Celebrating cricket in Nottinghamshire

With the impending arrival of the Ashes, bringing with it old rivalries, afternoon tea in the British summer sun and an excuse to don the sun hats, we thought it was a good time to delve into the pages of history in Nottinghamshire and offer some historical nuggets for the cricket fans among you. We are all proud of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club for being a major player in world cricket through hosting the Outlaws as well as international cricket. The history behind our club is worth celebrating as we owe much of the current success to past legends and events. So here is a little bit of background information for you to wet the appetite and impress your friends with over the summer months at any local pub quiz's you might attend! If we start at the beginning, Trent Bridge began life in 1838 and it's the third oldest Test Match venue in the world. William Clarke was the man behind the birth and was also, at the time, the landlord of the local Bell Inn Pub. William, born in Bunkers Hill in 1798, was a bricklayer by trade until his takeover of the Bell Inn. After his wife passed away, he married again in 1837 to a lady who at the time ran the Trent Bridge Inn. A marriage made in heaven was formed, in more ways than one, as he subsequently opened Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in 1838 and as a result, today we still have the world famous Trent Bridge Inn on the corner of such a world class venue. A cricketer himself, William played right up until he was aged 57. County Cricket was first played at Trent Bridge in 1840 with a match against Sussex taking centre stage however Trent Bridge's first Test Match wasn't until 1899. The ground could boast the largest cricket pavilion in 1886 and this facility had many uses over the years, acting as a make shift hospital for wounded soldiers in World War I, and a sorting office in World War II. Major refurbishments on the ground have taken place since 2002 on the Fox Road Stand as well as replacing the Parr Stand and West Wing. All this has culminated in Trent Bridge gaining more and more high profile international matches and is hosting the first test in this summer's Ashes series. Today the ground hosts indoor squash courts, indoor nets and state of the art banqueting and conference facilities. A perfect venue to witness world class cricket. Cricket in Nottinghamshire has strong ties to our local football heritage. One of the men behind the famous cricket bat brand Gunn & Moore, William Gunn, played professional football for both Nottingham Forest and Notts County during his illustrious career which even earned him two International caps for England. Continuing the footballing theme, Notts County famously played their games at Trent Bridge, calling it home from 1883 until 1910 when they moved to their current home, Meadow Lane. So in 2013 the Ashes will be calling Nottingham 'home' for four days in July. It's a proud moment for Notts to showcase its many cultural and sporting attributes to a captive worldwide audience. If these gems of information have wet your appetite for Cricket and more importantly, heading down to Trent Bridge to cheer England on for the Ashes then visit our Ashes offers and see how you could be making the most of Nottinghamshire this summer. There are plenty of ways you can take advantage of your Ashes ticket to get discounts at nearby attractions and events across the summer. Spectators arriving for tomorrow's Yorkshire Bank 40 over match with Sussex Sharks (21 June 2013) can gain entry for just £1. Bargain, see you there!   [Some facts with credit to Nottinghamshire Facts (301) by C Adams & M Goddard]