Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club plays at the famous Rose Bowl stadium in West End near Southampton. The team is known as the Hampshire Hawks and has featured many famous players in its time.
History
Early Beginnings
Cricket began in Hampshire in the 18th Century with the famous Hambledon Cricket Club. The origins of this club have been lost so there are no records of cricket in Hampshire before 1756. This club dominated British domestic cricket until the formation of the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1787.
The Hambledon club ceased to exist some time near the end of the 18th Century and things were quiet on the cricketing front in Hampshire until the mid 19th Century, when some smaller matches took place between 1842 and 1845.
Foundation and Early Years
Hampshire County Cricket Club was founded on 12th August 1863. The team played its first match against Sussex at the Antelope Ground in Southampton in August 1864 and contended for the Champion County title that same year.
By 1886, however, Hampshire CCC was no longer a first-class club, although it did play some matches against Sussex and Surrey. The club did not regain first-class status until 1895 when it was admitted to the County Championship.
Hampshire CCC failed to notch up any significant scores before the First World War although they did sign the fantastic Phil Mead, who still holds the club record for the highest number of runs scored in an individual career.
An Average Club with Brilliant Individuals
The club's attack was spearheaded by fast-medium bowlers Alec Kennedy and Jack Newman who both completed the double (achieving 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in a single season) on five occasions.
Hampshire's fortunes were also improved by the introduction of Lionel Tennyson, grandson of the poet laureate Lord Alfred Tennyson. Tennyson soon became captain of the team, and famously dismissed Jack Newman in 1922 after the bowler had kicked the stumps down in anger.
It was Mead who still dominated Hampshire's batting and he notched up a total of 138 hundreds. The individual scoring record was set by Dick Moore in 1937 against Worcestershire at Bournemouth.
He notched up 43 fours and 3 sixes in the space of just 380 minutes, giving him a total score of 316. Despite these players' continued fantastic performances, Hampshire still remained distinctly average until Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie took over the captaincy in 1958.
Improved Fortunes
Hampshire CCC finished second in the Championship at the end of Ingleby-Mackenzie's first year as skipper. They went on to take their first title in 1961.
The club continued to bloom throughout the 1970s with the introduction of West Indies players Gordon Greenidge and Andy Roberts, as well as the British Barry Richards. Hampshire won the County Championship again in 1973 and the Sunday League trophy twice in both 1975 and 1978.
Troubled Times
Throughout the 80s and 90s Hampshire's play suffered greatly and, except for some one-day titles, they failed to notch up any memorable scores.
It was not until 2000, when Rod Bransgrove arrived as chairman, that things began to take a turn for the better. He introduced major players such as Kevin Pietersen, Shane Warne and John Crawley, which improved Hampshire's reputation.
Under Bransgrove Hampshire County Cricket Club stormed to victory in the C&G Trophy in 2005 and they have remained a force to be reckoned with in the Championship ever since.
The Ground
From 1885 to 2001 all Hampshire County Cricket matches were held at the County Ground in Southampton, which had a 7,000 person capacity. Then in 2001 the team moved to a newly built headquarters called the Rose Bowl.
This new stadium has a capacity of 6,500, and 20,000 for Internationals. It is one of two stadiums built recently that house a county team, along with Durham's headquarters at Chester-le-Street. Plans have been announced to increase the capacity to 25,000 with the construction of two stands on either side of the pavilion. In 2006 the Rose Bowl was given provisional test cricket venue status, which means the ground could host its first test match as early as 2010.
Famous Players
Phil Mead (left-hand bat, slow left-arm orthodox bowler) played for Hampshire and England from 1905 to 1936. He also played for Southampton F.C. for one season in 1907. He still holds the record for the highest number of first-class runs for the club with 48,892 runs.
Kevin Pietersen (right-hand bat, off-spin bowler) has represented Hampshire since 2005. However, because of his regular commitments with the England team, he is only able to play for Hampshire at the discretion of the national coach.
Derek Shackleton (right-hand bat, right-arm medium bowler) played for Hampshire and England from 1948 to 1968. He took 100 wickets in 20 consecutive seasons for the county. He still holds the record for the most first-class wickets taken for Hampshire with a figure of 2,669.
Shane Warne (right-hand bat, right-arm leg-spin bowler) has represented Hampshire since 2000 and is currently captain of the team. He is famous as one of the world's most formidable bowlers. He has taken over 1,000 wickets internationally and scored over 3,000 test runs without ever scoring a century. Warne continues to play club cricket but retired from the international game in January 2007. He retired from Hampshire in March of 2008 due to family commitments.
