Author Topic: Re: Counties /Grounds  (Read 2552 times)

Offline Slogger

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Re: Rishi Patel
« Reply #15 on: November 24, 2020, 01:57:19 PM »
We didn't know at the time, but looking at the list, I attended the last ever games at Clacton, Colchester, Southchurch Park and Garon Park.

I always liked the Festival grounds, and regret their demise.

I think I managed the last days at Colchester, Ilford and Garon Park.

I was talking to my pal in the north east the other day and we were musing on how our current attack would get on at Garon Park. I imagine it would be absolute carnage. I'd love to see Harmer bowling on the last day at Castle Park too!

Offline essexfan548

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #16 on: November 24, 2020, 05:11:51 PM »
It's similar in othe counties isn't it?

I had a quick look at this and some grounds I've seen cricket and not used now

Kent - Dartford, Dover, Folkestone, Maidstone  -

Sussex - Hastings [old and new grounds], Eastbourne [only used for one-day matches in recent years]

Hampshire - Bournemouth, Portsmouth

Northants - Luton and Milton Keynes

Offline oldhasbeen

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Re: Re: Rishi Patel
« Reply #17 on: November 24, 2020, 05:15:11 PM »
Southend - Westcliffe (my personal favourite in my youth)

That was my favourite back in the day too. By bus, or got the train at Upminster. Still remember the day there was a fire, I think in one of the shops over the road, smoke billowing across the ground...

I saw them at 7 of the grounds on your list.
I got to Westcliffe on a chugalong train. I saw a few great days there, including one against the NZ touring side I think in 1973. I loved the sea air. I saw some one day cricket there as well. I remember the wicket was well dodgy if it got some rain on it, and we skittled out someone (Middlesex?) for 40-odd in one game.

It wasn't the only festival ground to have a dodgy wicket. Harlow produced a few absorbing low-scoring one dayers, I think Purfleet too, and I recall that on buying my first ever Essex annual handbook (1970) being shocked to discover that we'd  been bowled out for 30-odd in one CC game, against Kent, in 1969. I wasn't too cricket-savvy in those days, but I figured out why we weren't playing at Brentwood any more. I just found a report on this game, and more, at:
http://brentwoodcc.clubbuzz.co.uk/essex_v_kent_1969__old_county_ground

Makes me soggy with nostalgia for a time before I was watching cricket! (Gets out onion).

Offline Slogger

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #18 on: November 24, 2020, 05:18:22 PM »
I went to the old Southampton ground in 1973. Hants v Northants with Milburn playing for the latter with one eye. My biggest regret was not getting to Harrogate and Bradford in the mid 1990s when I lived up there. Yorkshire dropped them the next year.

Offline smandlej

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Re: Re: Rishi Patel
« Reply #19 on: November 24, 2020, 06:24:32 PM »
Southend - Westcliffe (my personal favourite in my youth)

That was my favourite back in the day too. By bus, or got the train at Upminster. Still remember the day there was a fire, I think in one of the shops over the road, smoke billowing across the ground...

I saw them at 7 of the grounds on your list.
I got to Westcliffe on a chugalong train.

I walked to Westcliff, but I did have to get the bus to Southchurch Park.

Lynda

Offline golden duck

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #20 on: November 24, 2020, 08:05:45 PM »
Essex have played at 14 different home venues, so can only assume the poster with 16 was including 2XI fixtures or similar. Still mighty impressive.

Offline Postman

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #21 on: November 24, 2020, 11:11:08 PM »
It's similar in othe counties isn't it?

I had a quick look at this and some grounds I've seen cricket and not used now

Kent - Dartford, Dover, Folkestone, Maidstone  -

Sussex - Hastings [old and new grounds], Eastbourne [only used for one-day matches in recent years]

Hampshire - Bournemouth, Portsmouth

Northants - Luton and Milton Keynes

Sad that so many of these are gone.  I can add Wellingborough School (Northants), Oakham School (Leics), Basingstoke (Hampshire), King's School Gloucester (Gloucs), Southgate (Middlesex), Whitgift (Surrey) and most recently Horsham (Sussex). The School grounds are presumably a casualty of shorter summer terms, the exception being Cheltenham which takes place in the holidays.

Offline firehazard

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Re: Re: Rishi Patel
« Reply #22 on: November 25, 2020, 09:00:16 AM »
I got to Westcliffe on a chugalong train. I saw a few great days there, including one against the NZ touring side I think in 1973...

