The recently re-named Cloudfm County Ground in Chelmsford has been home to Essex Cricket Club officially since 1966, after the club bought the ground with help from the Warwickshire’s Supporters Association.
As well as being the home of Essex County, the ground has played host to a handful of men’s one-day internationals.
In the 1983 World Cup, India beat Australia by 118 runs.
Two matches in the 1999 World Cup were played at Chelmsford: Bangladesh were beaten by New Zealand by six wickets and Zimbabwe beat South Africa by 48 runs
Chelmsford has seen plenty of women's international cricket since 2000, and for many years was a fortress for England.
This ground has been used for first-class matches since 1925 and for List A matches since 1969.
After leaving Leyton County Ground in 1933, Essex began playing at different venues around the county, turning out at Chelmsford for two weeks each season. Poor attendance led to Essex moving away from this ground in 1956 until it was bought for £15,000 in 1966.
Home matches resumed here in the 1967 season.
Between 2005 and 2013, Ford Motor Company had the naming rights for this ground, however, between 2017 and 2019, the rights to the stadium were bought by Cloudfm.
Chelmsford is known for being a relatively small ground and is therefore exceptionally popular with big-hitting batsmen.
Graham Gooch made many of his 40,000-plus first-class runs here, including the highest double-century at the ground, 275, in 1988 during a match against Kent.
The ground's size has made it increasingly more popular for T20 matches, with tickets now frequently selling out very quickly.
David Lloyd and Ian Botham stroll around the ground in 1997
In 1983, Essex played host to Surrey in a County Championship match where Surrey recorded their lowest ever innings score of 14.
Norbert Philip took 6 for 4 while Neil Foster took 4 for 10. Essex made 287, with Keith Fletcher making a century, but the eventual result of the match was a draw.
More recently in 2008, during a South Division T20 match against Sussex, Graham Napier smashed his way to 152 not out in only 58 balls.
During this innings, he produced 16 sixes as well as 10 fours.
The extraordinary knock helped Essex to reach 242 for 3 and subsequently victory over Sussex by a staggering 128 runs.
Graham Napier made an extraordinary T20 ton at Chelmsford in 2008
Address: County Ground, New Writtle Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 OPG
By train: Chelmsford Railway Station is approximately 10 minutes' walk from the ground.
Coming out of the station, walk north on Duke Street and then turn left onto Park Road. Turn right going between Middleditch Court and Norman Court before turning left. When reaching the Parkway main road, turn left before quickly turning right to cross into the Park.
Having crossed the River Can, keep straight until hitting New Writtle Street where you must turn left. After approximately 350 feet, turn left and the ground is on the right.
By car: The stadium has a pay and display carpark with cash payment machines located on site.
Chelmsford City Centre’s High Chelmer multi-storey car par is a five-minute walk from the ground and can be accessed via New London Road after turning left off Parkway. This car park’s post code is CM2 OLG.
There are two park and ride sites in Chelmsford which offer bus services into the city centre. The first site is Chelmer Valley, postcode CM2 7RZ, and the second is located at CM3 3PR.
By bus: Chelmsford Bus Station is on Duke Street, right next to the Railway Station. Bus No.42 and No.100 stop on New London road, approximately a two-minute walk to the ground.
Olio Italian
Olio is a modern, family-run dining room serving classic Italian food open for lunch and dinner.
The Wine Cellar Bar and Bistro
This is an intimate hideaway sport offering wine, cocktails and the food menu serves contemporary and seasonal plates.
Zenxi
This Chinese restaurant specialises in seafood, while still offering over 120 dishes, including many classic favourites.
Banana Tree
The Banana Tree offers a varied British spot, with a wide range of options for vegans and vegetarians
The New London
This is a stylish restaurant, serving seasonal and elegant European foods as well as cocktails, wine and local beers.
COMING SOON!
COMING SOON!
In the past, the County Ground has been used as a standby emergency helicopter landing place for the nearby hospital, until the casualty department was relocated.
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