Trent Bridge Cricket Ground - Nottinghamshire Ground Guide

Along with many of England’s cricket grounds, it was first used in the 1830s, however, this ground waited 66 years to hold its first Test Match in 1899 when England played Australia. William Clarke opened the ground in 1841 and is now recognised and commemorated via the William Clarke stand that is incorporated as part of the Rushcliffe Suite.

Despite holding less international cricket matches than grounds such as Lord’s or The Oval, Trent Bridge is thought as one of the best grounds in the world to watch cricket. In Tests, the leading run-scorers at Trent Bridge are Mike Atherton with 1,083 runs and Denis Compton with 955 runs. The leading wicket-takers are James Anderson who has taken 64 wickets at this ground, followed by Alec Bedser with 41 wickets. Well-known English cricketer Stuart Broad has taken a total of 40 wickets at Trent Bridge.

Ground improvements began in 1950 when the ground was upgraded to have the use of an electronically-operated scoreboard at the ground. This was a huge milestone for the cricket ground due to the said scoreboard being the largest at any cricket stadium at the time. This update to Trent Bridge allowed spectators to view the score easier, making them more invested in the game. The Pavilion is another noticeable feature of Trent Bridge due to its trademark angle to the pitch. Even today it is kept within its 1889 architectural parameters. Additional stands were built in the form of the Radcliffe Road Cricket Centre in 1998. The Fox Road stand was later (in 2002) opened and is known for its modernistic aircraft-wing roof. These cost £7.2 million and £1.9 million respectively. The latter of these improvements to Trent Bridge was met with discontent from the locals, worried about the building blocking sunlight to their properties – it was built anyway.

More recently, in 2002, Trent Bridge had a new stand build, replacing the somewhat outdated Parr Stand and West Wing. During this reconstruction, between one and five rows were also added to the front of several of the other stands around the ground. These redevelopments increased the capacity from 15,358 to 17,500, making way for the 2008 Test Match of England against New Zealand. As of March 2016, this stand was renamed the Smith Cooper Stand in a sponsorship deal.

Trent Bridge is notoriously known for its cricket spectacles, however, it also has a history of hosting football matches. From the 1860s, Notts County Football Club played their important games at Trent Bridge. They moved them permanently in 1883 when Nottingham Forest left. Despite their permanent status at the ground, Notts County FC had to play games elsewhere when they fell in the early and late parts of the season because the cricket took priority. Notts County FC relocated to Meadow Lane in 1910.

Below is a seating plan of Nottinghamshire's Trent Bridge Cricket Ground:

The Trent Bridge Cricket Ground sits just on the river Trent in the South East of Nottingham.

Satnav postcode is NG2 6AG. For domestic games there is plenty of parking at the Notts Sports Ground (NG2 5AA) for a small view. For International Matchdays they also offer parking at the Victoria Embankment (NG2 2JY).

Nottingham Train Station is the nearest station and is just 20 minute walk away from the Ground. If you don’t fancy the walk then there are cab ranks and buses to take you to the ground.

Nottingham has a charming tram system which is well worth using if it is your first time in Nottingham. The nearest tram stop is Queens Walk which around a 20 minute walk from the ground.

The nearest airport is East Midlands Airport which is south-east of the ground. It will take you about 20 minutes to drive to the ground from there or about 30 minutes using public transport. Birmingham City airport is the next major airport that is near the ground and only takes about 1 hour to get to the ground, though public transport will take you around 2 hours.