Castle Park Cricket Ground
Encyclopedia
Castle Park Cricket Ground is an English
First-class cricket
ground in Colchester
. The ground is in Lower Castle Park, part of the land surrounding Colchester Castle
. It is used by Essex County Cricket Club
for some of their First-class cricket
matches. Essex played both County Championship
and Pro40 matches here in 2007. When the ground isn't used to stage First-class cricket matches, it is frequently used for Colchester & East Essex Cricket Club.
in the County Championship
. It was also reopened in 1914 after returning from World War I
.
Due to the River Colne
running alongside the ground, there used to be regular problems of drainage. In 1966, it was transferred, in the middle of a match, to Colchester's secondary venue, the Garrison Cricket Ground. This arrangement lasted until 1975.
became the only batsman ever, to hit a double century in each innings, scoring 244 in his first and 202 in his second.
Ken McEwan
, always a prolific scorer, hit five hundreds in four consecutive visits to Castle Park between 1981 and 1984. He surpassed himself in 1983, scoring 181 against Gloucestershire and then, in the same week, 189 against Worcestershire, on both occasions securing a comfortable victory for his adoptive county.
In 1981, after Glamorgan had secured a first innings lead, a century each from Graham Gooch
and Brian Hardie
allowed Essex to declare their second innings at 411 for 9. Undeterred at being set 325 runs in as many minutes, Javed Miandad
scored 200 and it was only when he ran out of partners, some 14 runs short of the required total, that Essex and a nervous crowd of supporters could breathe freely again.
The ground is bordered by the remains of a Roman Wall and the willow-lined River Colne
. However, this is the cause of the ground's drainage problems.
Lower Castle Park is also the only out ground in England & Wales which has hosted day/night matches.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
First-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
ground in Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
. The ground is in Lower Castle Park, part of the land surrounding Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle
Colchester Castle in Colchester, Essex is an example of a largely complete Norman castle. It is a Grade I listed building.-Construction:At one and a half times the size of the Tower of London's White Tower, Colchester's keep is the largest ever built in Britain and the largest surviving example in...
. It is used by Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
for some of their First-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches. Essex played both County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
and Pro40 matches here in 2007. When the ground isn't used to stage First-class cricket matches, it is frequently used for Colchester & East Essex Cricket Club.
History
The ground was opened in 1908 and the first match played here was on June 18, 1914 between Essex and WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
in the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
. It was also reopened in 1914 after returning from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Due to the River Colne
River Colne, Essex
The River Colne is a small river that runs through Colchester, England. It is not a tributary of any other river, instead having an estuary that joins the sea near Brightlingsea.-Source:...
running alongside the ground, there used to be regular problems of drainage. In 1966, it was transferred, in the middle of a match, to Colchester's secondary venue, the Garrison Cricket Ground. This arrangement lasted until 1975.
Notable Matches
During a county championship match between Essex and Kent at the ground in 1938, Arthur FaggArthur Fagg
Arthur Edward Fagg was an English cricketer, who played for Kent and England....
became the only batsman ever, to hit a double century in each innings, scoring 244 in his first and 202 in his second.
Ken McEwan
Ken McEwan
Kenneth Scott McEwan, born at Bedford, South Africa on 16 July 1952, was a cricketer who played principally for Eastern Province and Essex.A right-handed middle-order batsman, McEwan's cricket career coincided almost exactly with the period in which South Africa was banished from international...
, always a prolific scorer, hit five hundreds in four consecutive visits to Castle Park between 1981 and 1984. He surpassed himself in 1983, scoring 181 against Gloucestershire and then, in the same week, 189 against Worcestershire, on both occasions securing a comfortable victory for his adoptive county.
In 1981, after Glamorgan had secured a first innings lead, a century each from Graham Gooch
Graham Gooch
Graham Alan Gooch OBE DL is a former cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, he became the most prolific run scorer of all time with 67,057 runs...
and Brian Hardie
Brian Hardie
Brian Ross Hardie is a professional cricket player who played for Essex County Cricket Club and Scotland between 1970 and 1990.Born in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk, Scotland, to Fettes-educated banker Col...
allowed Essex to declare their second innings at 411 for 9. Undeterred at being set 325 runs in as many minutes, Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...
scored 200 and it was only when he ran out of partners, some 14 runs short of the required total, that Essex and a nervous crowd of supporters could breathe freely again.
Ground records
- Highest Team Total - Essex 662-7d, 1995
- Lowest Team Total - Essex 44, 1986
- Highest Individual Total - A.E. Fagg 244, 1938
- Best Bowling Figures - T.P.B. Smith 9-77, 1947
The ground is bordered by the remains of a Roman Wall and the willow-lined River Colne
River Colne, Essex
The River Colne is a small river that runs through Colchester, England. It is not a tributary of any other river, instead having an estuary that joins the sea near Brightlingsea.-Source:...
. However, this is the cause of the ground's drainage problems.
Lower Castle Park is also the only out ground in England & Wales which has hosted day/night matches.