Worcester; tiny but out of this world

Rex Clementine in Worcester

Obviously, everyone love going to world famous cricket grounds in England like Lord’s, The Oval and Old Trafford. That’s where Sri Lanka will be playing their three Test matches this summer. Usually, the English and Wales Cricket Board gives the Sri Lankans at least one Test in a small centre like Cardiff, Chester-Le-Street or Southampton. But this year they will be playing all three maches at big venues. There’s growing respect for our cricketers around the globe.

Small cricket grounds, however, have their own charm. Usually, people in these small places are extraordinarily friendly and everyone from the security guard to the Director of Cricket try to make you feel at home. Not just Worcester, it’s the same everywhere whether you visit Canterbury, Taunton, Bristol or Hove.

The specialty of Worcester is that it is one of the most scenic cricket grounds in the world with the Worcester Cathedral, built in 1084 as the backdrop. The Cathedral is the resting place of King John. Until 1976, the Cathedral owned the ground, but the County bought it for 30,000 British Pounds. There’s been some refurbishment done in recent years without losing the old charm. Many English cricket grounds like Old Trafford, Southampton, Derbyshire now have hotels within the clubhouse and Worcester has gone the same direction to make ends meet.

While room occupancy brings them revenue, these facilities are also used for functions and conferences and as a result the County doesn’t have to depend on the dole outs given by the ECB entirely. Maybe this is something that a facility like Galle Stadium can think of. With its stunning backdrops of the Indian Ocean and Dutch Fort, Galle ground will be highly sought after.

Another unique feature of the ground here is the Ladies Pavilion and the afternoon tea that is served there. The tea is accompanied by varieties of cake, jam and cream and it is absolutely delicious.

A short ten minute walk from Foregate Street Station, Worcester’s ground is located in an area called New Road. Since the ground is located next to a river, often it gets flooded during the winter and sometimes water doesn’t recede during early summer as well. That has been one of the major challenges faced by the County and Worcester is now contemplating a move from its current location although it has been home for them for 125 years having been established in 1899.

Tom Graveney, Graeme Hick, Basil D’Oliveira and Moeen Ali are some of the outstanding cricketing talents to emerge from Worcester. Glenn Turner, Tom Moody, Shoaib Akthar, Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas are some of the leading overseas signings of the County.

Moody took up coaching at Worcester once he was done with his playing days and that’s where he met Vaas. It was Vaas who recommended Moody to Sri Lanka Cricket and the lanky Western Australian went on to have a successful two year stint as the national cricket team’s Head Coach from 2005 to 2007.

One of Sri Lanka’s best moments in cricket came here in Worcester as the venue hosted the final of the ICC Trophy in 1979. Sri Lanka went on to beat Canada in the final, a win that gave the team a ticket to the ICC World Cup that followed. This win was a major moment to help Sri Lanka win Test status. Mr. Anura Tennakoon posing for cameras with the ICC Trophy with the Worcester Cathedral in the backdrop is one of the iconic images at the ground.