The Team (2008)
| Name | Nationality | Role | International Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Adams | English | Left-hand bat/ Left-arm medium bowler | - |
| Chris Bentham | English | Right-hand bat/ Off-spin bowler | - |
| Michael Brown | English | Right-hand bat/ Off-spin bowler | - |
| Michael Carberry | English | Left-hand bat/ Off-spin bowler | England 'A' player |
| John Crawley | English | Right-hand bat/ Right-arm medium bowler | - |
| Kevin Latouf | English | Right-hand bat/ Right-arm medium bowler | - |
| Michael Lumb | English | Left-hand bat/ Right-arm medium bowler | - |
| Kevin Pieterson | English | Right-hand bat/ Off-spin bowler | England Regular |
| Name | Nationality | Role | International Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Ervine | South African | Left-hand bat/ Right-arm medium bowler | Kolpak player |
| Greg Lamb | South African | Right-hand bat/ Right-arm medium off-spin bowler | - |
| Dimitri Mascarenhas | English | Right-hand bat/ Right-arm medium bowler | England ODI Player |
| Name | Nationality | Role | International Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Burrows | English | Right-hand bat | - |
| Nic Pothas | South African | Right-hand bat | EU National |
| Name | Nationality | Role | International Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Balcombe | English | Right-arm fast-medium bowler/ Right-hand bat | - |
| Shane Bond | New Zealander | Right-arm fast bowler/ Right-hand bat | New Zealand Regular |
| David Griffiths | English | Right-arm fast-medium bowler/ Left-hand bat | - |
| Billy Taylor | English | Right-arm fast-medium bowler/ Left-hand bat | - |
| Chris Tremlett | English | Right-arm medium-fast bowler/ Right-hand bat | England player |
| James Tomlinson | English | Left-arm medium bowler/ Left-hand bat | - |
| Shane Warne (C) | Australian | Leg-spin bowler/ Right-hand bat | Australia Regular |
Honours
First XI
County Championship - 1961, 1973
Gillette/Natwest/C&G/Friends Provident Trophy - 1991, 2005
Sunday/National League - 1975, 1978, 1986
Benson & Hedges Cup - 1988, 1992
Second XI
Second XI Championship - 1967, 1971, 1981, 1995, 2001
Second XI Trophy - 2003
Records
Highest Win - 714-5 declared v Nottinghamshire (2005)
Highest Batting Score - 316, scored by R.H. Moore v Worcestershire (1935)
Most Runs in a Season - 2,845, scored by C.P. Mead (1928)
Best Bowling - 9-25 R.M.H. Cotton v Lancashire (1965)
Best Match Bowling - 16-88 J.A. Newman v Somerset (1927)
Highest number of wickets in a Season - 190 taken by A.S. Kennedy (1922)
Most first-class runs for Hampshire - 48,892 scored by C.P. Mead (1905-1936)
Most first-class wickets for Hampshire - 2,669 taken by Derek Shackleton (1948-1969)
Tickets
Hampshire offers annual membership with discounts for students, children and the over-60s.
- Full Adult: £150
- Full Senior: £140
- Country Adult(Living outside of Hampshire or the Isle of Wight): £140
- Country Senior: £130
- Student: £105
- Young Person 16-18: £55
- Junior Hawks (under 16): £25
- Family (2 adults, 2 children under 16): £320
For information on Twenty20 finals tickets visit the official Hampshire CCC website
Access
The home of Hampshire cricket, the Rose Bowl, is easily accessible by car, train and bus.
By car
From the North take the M3 Southbound to Junction 14 and follow signs for the M27 East towards Fareham and Portsmouth. Turn off at Junction 7 and follow the brown signs for the Rose Bowl.
From the East or West turn off the M27 at Junction 7 and follow signs to the Rose Bowl.
By train
The nearest train stations are Southampton Parkway and Hedge End. Trains for Southampton Parkway leave regularly from London Waterloo destined for Bournemouth and Weymouth. From here it's a short bus ride to the Rose Bowl.
Trains for Hedge End leave from Portsmouth, Winchester and Basingstoke. The Rose Bowl is a short taxi ride or a two mile walk from Hedge End station.
By bus
Buses run regularly from Southampton Railway Station and Southampton City Centre (Vincents Walk); use the First Southampton service 8a to get to the Rose Bowl.
Contact Information
Postal Address
The Rose Bowl
Botley Road
West End
Southampton
Hampshire
SO30 3XH
Telephone
023 8047 2002
Fax
023 8047 2122
Email
enquiries@rosebowlplc.com
Website
www.rosebowlplc.com/home