The Gnoll

Neath, Wales

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Neath CC was formed in 1848 and from 1871 the ground at The Gnoll was shared with Neath RFC. Glamorgan first played at the venue in 1934 and it soon proved popular with both players and spectators, despite a high water table which made it slow to drain. Those problems eventually led to the ground being dropped for three-day games, and following a rain-affected Benson & Hedges match in 1974, the county stopped using it altogether. In 1985, the local council offered Glamorgan a large sum to host the game against the Australians there, and after a successful match, the venue was reinstated to the circuit, but again dropped in the mid 1990s as matches were centred on Cardiff. The record attendance at The Gnoll was in 1948 when 12,000 watched the Warwickshire game.

In 1954, Glamorgan built an indoor cricket school at the ground, and this was completely modernised and reopened in 1984.
Martin Williamson

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Latest Articles

• Minor Counties Championship Round Up (Jul 25, 2000)
• Minor Counties Championship Round Up (Jul 24, 2000)
• (Jul 30, 1999)
• A history of Neath CC (Jul 30, 1999)

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Latest Photos

Aug 8, 2003

A general view of Neath
© Getty Images

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