Sophia Gardens

Cardiff, Wales

Sophia Gardens, Cathedral Road, Cardiff, Wales. CF11 9XR. (Phone: 029-2040-9380)

Also or formerly known as The SWALEC Stadium
Named after The wife of the Marquis of Bute
Capacity 5500 (15,000 after redevelopment)
Floodlights Yes - 2005
End names River Taff End, Cathedral Road End
Home team Glamorgan
Current local time 19:41, Fri Apr 23, 2021 (UTC +0100)

Profile | Notes | Fixtures | Latest Articles | Latest Photos

Records and statistics

First Test	England v Australia - Jul 8-12, 2009	Scorecard
Last Test	England v Australia - Jul 8-11, 2015	Scorecard
Test records \| Results \| High totals \| High scores \| Most runs \| Best bowling \| Most wickets \| Partnerships \| Statsguru
First ODI	Australia v New Zealand - May 20, 1999	Scorecard
Last ODI	Afghanistan v South Africa - Jun 15, 2019	Scorecard
ODI records \| Results \| High totals \| High scores \| Most runs \| Best bowling \| Most wickets \| Partnerships \| Statsguru
First T20I	England v Pakistan - Sep 5, 2010	Scorecard
Last T20I	England v Pakistan - May 5, 2019	Scorecard
T20I records \| Results \| High totals \| High scores \| Most runs \| Best bowling \| Most wickets \| Partnerships \| Statsguru
Records index

Profile

Glamorgan first played at Sophia Gardens against the Indian touring team in May 1967, but it was not until nearly three decades later that it officially became the county's home.

The signing of a 125-year lease in November 1995 ended the clubs 74-year search for a ground, a nomadic period during which the clubs base had at times been limited to a small office in Cardiff high street.

The area where the cricket pitch now stands has a colourful history, having once played host to a 'Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show' and 'Barnum and Bailey's traveling circus and menagerie'. One wonders whether Glamorgan's fans would secretly welcome a return to these long gone days, having suffered their team's mediocrity in recent years.

Glamorgan have played on and off at the ground since 1967, after Cardiff Athletic Club, the leaseholders at the time, had a pitch laid and spent £25,000 on a new pavilion. Sophia Gardens has staged some crucial matches in Glamorgan's history, notably in 1969 when they won the County Championship against Worcestershire in front of 16,000 people, and in 1978 when they claimed the John Player League for a crowd of 11,500 ecstatic fans.

Since Glamorgan officially took over the ground in 1995 several improvements have taken place, all part of a nine-million pound strategic plan. The National Cricket Centre was finished in 1999, the same year that the ground played host to Australia's contest with New Zealand in the group stages of the World Cup.

The ground has since become a regular international one day venue, playing host to the first one day match between England and Wales in 2002, which Wales won by eight wickets, but perhaps its most famous game came in 2005 when the touring Australians were humbled by the Bangladeshis, who recorded a five-wicket victory that shocked the cricket world.

At present the ground capacity is set at 12,000, but in March 2006 Glamorgan announced plans for further developments, including a new pavilion, media centre, grandstand and more covered seating. Behind these improvements, scheduled to be finished by 2008, has been Glamorgan's campaign for the ground to be upgraded to category 'A' status, enabling Sophia Gardens to stage Tests .

This campaign, backed by the Welsh Assembly, was rubber stamped by the ECB when they surprisingly awarded the ground the first Ashes Test in 2009. Exciting times lie ahead.
Sam Collins

Notes

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Fixtures

2021
Thu Apr 29 - Sun May 2 11:00 local \| 10:00 GMT 06:00 EDT \| 05:00 CDT \| 03:00 PDT	County Championship Group 3 - Glamorgan v Kent
Thu May 13 - Sun May 16 11:00 local \| 10:00 GMT 06:00 EDT \| 05:00 CDT \| 03:00 PDT	County Championship Group 3 - Glamorgan v Yorkshire
Thu Jun 10 (20 ovs)	Vitality Blast Glamorgan v Gloucestershire
Sun Jun 13 (20 ovs)	Vitality Blast Glamorgan v Essex
Wed Jun 16 (20 ovs)	Vitality Blast Glamorgan v Kent
Fri Jun 18 (20 ovs)	Vitality Blast Glamorgan v Middlesex
Wed Jun 23 (20 ovs)	1st T20I - England v Sri Lanka
Thu Jun 24 (20 ovs)	2nd T20I - England v Sri Lanka
Tue Jun 29 (20 ovs)	Vitality Blast Glamorgan v Surrey
Fri Jul 2 (20 ovs)	Vitality Blast Glamorgan v Sussex
Thu Jul 8 (50 ovs) 13:00 local \| 12:00 GMT 08:00 EDT \| 07:00 CDT \| 05:00 PDT	ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League 1st ODI - England v Pakistan
Sun Jul 11 - Wed Jul 14 10:30 local \| 09:30 GMT 05:30 EDT \| 04:30 CDT \| 02:30 PDT	County Championship Group 3 - Glamorgan v Northamptonshire
Fri Jul 16 (20 ovs)	Vitality Blast Glamorgan v Somerset
Thu Jul 22 (50 ovs)	Royal London One-Day Cup Glamorgan v Warwickshire
Tue Jul 27	The Hundred Welsh Fire v Southern Brave
Tue Jul 27	The Women's Hundred Welsh Fire Women v Southern Brave Women
Sat Jul 31	The Hundred Welsh Fire v Manchester Originals
Sat Jul 31	The Women's Hundred Welsh Fire Women v Manchester Originals Women
Tue Aug 3 (50 ovs)	Royal London One-Day Cup Glamorgan v Surrey
Fri Aug 6	The Hundred Welsh Fire v Trent Rockets
Fri Aug 6	The Women's Hundred Welsh Fire Women v Trent Rockets Women
Sun Aug 8 (50 ovs)	Royal London One-Day Cup Glamorgan v Nottinghamshire
Thu Aug 12 (50 ovs)	Royal London One-Day Cup Glamorgan v Yorkshire
Wed Aug 18	The Hundred Welsh Fire v London Spirit
Wed Aug 18	The Women's Hundred Welsh Fire Women v London Spirit Women
Wed Aug 25 (20 ovs) 14:30 local \| 13:30 GMT 09:30 EDT \| 08:30 CDT \| 06:30 PDT	Women’s Regional T20 Group B - Western Storm v Thunder
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