The Incora County Ground - Derbyshire Ground Guide

The Derby County Cricket Ground is also known as other names, including the shortened version of ‘County Ground’, as well as ‘Racecourse Ground’ and the ‘Incora County Ground’. The latter is the result of a sponsorship deal. The first recorded game on this ground was on the 4th August 1786 when a single wicket match took place between Edward Smedley and Thomas Hadley, taking place in what is now the Friar Gate area. The area was previously used by South Derbyshire Cricket Club from 1863. The ground was provided by Henry Wilmot at Chaddesden Hall, and games were played every Thursday of the season.

Its name as the ‘Racecourse Ground’ is founded on history. Originally, the cricket pitch was located within the Derby Racecourse which was known for its inclusion of one of only six in the UK, mile-long straights, as well as its centrepiece elegant grandstand in the middle of the course. However, racing on this ground ended in 1939. The Derby County Cricket Ground showed its ability to be versatile until the 20th Century. Between 1884 and 1895, the ground that now contains the Derby County Cricket Ground was home to Derby County Football Club until they moved to the Baseball Ground. It hosted two high-profile football games including the first-ever FA Cup Final outside of London in 1886, when Blackburn Rovers beat West Bromwich Albion in a 2 – 0 replay. There was also an international football match between England and Ireland in 1895, resulting in a score of 9 – 0 to England.

Despite its humble background, the Derby County Cricket Ground has many claims to fame including staging two One-Day Internationals. The first was in the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup involving New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The second was 16 years later in the same competition but saw New Zealand play Pakistan. Most recently, the Derby County Cricket Ground was one of the venues used in the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup when it hosted one of the semi-finals – as did Bristol Cricket Ground.

Previously known for its east-west pitch axis (unusual for a cricket pitch), Derbyshire County Cricket Club spent £100,000 on relaying the pitch in the 2009/10 winter on the north-south axis. This means that the players can avoid problems with the light from the setting sun. this also involved moving some of the floodlights and the electronic scoreboard to a new place – hence the expense. This was shortly followed by a large 1,800 seat stand being erected at the Racecourse End of Derby County Cricket Ground. This was replaced in 2015 for a £2.2 million four-storey media centre, however, capacity was not lost, with 1,100 seats made space for at the Pavilion End of the ground. The media centre was awarded a commendation in the category of Best New Build of 2016, by the Derby Civic Society.

Below is a seating plan of Derbyshire's The Incora County Ground:

The ground is located in the North East of Derby just off the A51.

For the satnav put in the postcode DE21 6DA. The ground offers plenty of parking for County and One-Day matches, but it on a first come first serve basis. Click here to book parking in advance. The ground is surrounded by a residential area so there are always places to park but be careful of permit required parking areas.

Derby Station is about 20 minutes walk from the Ground. It has great connections to the rest of the UK, with trainlines from London, Sheffield and Chesterfield through East Midlands Trains. Derby station is also connected to many other local train stations so no matter where you in the country we’re pretty sure you can get here via train.

Both Manchester and Birmingham Airports are relatively close to the Ground but Birmingham is defintely the better option, taking just 50 minutes in a car, compared to about 1 hour and 30mins from Manchester. Taking a train from the West Midlands will take about 1 hour 30 mins as well, compared to a 3 hour journey from Birmingham. Though depending on what flights are available Manchester Airport would be a strong 2nd choice.