The Circle (Cricket Ground)

The Circle, on Anlaby Road in Hull, hosted 89 first class cricket matches from 1899 to 1974. [cite web
url = http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Grounds/11/540_f.html
title = First-Class Matches played on The Circle, Hull (89)
accessdate = 2008-02-11
work = Cricket Archive] Two other matches were rained off without a ball being bowled. Most of the matches were County Championship games featuring Yorkshire County Cricket Club but matches against touring teams from India, Australia, South Africa and university games were also played there. 19 list A one day games were also played at the venue from 1969 to 1970.

Three batsmen scored double centuries at the ground, Maurice Leyland scoring 263 for Yorkshire against Essex CCC in 1936, Herbert Sutcliffe posting an unbeaten 234 against Leicestershire CCC in 1939 and Basil D'Oliveira making 227 for Worcestershire CCC against Yorkshire in 1974 while Percy Holmes fell for 199 against Somerset CCC in 1923. Barry Richards scored 155 not out against Yorkshire in a John Player League match in 1970.

Johnny Wardle took 9 for 48 at the Circle against Sussex in 1954 while 7 bowlers took 8 wickets in an innings, including such Yorkshire greats as Wilfred Rhodes (8-23 v Hampshire CCC in 1900), George Hirst (8-25 v Leicestershire CCC in 1907), George Macaulay (8-37 v Derbyshire CCC in 1927) and Hedley Verity (8-38 v Leicestershire in 1939).

Yorkshire twice posted scores of 500 here, 523-3 declared against Leicestershire in 1937 and 500-7 declared against the same opposition two years later. In contrast Sussex CCC were bowled out for 20 in 1922, Derbyshire for 23 in 1921 and Worcestershire for 25 in 1906.

After 1974 following Yorkshire's decision not to play its games there, The Circle remained in use as the home of Hull Cricket Club. By 1986 Hull City Council had taken over responsibility for the Circle and planned a number of improvements to the facilities. But in 1987 the pavilion was declared unsafe and demolished, and subsequent years of vandalism took their toll.

The final cricket match was played in September 2000, and The Circle was demolished in 2001 being incorporated into what has now become the KC Stadium complex. The official postal address of the KC Stadium remains "The Circle" Anlaby Road, Hull.

References