I was there for that NZ game too. And a lot of 3-day and one-day matches there in the 70s. Remember seeing a very young Imran Khan bowling for Worcs there, looked incredibly fast but all over the place. And a young Goochie scoring a ton in the same match...

Living in Hornchurch at the time, so train from Upminster was the best way. Tried by bus a couple of times, but it took hours.

Leyton by tube and bus was always good too.

Offline Slogger

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #23 on: November 25, 2020, 09:46:26 AM »
My son played a lot as a young lad on some of the old grounds. In fact I've seen him play at more old out grounds than I've seen Essex play on! When he played at Romford I had a good poke around the pavilion which has quite a few old photos of bygone games.

Talking of school grounds, he also played water polo at Whitgift. The cricket ground looked really small, so I can well imagine how Napier hit all those sixes there in his epic innings.

Offline oldhasbeen

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #24 on: November 25, 2020, 10:42:39 AM »
My son played a lot as a young lad on some of the old grounds. In fact I've seen him play at more old out grounds than I've seen Essex play on! When he played at Romford I had a good poke around the pavilion which has quite a few old photos of bygone games.

Thanks for this Slogger. It looks unlikely that Essex will ever play at Romford, Brentwood or Valentine's Park again, but I rather fancy that post-Covid, I might drop into the pavilions in these grounds in search of photos of bygone Essex games.  Hopefully some of the pavilions may serve a decent pint for me to cry into.

I really hope we manage to put on some first team cricket away from Chelmsford after the Covid crisis is over, but IMHO it's not gonna happen without some decent sponsorship.

Offline paulcm

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #25 on: November 25, 2020, 05:37:18 PM »
Thanks to all for identifying 15 of my 16 highest-level venues.Not all were “first class”  matches obviously—many eg Hoffman’s,Purfleet were one-day matches.The Wilfred Isaac’s xi at the Carreras Ground ,Basildon was the full South African(white!!!) “Test” team,not officially welcome!
The 16th on my list featured the Essex Board playing Warwickshire in the Nat West Cup at the Billericay ground.

Offline vim

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #26 on: November 25, 2020, 08:21:02 PM »
I was discussing all the former grounds with another member and I stated that when you look back some of the grounds were right toilets. It was explained to me the reason Somerset left Weston Super Mere was cast your mind back to Ilford in the old days. It was like that and that is why Somerset left.


Offline IlfordEagle

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #27 on: November 25, 2020, 08:25:30 PM »
Some great grounds mentioned previously, I have seen Essex at Leyton, Ilford, Harlow, Purfleet, Southend (all 3) - loved Chalkwell Park & Southchurch Park, Colchester & Chelmsford. I have also seen us at Folkestone (dreadful wicket), Blackheath, Canterbury, Oval, Guildford, Whitgift School (lovely ground & saw Napes's 196), Hove, Old Southampton ground, Lords, Northampton, Wellingborough School, Fenners, Dudley, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Headingley,Leicester, Taunton, plus a couple of Club grounds & hope to attend games at a few more in future Covid permitting.

Offline vim

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #28 on: November 25, 2020, 09:08:37 PM »
At ilford against Kent a remark was made about the quality of the outfield. A Kent member said this is a bowling green compared to the ground at Blackheath. They claimed Colin Cowdrey was nearly decapiated by the ball fielding in the deep.

Offline essexfan548

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Re: Counties /Grounds
« Reply #29 on: November 25, 2020, 09:35:58 PM »
Some great grounds mentioned previously, I have seen Essex at Leyton, Ilford, Harlow, Purfleet, Southend (all 3) - loved Chalkwell Park & Southchurch Park, Colchester & Chelmsford. I have also seen us at Folkestone (dreadful wicket), Blackheath, Canterbury, Oval, Guildford, Whitgift School (lovely ground & saw Napes's 196), Hove, Old Southampton ground, Lords, Northampton, Wellingborough School, Fenners, Dudley, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Headingley,Leicester, Taunton, plus a couple of Club grounds & hope to attend games at a few more in future Covid permitting.

I can add to the ones I mentioned above and your list [minus those indicated] - I've seen Essex play at Ageas Bowl [the 2017 game where we won after following on], Cheltenham, Old Trafford, Derby, Horsham, Scarborough, Kidderminster, New Road, Bristol, Radlett, Chester-le-Street - also seen games at Cardiff, The Parks, Exmouth, Arundel - in 2020 I had planned to get to a couple of new grounds :(