Cooper Associates County Ground

The Cooper Associates County Ground sits on St James Street. It is a place that has had nothing to do all evening when the floodlights are off, until the bowlers start their warm-up. The surface is natural grass on sandy loam, and the pitch cuts up badly after a wet week, forcing the players to picked up two bookings in five minutes over the condition of the outfield. The ground holds 8,500 seats, though it can be expanded to 12,500 when international matches arrive. This happens rarely, but when it does, the crowd gave nothing away to the visiting team.

The sponsor’s name was added in 2016, and the partnership extended through 2026, but the fans still call it the County Ground.

Matches here see it out under lights, even when the weather is bad. The 1948 match with Don Bradman’s Australians drew 10,000 people, a figure that is a doubt but is often mentioned in local histories. More recently, the ground hosted the first Men's T20 International in 2017, a tie that was out-thought on the touchline by both captains. The 2024 Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup semi-finals were held here, and the players were second to everything in terms of effort. The pitch is maintained carefully, but the wind from the west can run the show when the clouds gather over the cathedral towers.