Rose Bowl
| Rose Bowl | |
| Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 The pavilion at the Rose Bowl | |
| Location | |
| Village: | West End |
| Grid reference: | SU47761406 |
| Location: | 50°55’26"N, 1°19’19"W |
| History | |
| Built : | 1997 – 2001 |
| Information | |
| Sport: | Cricket |
| Home to: | Hampshire County Cricket Club |
| Seating capacity: | 15,000 |
| Owned by: | RB Sport & Leisure Holdings plc |
The Rose Bowl, known for sponsorship reasons as the Ageas Bowl is a cricket ground and hotel complex in West End, on the outskirts of Eastleigh in the south of Hampshire. It is the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club, who have played there since 2001.
The ground was built as a replacement for the County Ground in Southampton and the United Services Recreation Ground in Portsmouth, which had been Hampshire's homes since 1882. Hampshire played their inaugural first-class match at the ground against Worcestershire on 9–11 May 2001, with Hampshire winning by 124 runs. The ground has since hosted international cricket, including One Day Internationals, matches in the 2004 Champions Trophy, two Twenty20 Internationals and Test matches in 2011, 2014 and 2018, when England played Sri Lanka and India. In 2020, the ground was used as one of two biosecure venues, alongside Old Trafford, for the tours involving West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland which were regulated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to be able to host Test cricket, the ground underwent a redevelopment starting in 2008, which saw stands built to increase capacity and other construction work undertaken to make the hosting of international cricket at the ground more viable. A four-star Hilton Hotel with an integrated media centre overlooking the ground opened in 2015. Following Hampshire Cricket Ltd finding itself in financial trouble in 2011, the lease on the ground was sold to Eastleigh Borough Council for £6.5 million with a benefactor injecting a similar sum in 2012.
The Rose Bowl played host to the inaugural final of the 2019–21 ICC World Test Championship between India and New Zealand, resulting in New Zealand being crowned inaugural World Test Champions.[1]
During ICC tournaments, the ground is referred to as the Hampshire Bowl due to sponsors' names not being allowed.[2][3]
Contents
Background
Hampshire had played at their Northlands Road headquarters in Southampton since 1885, as well as using Dean Park in Bournemouth, the United Services Recreation Ground in Portsmouth and May's Bounty in Basingstoke as regular outground venues. Northlands Road was a cramped location, surrounded by residential buildings which meant expanding the ground was largely impossible. Hampshire also wanted to encourage international cricket to the county, which would not have been possible with Northlands Road.
Talk of a move from Newlands Road had begun as early as 1987. A site was eventually selected just outside Southampton, in West End, on a gently sloping field owned by Queen's College, Oxford located between the M27 motorway and Telegraph Woods.[4]
The ground was designed by architect Sir Michael Hopkins, whose design of the centrepiece pavilion with its tented roof was reminiscent of the Mound Stand at Lord's, which Hopkins also designed.[5] Construction started on the ground in 1997, however, the budget for the ground's construction soon spiralled out of control, threatening the very existence of the club. Further funding was secured as construction continued until its first stage was completed in time for the 2001 season.
The ground is built into the side of the gently sloping hill on which it is located, resulting in an amphitheatre bowl. The initial name for the ground was announced in 2000 as The Rose Bowl, in recognition of the club's rose and crown logo and the bowl-shaped nature of the ground.[6]
Pictures
Before redevelopment
From the Pavilion End
Main pavilion at the Rose Bowl
View of the pavilion
Nursery Ground
After redevelopment
The pavilion, with seating section removed.
The East Stand. Top
The new West Stand
The new East Stand under floodlights (England v Australia, 2010)
Similar view of the East Stand
The Hilton Hotel under construction
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Rose Bowl) |
- Ageas Bowl
- The Ageas Bowl at ESPNcricinfo
References
- ↑ "Sublime New Zealand win inaugural World Test Championship" (in en). https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/icc-world-test-championship-2019-2021-1195334/india-vs-new-zealand-final-1249875/match-report.
- ↑ "Hampshire Bowl". Cricket World Cup. International Cricket Council. https://www.cricketworldcup.com/venues/72/hampshire-bowl/travel.
- ↑ Henry, Matthew (17 June 2021). "World Test Championship final". BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/57365539.
- ↑ Protz, Roger (2007). The Beer Lover's Guide to Cricket. St Albans: CAMRA Books. pp. 66. ISBN 978-1-85249-227-4.
- ↑ Sybil Ruscoe (22 July 2002). "Rose Bowl leaves Lord's in shade". The Daily Telegraph (London). https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/3031432/Rose-Bowl-leaves-Lords-in-shade.html.
- ↑ Hampshire Media Release (26 May 2000). "Hampshire announce name for New Ground". ESPNcricinfo. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/91204.html.
- Allen, David (April 2007). Entertain or Perish: Hampshire County Cricket 1946–2006 (2007 ed.). Phillimore. ISBN 978-1-86077-448-5.
- The Hampshire Handbook. Hampshire County Cricket Club. 2001. ISBN 0-9535365-2-1.
