Sophia Gardens
Location:	Cardiff
Established:	unknown
Seating Capacity:	5,500 currently under redevelopment, future capacity 15,000
First ODI	Australia v  New Zealand, May 20, 1999
Last ODI	England v  Pakistan, August 30, 2006
Stands	Pavilion, Taff, Cathedral Road

Sophia Gardens (Welsh: Gerddi Soffia) is a sporting venue on the west bank of the River Taff in Cardiff, one mile north of Cardiff Arms Park and is named after Sophia Rawdon-Hastings. Daughter of the 1st Marquess of Hastings and wife to the 2nd Marquess of Bute, Sophia Rawdon-Hastings was concerned to provide open space for recreation in the rapidly expanding city in the late 1800s, in which her husband was heavily involved. The area is currently owned by Cardiff City Council. This article is about the capital city of Wales. ... A One-day International (ODI) cricket match is a one-day cricket match played between two international teams each representing a particular country. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... The logo of the England Cricket Team which shows the three Lions of England below a five-pointed crown The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Look up Welsh, welsh in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The River Taff is a large river in South Wales. ... This article is about the capital city of Wales. ... Cardiff Arms Park is a stadium complex situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. ... Francis, 1st Marquess of Hastings (Earl of Moira) Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings, (9 December 1754 - 28 November 1826) was a British politician and military officer who served as Governor-General of India from 1813 to 1823. ... John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute (10 August 1793–18 March 1848) was the son of John Crichton-Stuart, Baron Mount Stuart and Elizabeth McDouall (daughter of Patrick McDouall, 6th Earl of Dumfries). ... Cardiff Council (Welsh: ) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. ...

County cricket

Sophia Gardens is home to the Glamorgan County Cricket Club. The cricket club has played first-class cricket matches at the venue since 1966, after moving away from Cardiff Arms Park. A 125-year lease of the ground was acquired in 1995, after the previous leaseholders, Cardiff Athletic Club, moved to their new home at Leckwith. Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire (Welsh: ). Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. ... First-class cricket matches are those between international teams or the highest standard of domestic teams in which teams have two innings each. ...

Beside the cricket ground is the large sports hall complex of the Welsh Institute of Sport. Cardiff Corinthians F.C. have previously used the area for football. The Welsh Institute of Sport is an organisation set up in 1972 to assist in the development of the top athletes in Wales. ... A Brief History of the Corries Cardiff Corinthians also known as Cardiff Corries was formed in 1897 when players from the Alpha cricket club decided to form a football team to keep in touch during the winter months. ...

International cricket

Five One Day Internationals have been hosted at Sophia Gardens since 1999, and is scheduled to hold its first Test match in The Ashes in 2009, subject to expansion of the stadium being completed. This project will cost £9.3m, with approximately half of the funding (£4.5m) being provided in the form of a council loan. The stadium must be completed by September 30 2008 if it is to host the Ashes Test in 2009. It is possible that the revamped stadium could host 7 Tests, 9 one day internationals and 2 world cup games up to 2028, injecting at least £50m into the local economy.[1] [2] In September 2006, chairman Paul Russell told BBC Sport that the county was actively considering selling naming rights to the ground, which it is hoped would bring in £210,000 per year.[3] A One-day International (ODI) cricket match is a one-day cricket match played between two international teams each representing a particular country. ... For the womens version of the game, see Womens Test cricket. ... For other uses, see The Ashes (disambiguation). ... BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC. It became a fully dedicated division of the BBC in 2000. ... Naming rights are the right to name a piece of property, either tangible property or an event, usually granted in exchange for financial considerations. ...

Trivia

In July 2007 Glamorgan cricketer, Mike Powell, was granted his wish to have a rib, removed during surgery, buried at the ground.[4] Michael John Powell (born February 3, 1977) is a Welsh cricketer. ...

See also

• List of cricket grounds in England and Wales

A List of cricket grounds in England and Wales, both Test and county. ...

References

• Ground profile from Cricinfo