Hove: the history of the cricket ground

The move to Hove’s present ground took place in 1872 as development spread along the seafront. Sussex’s account of its anniversary describes the new site as a farmer’s barley field, about 800 yards inland from the former ground. This is a useful starting point when arriving through the surrounding streets: the cricket ground has remained while the town around it has changed. The older seaside ground and the current County Ground are separate places in the club’s story. ^[1]

Sussex celebrated its long occupation with a dinner in the Long Room in June 2022. The club’s account remembered W.G. Grace appearing in an early rain-affected match in June 1872, while speakers also discussed the ground’s community use. That combination fits Hove well. Its history contains famous players and occasions, but it is also the history of spectators who returned season after season, bringing the county club’s identity into a particular neighbourhood. ^[1]

The club’s foundation in 1839 predates the move by more than three decades. Sussex was the first of the eighteen first-class county clubs, so the present ground inherited an established cricket identity. Its own ground history lists figures including Ranjitsinhji, Ted Dexter, Tony Greig, Imran Khan and Mushtaq Ahmed among the great players associated with Sussex. Hove’s appeal comes partly from imagining very different styles of cricket sharing one outfield across successive generations. ^[2]

The Sussex Cricket Museum follows the earlier moves between Brighton and Hove grounds, including the Royal Brunswick Ground that preceded the Eaton Road home. That longer sequence prevents a common misunderstanding: the oldest county club has not occupied one unchanging field throughout its existence. For a visitor interested in the town as well as the cricket, the museum’s histories provide a way to connect the current stadium with the vanished venues and pleasure grounds of the surrounding area. ^[3]

The museum’s account of Sussex’s golden years gives Ranjitsinhji and C.B. Fry a central place in the county’s batting history. It describes how the small Hove ground and hard pitches provided opportunities for large scores when the two played together. This is a different kind of historical landmark from a surviving pavilion: it belongs to the way the field was used and remembered. A ground can acquire a reputation through the players who repeatedly make their home there. ^[4]

Ranji’s Sussex debut came at Lord’s in 1895, where he made 77 not out and 150 against MCC, according to the museum. That debut was away from Hove, but it began the county association whose memory remains so strong here. Keeping the location clear matters when following a player’s story around the country. Hove’s importance is the sustained relationship between player, club and supporters, rather than ownership of every famous innings in that cricketer’s career. ^[4]

The decisive Hove match of 2003 was against Leicestershire. The museum records Sussex reaching 614 for four, with Murray Goodwin making 335 not out. The batting points secured along the way confirmed the county’s first Championship, and the celebrations interrupted the match for a lap of honour. Mushtaq Ahmed had reached his hundredth wicket of the season in the same game. For supporters who had waited years, the title became inseparable from this stretch of grass. ^[5]

That triumph was a team achievement built around captain Chris Adams, coach Peter Moores, Goodwin’s batting and Mushtaq’s leg-spin, with a supporting attack including James Kirtley and Jason Lewry. Sussex’s museum sets out the anxious run-in, including defeat at Old Trafford before the final game. Looking back from a seat at Hove, the result can appear inevitable; the sequence of matches shows why the eventual release of emotion was so powerful. ^[5]

The familiar deckchairs are part of the ground’s present arrangements as well as its image. Sussex’s facilities guide describes deckchairs and grass-bank seating at the Cromwell Road End for Championship and one-day matches, with temporary stands used for T20 cricket. The same corner can therefore feel quite different according to the format. If the traditional deckchair afternoon is what attracts you, choose the competition as carefully as the ground. ^[6]

Writing about Sussex’s first Championship, Henry Blofeld described the regular Hove spectators enduring wind, sea fret and sunshine from the deckchairs. That is reported colour from a cricket writer, rather than a promise of particular weather on a future visit. The coastal setting is part of Hove’s character: bring a layer you can put on when the afternoon cools, and enjoy the contrast between an open county afternoon and a busier evening crowd. ^[7]

The masterplan presented by Sussex in February 2019 proposed improving the Eaton Road entrance and redeveloping the south-west corner. The club described apartments, commercial space and a replacement for the Sussex Cricketer pub as part of a scheme intended to support further investment in the cricket ground. This explains why the buildings at the entrance are relevant to the venue’s sporting history: keeping a county club on a valuable town site involves income beyond match tickets. ^[8]

In its later construction update, Sussex confirmed that demolition had been completed and work was about to begin on the next stage of the south-west development. The club distinguished this initial work from the wider masterplan. When comparing old photographs with the current entrance, separate the buildings actually rebuilt from the complete ambition described in earlier proposals. Ground histories are full of projects announced in stages; a drawing of a future stadium is only one moment in that longer process. ^[9]

Today the club identifies the venue as the 1st Central County Ground, Hove. County Ground and Hove remain the useful historical reference points when reading older reports. A sponsorship name can change while the address and playing field remain familiar. The ground’s own description connects its present identity directly with the home occupied since 1872, so there is no need to search for a different venue when an old scorecard uses a shorter heading. ^[2]

The present facilities include the Spen Cama Pavilion, the indoor school and spectator areas with different matchday uses. The club describes ramped access behind the Pavilion and a lift serving its upper rooms, illustrating the practical work needed to keep a longstanding home usable. On a visit, our suggestion is to compare the pavilion frontage with the more open seating areas. That contrast captures the variety of watching positions that makes Hove feel different from a uniformly enclosed stadium. ^[6]

The Sussex Cricket Museum organises its history into periods, from the early game and Ranji through the wars to the modern era. Its account of the later twentieth century places Dexter, Parks, Greig and Snow alongside the county professionals who supported them. Those quieter careers matter when looking at a county ground: international fame is only one measure of the people who supplied the cricket that regular spectators came to see. ^[10]

Our suggested historical walk begins with the entrance on Eaton Road, continues with a view towards the pavilion, and ends with a look across the field from the deckchair side when that area is open. Consult the main Hove guide for seat access and matchday arrangements before planning the route. Reading a little about both the old Sussex batting heroes and the Championship-winning side adds context to an ordinary day here without requiring a special anniversary occasion.