MERCHANT TAYLOR GROUND (NORTHWOOD)
The club was officially founded when a gathering of ‘gentlemen of Middlesex’ came together in the London Tavern on 2 February 1864 to formally constitute Middlesex County Cricket Club, and few could have predicted what would follow in the next one hundred and fifty years and beyond. Instrumental in the formation of the club were the Walker brothers of Southgate, who not only played a pivotal role in Middlesex’s early off-field administration, they also provided some of the most celebrated players in the first two decades of the club’s existence. Middlesex County Cricket Club’s debut on the field came on 6 and 7 June 1864, when Sussex County Cricket Club visited the Cattle Market Ground Islington as the club’s first competitive opponents. Vyell Edward Walker stole the show, taking match figures of 14 for 111 from 75 overs, to get Middlesex off to a winning start by a margin of an innings and 52 runs. Perhaps Middlesex’s biggest challenge came in 1871, when financial difficulties brought on the threat of dissolution. Staggeringly only thirteen members turned out to vote on the club’s continuation, and by the narrowest of margins, just seven votes to six, Middlesex County Cricket Club got its reprieve and began a new chapter in what was to become a long and successful life ahead. With several different cricket grounds in London being used as home venues in the first decade of the club’s life, including Lillie Bridge at West Brompton and the Prince’s Cricket Ground in Chelsea, Middlesex had to wait until 1877 before they would eventually find themselves a suitable and permanent home. An agreement was reached with Marylebone Cricket Club, which saw Lord’s Cricket Ground in St John’s Wood, the Home of Cricket, become the new home ground of Middlesex County Cricket Club. In 1893, Middlesex’s Andrew Stoddart had the honour of becoming the first Middlesex player to captain the England Test side, leading his country to Ashes success against the touring Australians that summer.
MERCHANT TAYLOR GROUND (NORTHWOOD)Pitch Report
Merchant Taylors School Cricket Ground is known for being a batting-friendly pitch. The surface provides good pace and bounce, making it ideal for batsmen to play their shots with ease. The pitch tends to remain favourable for batting throughout the match, allowing teams to post high totals. While bowlers can still get some movement early on, the overall conditions are conducive to big runs, especially as the game progresses. Teams winning the toss often choose to bat first, taking full advantage of the favourable conditions for the batsman.
BLAST T20 Match Pitch Report and Toss Factor:
The pitch at the Merchant Taylor’s Ground usually offers more assistance to the batters than the bowlers, as the ball comes nicely onto the bat. There hasn’t been a consistent pattern here, so fans can expect high score contest between the teams.
At this ground only 1 blast matches played as of now which was won by the team chasing the target.
Here are last BLAST matches average scores of both Innings at Merchant Taylor ground:
BLAST Matches 1st Innings Average Score – 124 runs
BLAST Matches 2nd Innings Average Score – 128 runs
LAST 10 YEARS OUTCOME
| Innings | Both | 1st | 2nd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Won (1st Bat) | NA | 0 | NA |
| Won (2nd Bat) | NA | NA | 1 |
| No Result | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Runs | 252 | 124 | 128 |
| Highest Score | NA | 124 | 128 |
| Lowest Score | NA | 124 | 128 |
| Average | 126.00 | 124.00 | 128.00 |
| Balls Faced | 213 | 120 | 93 |
| Strike Rate | 118.30 | 103.33 | 137.63 |
| 100-149 Runs | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 150-199 Runs | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 200-249 Runs | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4s | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| 6s | 12 | 2 | 10 |
| Avg 4/6 | 8/6 | 10/2 | 6/10 |
| Innings | Both | 1st | 2nd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Balls | 213 | 120 | 93 |
| Runs | 252 | 124 | 128 |
| Average Run/Wkts | 18.00 | 13.80 | 25.60 |
| Strike Rate Balls/Wkts | 15.20 | 13.30 | 18.60 |
| Maiden Overs | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3-4 Wickets | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5-7 Wickets | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8-9 Wickets | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 Wickets | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wickets | 14 | 9 | 5 |
| Lbw | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowled | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Stumped | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Catch | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Innings | Both | 1st | 2nd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lbw | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowled | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Stumped | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Catch | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Run Out | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Hit Wicket | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Innings | Both | 1st | 2nd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right-Handed | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Lbw | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowled | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Stumped | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Catch | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Left-Handed | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Lbw | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowled | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stumped | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Catch | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Innings | Both | 1st | 2nd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left Arm | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Fast | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fast-Medium | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Medium | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Spinner | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bowled | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Catch | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Stumped | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lbw | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Right Arm | 11 | 8 | 3 |
| Fast | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fast-Medium | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| Medium | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spinner | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Bowled | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Catch | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Stumped | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lbw | 0 | 0 | 0 |
