County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford

History

Essex's first match at the ground took place in June 1925 against Oxford University. and their first County Championship game at Chelmsford was against Somerset in 1926. When the club left its headquarters at Leyton Cricket Ground at the end of the 1933 season they began a period of playing games at various venues around the county, with a week allocated to each. Chelmsford was given two weeks a season but poor attendances led to Essex ceasing to play at the ground after 1956. In 1966 the club purchased the Chelmsford ground for £15,000, with some financial assistance from Warwickshire's Supporters Association, and the ground became Essex's headquarters with home matches returning there from the 1967 season. The pavilion was opened during the 1970 season and the permanent scoreboard at the ground was constructed in 1981.

In April 2024, Essex Cricket renamed the two bowling ends of the ground after former players Sir Alastair Cook and Graham Gooch. The River End was renamed to the Sir Alastair Cook End, and the Hayes Close End to the Graham Gooch End.

Domestic cricket

Chelmsford is a small ground, and is notoriously difficult to defend a total at in limited overs cricket, demonstrated by the fact that no side has ever defended a score of under 170 in T20 cricket here. Former Essex and England batsman Graham Gooch scored most of his first-class runs there. Graham Napier scored 152 off 58 balls (16 sixes and 10 fours) in a Twenty20 match v Sussex at the ground. The success of Essex County Cricket Club in the shorter versions of the game between 2005 and 2008 led to the attraction of many new fans. Eventually the ground was regularly selling out in Twenty20 and Friends Provident Trophy games.

The Ford Motor Company had naming rights for the ground for between 2005 and 2013. From 2017 to 2019 the naming rights to the stadium were bought by Cloudfm and the ground was known as the Cloudfm County Ground. The large amount of passionate support Essex receive at this ground has led to it being popularly referred to as 'Fortress Chelmsford'.

International cricket

, the venue has hosted six men's One Day International (ODI) matches. The first ODI was played between Australia and India during the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the most recent ODI match was played between Ireland and Bangladesh during the Bangladeshi cricket team against Ireland in England in 2023 series in May 2023, as part of the 2020–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.

ODI records

• Highest total: 320/7 (by ), against , 12 May 2023
• Lowest total: 116 (by ), against , 17 May 1999
• Highest score: 140 by Harry Tector (), against , 12 May 2023
• Best bowling: 4/20 by Madan Lal (), against , 20 Jun 1983
• Most runs: Harry Tector () - 206 (3 innings)
• Most wickets: Mark Adair () - 7 (3 innings)

List of One Day International centuries

Two ODI centuries have been scored at Chelmsford.

Ground redevelopment since 2010

New development to the ground include the building of new apartment blocks, the construction of a new cricket school, public square and an access bridge from the Chelmsford town centre side of the ground. In 2019 the ground's floodlights were replaced by larger, square floodlights.

References

Sources

References

1. "County Ground". ESPNcricinfo.
2. (1971). "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. 1971". Sporting Handbooks.
3. "Essex rename stands in honour of Gooch and Cook". BBC Sport.
4. (2021-05-27). "What's a winning score on this pitch?".
5. (24 June 2008). "Awesome Napier shatters records". BBC Sport.
6. (17 March 2005). "Essex rename ground with sponsors". BBC Sport.
7. Arnold, David. (17 January 2013). "Essex keen to sell name of stadium". This is total Essex.
8. "Cloudfm 'declares' new sponsorship deal with Essex Cricket {{!}} Cloudfm Group".
9. Long, James. (21 May 2012). "Eagle Extras: Just how big are Essex?". [[Eastern Daily Press]].
10. (17 March 2023). "Ireland to host India for three T20Is in August". ESPNcricinfo.
11. "Ireland vs Bangladesh, 2nd ODI at Chelmsford, May 12 2023 - Full Scorecard".
12. (14 January 2013). "Essex County Cricket Club signs ground redevelopment deal". BBC News.