KENT CCC AND THE NEVILL
Kent can make a very strong claim to having the greatest tradition of cricket in the world. No small part in this are the many and various grounds in Kent on which the ‘county club’ has played.
Kent County Cricket Club use The Nevill ground as one of its outgrounds for some of its Men's 2nd XI matches, and occasionally for the Women's T20 Cup matches too. After a single match in 1901, the Tunbridge Wells Cricket Festival was established in 1902 and two first-class cricket matches were played every year, with the exception of the truncated 1919 season, until 1992, when the number was reduced. One-day fixtures have been played on the ground in some seasons.
The Nevill Ground was first used as an outground by Kent in 1901 at the behest of George Harris, 4th Baron Harris. The Nevill has always been popular with Kent's players due to its surroundings and it was described by cricket historian EW Swanton as "no mean contender for the most delectable English cricket ground."
The 2016 T20 fixture was the last one-day match to be held by Kent at the Nevill, the movement of one-day fixtures to blocks of games by the ECB meaning it was no longer considered possible to hold shorter matches at Tunbridge Wells.
Of the 189 first-class matches played at The Nevill, KCCC:
Won 70
Lost 49
Drawn 70
Abandoned 1
Of the 27 List A Limited Overs, KCCC:
Won 14
Lost 9
Tied 1
No Result 2
Abandoned 2
Of the 6 Twenty 20, KCCC:
Won 2
Lost 4
There are no current plans for KCCC's First XI to return to the Nevill Ground in 2024.
