Overview

Leicestershire Cricket Ground Co bought 16 acres of land from the Duke of Rutland in 1877 and spent the massive sum of £40,000 on developing a cricket club, athletic track and hotel. The first match was played on April 22, 1878 and three months later the venue staged a game against the touring Australians. In 1898, Leicestershire actually beat the Australians. In 1901, the county decided that the ground was too far from the town centre to be economically viable, and they switched to the more central Aylestone Road. They moved out in the war and never returned, instead reverting to Grace Road in 1946, but as tennants of the City Boys Grammar School who by then owned the land. Leicestershire finally reacquired the ground in 1966 and throughout the 1970s and 1980s the venue was improved. so much so that it was awarded two ODIs during the 1999 World Cup. The record attendance was not then, however, but the 16,000 who watched the match against the touring 1948 Australians.
Martin Williamson