Hampshire are planning to utilise Winchester College, one of the most famous schools in the country, as an out-ground in preference to returning to venues such as Basingstoke, Portsmouth or Arundel in Sussex, where the club played last year.
The college have provided hybrid pitches for the square on the main ground and Hampshire have been impressed with the facilities in the pavilion and the amount of space for car parking and seating.
An out-ground is needed as the expectation is that international matches will continue to be staged at Ageas Bowl, Hampshire’s headquarters, which is also used as a venue for Southern Brave, Southern Vipers and for pop concerts in addition to the club’s matches.
It is hoped the club will play again at Newclose on the Isle of Wight, where a championship match against Nottinghamshire was held in 2019, but any fixture there involves additional transportation and hotel costs.
Winchester College, founded in 1382, has staged one first-class match. In 1875 Hampshire were bowled out for 34 and 82 by Kent, losing by an innings and 217 runs, which perhaps explains why it has taken a long while for the club to return.
I hope the pitches have improved since then,” quipped Giles White, the director of cricket. Given that two batsmen who went on to captain their countries, Douglas Jardine (England) and the Nawab of Pataudi (India) were nurtured there in the 20th century, that should have occurred.
“The pitches are a little slow and of low bounce, so we are looking to inject some pace in partnership with the college,” White said.
Simon Lee, head groundsman at Ageas Bowl, has inspected the square and the club has offered to second one of his staff to the college.
Hampshire hope to play at Winchester again in two years’ time, starting with a limited-overs match and progressing to first-class level. Some of the club’s junior age group and women’s sides have already used the ground and the nets. The Academy may use the College for some ECB Southern Premier Division matches in 2022.
There is a view of the cathedral from the pavilion and the River Itchen flows at the bottom of the ground, which is centrally located and within walking distance of the train station, shops, pubs, hotels and restaurants.
“Winchester has everything,” David Mann, Hampshire’s chief executive, said. “We have not given up on Basingstoke, but the facilities and boundary lengths do not quite meet ECB’s standards and they know that. If we use an outground next year, it will be Newclose.”
Matches at Winchester would be staged in the summer holidays, as is the case at Cheltenham College, a popular outground which has survived a general culling of festival cricket in recent years. It is believed that cricket has been played at Winchester College since the 17th century and the present headmaster, Tim Hands, is keen on the game and on furthering links with Hampshire. Ivo Tennant, The Times.
The college have provided hybrid pitches for the square on the main ground and Hampshire have been impressed with the facilities in the pavilion and the amount of space for car parking and seating.
An out-ground is needed as the expectation is that international matches will continue to be staged at Ageas Bowl, Hampshire’s headquarters, which is also used as a venue for Southern Brave, Southern Vipers and for pop concerts in addition to the club’s matches.
It is hoped the club will play again at Newclose on the Isle of Wight, where a championship match against Nottinghamshire was held in 2019, but any fixture there involves additional transportation and hotel costs.
Winchester College, founded in 1382, has staged one first-class match. In 1875 Hampshire were bowled out for 34 and 82 by Kent, losing by an innings and 217 runs, which perhaps explains why it has taken a long while for the club to return.
I hope the pitches have improved since then,” quipped Giles White, the director of cricket. Given that two batsmen who went on to captain their countries, Douglas Jardine (England) and the Nawab of Pataudi (India) were nurtured there in the 20th century, that should have occurred.
“The pitches are a little slow and of low bounce, so we are looking to inject some pace in partnership with the college,” White said.
Simon Lee, head groundsman at Ageas Bowl, has inspected the square and the club has offered to second one of his staff to the college.
Hampshire hope to play at Winchester again in two years’ time, starting with a limited-overs match and progressing to first-class level. Some of the club’s junior age group and women’s sides have already used the ground and the nets. The Academy may use the College for some ECB Southern Premier Division matches in 2022.
There is a view of the cathedral from the pavilion and the River Itchen flows at the bottom of the ground, which is centrally located and within walking distance of the train station, shops, pubs, hotels and restaurants.
“Winchester has everything,” David Mann, Hampshire’s chief executive, said. “We have not given up on Basingstoke, but the facilities and boundary lengths do not quite meet ECB’s standards and they know that. If we use an outground next year, it will be Newclose.”
Matches at Winchester would be staged in the summer holidays, as is the case at Cheltenham College, a popular outground which has survived a general culling of festival cricket in recent years. It is believed that cricket has been played at Winchester College since the 17th century and the present headmaster, Tim Hands, is keen on the game and on furthering links with Hampshire. Ivo Tennant, The Times.