Having spent almost thirty years living on the south coast it is a little surprising that only in 2014 did I complete seeing Hampshire in championship action against all other counties, the final tick on the list not being made until September last year when I saw them win in Cardiff. My records show that I saw Hants play home matches on four grounds, all grounds I enjoyed visiting and sadly on which they no longer play.
Dean Park, Bournemouth staged its last championship cricket in August 1992, when Middlesex were the visitors and I was there on the opening day to see Mark Nicholas make 95 in a game which petered out to a draw, thanks to some 'obdurate' final day batting by Middlesex, with John Carr the leading blocker. This was not however my first visit to this attractive ground for in the glorious summer of 1959 my parents strayed from their usual practice of taking a holiday at the Scarborough Festival and after the nine hour journey from Darlington to Bournemouth we were blessed with two weeks sunshine. Whether by chance or not, I suspect not, Hampshire were entertaining the Indian tourists and a day of our holiday was spent at the cricket. Hampshire batted first and opener Roy Marshall's first eight scoring shots were fours. A nice one for the memory bank.
Dean Park, Bournemouth
In 1993 I made my first visit to May's Bounty, the ground in Basingstoke where Hampshire had first staged cricket in 1906. Kent were the opposition but the game was spoilt by rain. Wisden recalls that when the weather allowed, spectators enjoyed (Carl) Hooper at 'his elegant best'. It was another six years before I saw cricket in Basingstoke but worth the wait for a Yorkshire win in a low scoring match which afforded me my first sighting of Matthew Hoggard. I was present on the second day when the homesters slumped to 59 for 8 in their second innings with Hoggard leading the way with four wickets. Man of the match for Yorkshire was skipper Byas, with four slip catches and 95 as his team got home by six wickets. Peter Hartley took 11 wickets against his old county.
May's Bounty, Basingstoke
In between these two trips to North Hampshire I experienced a surprisingly rare event in my pursuit of seeing all counties play each other, namely a washout. On a day when after great work by the ground staff and volunteers it was announced that play would begin at three o'clock but just as the umpires took the field the rain returned and play was abandoned for the day. Had there been any cricket I would have Derbyshire batting; had I gone back the next day I would have seen a Robin Smith hundred. The year, 1998.
The United Services Sports Ground Portsmouth was the nearest of the Hampshire grounds to my home in East Sussex, about a two hour drive and another ground I enjoyed visiting. My first trip was in 1993 to see Worcestershire, another rain blighted affair but I was lucky enough to be there for a full day's play on the Saturday when Damien D'Oliveira hit 94. 1994 saw me driving along the A27 again, this time to see Durham and the feature of the match was a maiden century for 20 year old Jimmy Daly when after being 1 for 2 in their second innings Durham dug in to finish on 283 for 7.My third and last trip to 'Pompey' came in 1998 and this time I did see a Robin Smith hundred. After Essex had been bowled out for 141 on the first day Keith Fletcher said that the pitch was unfit for four day cricket. What he said when Hampshire replied with 490, Smith 138, is not recorded.
Leaving the best to last Southampton was my favourite Hampshire ground and one where Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Somerset were their opponents on visits I made during the 1990s. Northlands Road had it all for me, not too big, a traditional pavilion with a lovely ship's bell to start play and where on my visits the sun always shone. So sad that Hampshire finished playing there in 2000. Now a housing development and replaced by a bowl which formerly held roses. I have not visited the new ground but I am still waiting for somebody to tell me that is a much pleasanter place to watch cricket than Northlands Road or come to that Dean Court, May's Bounty or United Services Sports. When they do I'll go.
Northlands Road, Southampton
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