County Ground (Bristol) – Pitch Report

WG Grace acquired the County Ground in 1889 (he lived close by) and although it has had a tumultuous history – not once but twice the county has considered departing the ground – it is still Gloucestershire’s home, and it now even hosts ODI. In 1919, the county sold the facility to Fry’s, who introduced their own groundsman before changing its name. The county reclaimed possession of the venue in 1933. In 1976 they sold it again, this time to Royal & Sun Alliance, buying it back three years later.

The venue is not lovely, but it has a rich cricket history dating back to the time spectators entered via the Grace Gates, when legendary pair Gilbert Jessop and Wally Hammond had a major impact. The ground is surrounded by trees and has an Edwardian pavilion with a sturdy foundation. Spinners will like the wicket. Conditions might be tough, as when Gloucestershire met Middlesex at College Field in 1909, when the game was finished in a single day, or when Tom Goddard took 17 wickets in a day here in 1939. In 1938, Jim Smith scored the quickest unplanned first-class fifty (11 minutes, 6 sixes, 2 fours), while Grace scored a triple century against Sussex here in 1896. Hammond matched this feat against Glamorgan during 1934.