Sonning Lane
Encyclopedia
Sonning Lane is a cricket
and hockey
ground in Reading
, Berkshire
, England
, near the village of Sonning
. It is located in a road called Sonning Lane leading between the A4 road
and the village, hence the name.
The home of Reading Cricket Club, in 1988 Berkshire
played Cornwall
in the grounds' first Minor Counties Championship match, and the county side has continued to play there regularly since. This has also brought List-A cricket to the ground, starting with Berkshire's participation in the 1991 NatWest Trophy
. There have been no further List-A games since 2005.
The ground is also the home of Reading Hockey Club
whose men's and women's first teams play in the respective premier divisions of the English Hockey League
. The ground has also hosted several men's and women's international matches.
. From 1988 to the present day, the ground has played host to 21 Minor Counties Championship matches, starting with Berkshire
playing Cornwall
on 31 July 1988.
The first List-A match played on the ground came in the 1991 NatWest Trophy
between Berkshire and Hampshire
. From 1991 to 2005, the ground hosted 6 List-A matches, with the final List-A match played at the ground between Berkshire and Gloucestershire
in the 2005 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
.
In 1993, the ground played host to a match between the England women's cricket team and the Ireland women's cricket team in 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup
.
is also based on the ground, with matches now generally played on an artificial turf
pitch. The club maintains a number of men's, women's and junior sides with both the men's and women's first teams competing in the respective premier divisions of the English Hockey League
for the 2010–11 season. The hockey pitch has also hosted a number of international matches, with England men
, England women and Great Britain men all having played there.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
ground in Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England
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...
, near the village of Sonning
Sonning
Sonning, occasionally called Sonning-on-Thames is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire, a few miles east of Reading. The village is situated on the River Thames and was described by Jerome K...
. It is located in a road called Sonning Lane leading between the A4 road
A4 road
The A4 is a major road in England, portions of which are known as the Great West Road and Bath Road. It runs from London to Avonmouth, near Bristol. Historically the road was the main route from London to the west of England, and has formed the second main western artery from London, after...
and the village, hence the name.
The home of Reading Cricket Club, in 1988 Berkshire
Berkshire County Cricket Club
Berkshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Berkshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and MCCA Knockout Trophy....
played Cornwall
Cornwall County Cricket Club
Cornwall County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cornwall and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in the grounds' first Minor Counties Championship match, and the county side has continued to play there regularly since. This has also brought List-A cricket to the ground, starting with Berkshire's participation in the 1991 NatWest Trophy
1991 NatWest Trophy
The 1991 NatWest Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between 26 June and 7 September 1991. The competition was won by Hampshire who beat Surrey by 4 wickets at Lord's.-Format:...
. There have been no further List-A games since 2005.
The ground is also the home of Reading Hockey Club
Reading Hockey Club
Reading Hockey Club is a field hockey club based at Sonning Lane in the English town of Reading.It is presently one of the most successful clubs in the United Kingdom with National League and Cup honours....
whose men's and women's first teams play in the respective premier divisions of the English Hockey League
English Hockey League
The English Hockey League is a national hockey league run by England Hockey. It is currently sponsored by Slazenger and known as the Slazenger England Hockey League or EHL...
. The ground has also hosted several men's and women's international matches.
Cricket
In local domestic cricket, Sonning Lane is the home ground of Reading Cricket Club who play in the Home Counties Premier Cricket LeagueHome Counties Premier Cricket League
The Home Counties Premier Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in the Home Counties of England, and since 2000 has been a designated ECB Premier League...
. From 1988 to the present day, the ground has played host to 21 Minor Counties Championship matches, starting with Berkshire
Berkshire County Cricket Club
Berkshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Berkshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and MCCA Knockout Trophy....
playing Cornwall
Cornwall County Cricket Club
Cornwall County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cornwall and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
on 31 July 1988.
The first List-A match played on the ground came in the 1991 NatWest Trophy
1991 NatWest Trophy
The 1991 NatWest Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between 26 June and 7 September 1991. The competition was won by Hampshire who beat Surrey by 4 wickets at Lord's.-Format:...
between Berkshire and Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
. From 1991 to 2005, the ground hosted 6 List-A matches, with the final List-A match played at the ground between Berkshire and Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
in the 2005 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
2005 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy
The 2005 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy was the 4th Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, an English county cricket tournament, held between 3 May and 3 September 2005. The competition was contested by all 18 first-class counties, as well as 10 minor counties and the national teams of Scotland, Ireland,...
.
In 1993, the ground played host to a match between the England women's cricket team and the Ireland women's cricket team in 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup
1993 Women's Cricket World Cup
The 1993 Women's Cricket World Cup was held in England. Teams from Australia, England, India, Ireland,New Zealand, Denmark, the Netherlands and the West Indies took part in a round robin format with the top two teams contesting the final. New Zealand won all 7 of their matches to top the table,...
.
Hockey
Reading Hockey ClubReading Hockey Club
Reading Hockey Club is a field hockey club based at Sonning Lane in the English town of Reading.It is presently one of the most successful clubs in the United Kingdom with National League and Cup honours....
is also based on the ground, with matches now generally played on an artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
pitch. The club maintains a number of men's, women's and junior sides with both the men's and women's first teams competing in the respective premier divisions of the English Hockey League
English Hockey League
The English Hockey League is a national hockey league run by England Hockey. It is currently sponsored by Slazenger and known as the Slazenger England Hockey League or EHL...
for the 2010–11 season. The hockey pitch has also hosted a number of international matches, with England men
England national field hockey team
The England national field hockey team represents England in international field hockey. The team finished in fifth-place in the 2006 Men's Hockey World Cup in Mönchengladbach, Germany....
, England women and Great Britain men all having played there.
External links
- Sonning Lane on CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Sonning Lane on CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...