War Memorial Athletic Ground facts for kids
The War Memorial Athletic Ground is a cool sports place in Stourbridge, England. People often just call it the War Memorial Ground. It's super important because it's where both cricket and football games happen! It's the home field for the Stourbridge Cricket Club and the Stourbridge Football Club.
Contents
Cricket Fun at the Ground
International Matches
Did you know that big international cricket games have been played here? The War Memorial Ground hosted two ICC Trophy matches. One was in 1979 between Bermuda and Papua New Guinea. Another was in 1986, with Argentina playing against East Africa. In 1997, a special match from the Triple Crown Tournament also took place here, featuring an England Cricket Board team against Ireland.
Local Team Games
The Worcestershire County Cricket Club played many important games at this ground. They played 61 "first-class" matches, which are long, multi-day games. Most of these were between 1905 and 1962, and one more in 1981. These were all part of the County Championship, a big competition in England.
Only three "List A" games, which are shorter, one-day matches, were played here. These were in 1969, 1970, and 1982, and all involved Worcestershire. The county team also played their Second XI (reserve team) matches here until the early 1990s.
In 1911, Worcestershire had a tough game here, losing to Lancashire by a huge 372 runs. This was their biggest loss ever in terms of runs for a long time! But there was also a fantastic moment in 1909. Two players from Kent, Frank Woolley and Arthur Fielder, teamed up for an amazing 235-run partnership. This was for the 10th wicket, which means they were the last two batters left. It's still one of the highest 10th-wicket partnerships in the County Championship!
Cricket Records at the Ground
Here are some of the cool records set at the War Memorial Ground:
First-class Records
- Highest team score: 592 runs for 9 wickets by Lancashire against Worcestershire in 1909.
- Lowest team score: 43 runs by Worcestershire against Kent in 1913.
- Highest individual score: 217 runs by Frederick Bowley for Worcestershire against Leicestershire in 1905.
- Best bowling in one innings: 9 wickets for 40 runs by Reg Perks for Worcestershire against Glamorgan in 1939.
List A Records
- Highest team score: 164 runs for 9 wickets (in 40 overs) by Worcestershire against Leicestershire in 1970.
- Lowest team score: 104 runs (in 37.5 overs) by Glamorgan against Worcestershire in 1969.
- Highest individual score: 58 runs by Nigel Briers for Leicestershire against Worcestershire in 1982.
- Best bowling in one innings: 4 wickets for 24 runs by Bob Carter for Worcestershire against Leicestershire in 1970.
Football Action
The War Memorial Athletic Ground is also the proud home of Stourbridge F.C., a local football team. This ground has seen some exciting football matches too! For example, it hosted a big FA Cup match on November 7, 2009. Stourbridge played against Walsall, a team from a higher league. Stourbridge lost 0-1, but it was a thrilling game! The ground also hosted a replay match in the FA Cup on November 22, 2011, when Stourbridge played against Plymouth Argyle.
