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Sun and shade at cricket grounds
The right seat can make a long cricket day more comfortable. Start with the sun’s direction, then choose the stand, tier and row that suit you.
Follow the light, then choose the seat
On a summer day in England, morning light comes from the eastern side of the sky. The sun reaches the south around solar noon, then moves through the southwest and west. During a long summer evening it can set towards the northwest. Solar noon is about the sun’s position, not necessarily twelve o’clock on your watch; British Summer Time and the ground’s location affect the clock time.
A stand’s direction tells you where that light comes from relative to your face. Seats looking towards the afternoon sun are the sunnier choice. When the sun is behind a roofed stand, the covered rows can sit in shade. Seats around a curve, angled corners and changing roof edges often give a mixture through the afternoon.
Use the direction as a starting point, then check your exact tier and row. A sunny building can contain sheltered rear seats; a shaded covered area can have exposed front rows. The diagram shows incoming light around a simple ground, while the individual hub plans show the real stand positions.
Roof cover and front rows
Covered describes shelter above the seat. Shade describes whether sunlight reaches it at that time. They are related, but they answer different questions. A roof can keep rain off while low afternoon sunshine reaches beneath it. A roof edge may shade a rear row while the row just in front remains bright.
For a long Test day, choose the rear covered part of a stand if shade and shelter are important. Compare it with the wicket on the official seating map so you keep the view you want. Upper and lower tiers can have different roof depths and exposure, and a curved stand can face more than one direction.
Front rows catch more sun and put boundary fielders close to your view. That can be an enjoyable trade for someone who likes being near the action. With children, a wheelchair position or a strong need for shelter, make those requirements part of the booking conversation instead of selecting a stand purely from the sun label.
Read the ground-by-ground choices
Compare the afternoon seating choices below, then check the morning picture for your arrival time. Sun means the seats face more afternoon light. Shade means the later sun is generally behind the covered seating. Mixed brings a changing combination, often because of direction, the curve of the building or the roof.
Follow a stand link for its morning picture, tiers, access and ticket route. Named members’ seating areas without a separate stand page appear as plain text. Sunlight does not decide whether you can buy that seat: membership, a guest pass or a hospitality booking can be a separate requirement.
Lord’s
The Pavilion and Nursery ends give Lord’s its familiar bowling-line choice, with side-on seats along the square. The pitch runs roughly southwest to northeast. Compton and Edrich at the Nursery End face more afternoon light, as does Mound on the eastern side. Grand and the western members’ stands put the later sun behind their covered seating. Choose the tier and row as carefully as the stand, especially while Allen’s redevelopment changes the available seats.
In the sun
A bit of both
In the shade
The Oval
The Oval’s long JM Finn curve covers different directions, so the whole building has a mixed afternoon picture. Its western blocks and its end-on seats should be compared individually. Eastern SSE Energy Solutions seating and the southeastern Pavilion face more afternoon light; Bedser is mixed. Public seating, members’ areas and premium spaces have different access routes. Start with the available stand page, then confirm the exact tier and row on Surrey’s booking map.
In the sun
- SSE Energy Solutions Stand
- Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion
- Peter May Garden
- Laker Balcony
- Lock Balcony
A bit of both
Edgbaston
Edgbaston’s eastern Eric Hollies seats combine the afternoon sun with the lively crowd. Other northern and eastern seating also faces the later light, while the southern side gives more shade under cover. Dennis Amiss and West have a mixed picture. Choose atmosphere first if it matters to your group, then roof and row. A family choice can still be sunny, and the South Stand’s cover should be considered alongside its different seating and lounge products.
A bit of both
In the shade
Ground plan and morning choices at Edgbaston · Accessibility
Old Trafford
The Pavilion is towards the north, the Media Centre towards the south and the hotel along the eastern side. Stand A, Stand B and the Pavilion face more afternoon sunshine. Lightning Stand C and Party Stand D are mixed, while Stand E’s covered seating has the later light behind it. The family area and party atmosphere are separate decisions from weather protection: choose the right crowd, then compare the row, tier and shelter.
Ground plan and morning choices at Old Trafford · Accessibility
Headingley
Headingley’s northern and eastern seats face more afternoon light. The Western Terrace is open and has a mixed later-day picture; the Howard Stand on the southern side offers afternoon shade under cover. The shared cricket and rugby building makes Howard a distinctive end-on choice. For a family day, compare alcohol-free Block R in North East Lower as well as the sunshine. Front positions in any area remain more exposed than seats well behind a roof edge.
A bit of both
In the shade
Ground plan and morning choices at Headingley · Accessibility
Trent Bridge
Trent Bridge’s pitch runs roughly north-northwest to south-southeast. Radcliffe Road, Acrisure and Larwood & Voce face afternoon sunshine. Hound Road and Bridgford Road are mixed; the Pavilion and William Clarke put more of the later light behind their covered seating. Radcliffe Road’s three tiers give very different heights, while Bridgford Road adds designated alcohol-free blocks and a raised wheelchair deck. Decide on those practical needs before comparing a sunny seat with a shaded one.
A bit of both
In the shade
Ground plan and morning choices at Trent Bridge · Accessibility
Prepare for the whole day
Take sun cream, a hat and clothing that you can adjust as the day changes. Check the forecast and UV information before setting off, and use the product’s instructions when applying sun protection. The Met Office’s sun advice explains why shade and suitable clothing belong alongside sunscreen.
Think about the intervals as well as the seat. A shaded row does not shade your walk to the station, the queue for food or an exposed concourse. Keep water and your hat easy to reach, look for a shaded place during a break and give younger visitors time out of the bright seating area.
Check the ground’s container rules before bringing drinks or a bottle. A sun plan works best alongside what you can take in, especially at grounds that restrict cans, metal bottles or bag size. For designated accessible viewing, ask the club about the actual position and route instead of assuming the stand’s roof reaches every platform.
Evening matches and changing weather
A Blast or Hundred evening starts with a different sun angle from a full Test day. Low western light can reach farther beneath a roof and into seats that felt sheltered earlier. As the sun drops, the same stand may become cooler quite quickly. Bring a light layer even when the forecast is warm at the start.
For the morning of a county day, check the morning entry on the hub rather than using the afternoon list in reverse. Shadows from neighbouring buildings, temporary seating and a stand’s own upper tier can alter the view. Cloud changes the light again, but it does not turn roof cover into weather protection for an exposed front row.
Make your choice in a useful order: ticket eligibility and access needs, crowd and view, then tier, cover and sunlight. Keep a second block ready when booking with friends. Once you are inside, locate the return entrance from the concourse and enjoy following the match from the seat you have chosen.
A general guide for a sunny summer day; front rows catch more sun.