Trent Bridge

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A view towards the new Radcliffe Road Stand during a Test match, August 2003

Trent Bridge is a Test cricket ground located in West Bridgford, Nottingham, England and is also the headquarters of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. The site is located very close to the main bridge over the River Trent and also close to the football stadia of Nottingham Forest and Notts County.

Trent Bridge was first used as a cricket ground in the 1830s. The first recorded cricket match was held on an area of ground behind the Trent Bridge Inn in 1838. Trent Bridge hosted its first Test match in 1899, for England playing against Australia, making it the third oldest ground to be used as a Test venue after Lord's and Eden Gardens in Calcutta.

The ground was first opened in 1841 by William Clarke, husband of the proprietress of the Trent Bridge Inn and himself Captain of the All England Cricket Team. He was commemorated in 1990 by the opening of the new William Clarke Stand which incorporates the Rushcliffe Suite. The West Park Sports Ground in West Bridgford was the private ground of Sir Julien Cahn, a furniture millionaire, who often played host to touring national sides.

In Test matches held at Trent Bridge, the highest team total is 658 for 8 declared, scored by England against Australia in 1938. The lowest team total is 88, scored by South Africa against England in 1960. Denis Compton scored 278 against Pakistan in 1954, and Bosanquet (the bowler who first developed the googly) took 8/107 for England against Australia in 1905.

Recent developments include the £7.2 million Radcliffe Road Cricket Centre, opened in 1998 and the state of the art £1.9 million Fox Road stand, which includes a modernistic aircraft-wing roof, opened in 2002, this was despite the ongoing conflict with local residents over the lack of sunlight that this would cause to their properties. Trent Bridge's serene pavilion, kept within the architectural parameters of its 1889 foundation, is thought of as one of the most renowned trademarks of cricket. Some consider the only downside to the ground to be the tower block next to the Radcliffe Road stand which was built on a plot of land sold to the council in the 1960's. Its status as a test ground is constantly under threat due to its relatively low capacity of 15,000.

Trent Bridge has missed out of hosting a test match in the next Ashes Test series in 2009.

[edit] Football

Trent Bridge has a history of hosting football matches. Notts County played their important games here from the 1860s moving permanently in 1883 when Nottingham Forest left. Games early and late in the season had to be played elsewhere due to cricket and County finally left in 1910.

It even hosted an international match, England beating Ireland 6-0 on February 20, 1897.