Australia |
| First ODI | 20 May 1999: Australia v New Zealand |
| Last ODI | 15 June 2019: South Africa v Afghanistan |
| First T20I | 5 September 2010: England v Pakistan |
| Last T20I | 5 May 2019: England v Pakistan |
| Domestic team information | |
| Glamorgan (1967–present) Welsh Fire (2019–present) |
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The Cardiff Wales Stadium, also known as Sophia Gardens Cardiff (Welsh: Gerddi Soffia Caerdydd), is a famous cricket stadium. It is located in Cardiff, Wales, right by the River Taff. This stadium is the home ground for Glamorgan County Cricket Club. It is also a special place because it hosts international Test cricket matches.
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Home of Glamorgan Cricket
Sophia Gardens has been the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club since May 24, 1967. Before this, the club played its matches at Cardiff Arms Park. The club moved here to have its own dedicated cricket ground.
Hosting International Matches
Sophia Gardens first hosted an international cricket match on May 20, 1999. This was a 1999 Cricket World Cup game between Australia and New Zealand.
One Day International Games
From 2001 to 2012, the stadium regularly hosted One Day International (ODI) matches. It held nine ODI games during this time. The first time the England played here was on August 30, 2006, against Pakistan.
In 2012, Sophia Gardens was chosen as one of three venues for the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. It hosted five matches, including the opening game between India and South Africa. It also hosted a semi-final match between India and Sri Lanka.
Twenty20 International Games
The stadium has also hosted Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. In September 2010, it held two T20I games between England and Pakistan. It continued to host T20I matches, including one against Australia in August 2015.
Test Cricket History
On April 11, 2008, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that Sophia Gardens would host major Test matches. Its very first Test match was on July 8, 2009. This was the opening game of an Ashes series between England and Australia. This made Sophia Gardens the 100th stadium to host a Test match.
The ground was also chosen to host the first Test of the 2015 Ashes series.
Cricket World Cup Matches
Sophia Gardens was one of the 11 stadiums chosen for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. It hosted four group matches during this big international tournament.
