The Angel Ground was a sports ground at

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...

in the English county of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

. It was used as a venue for

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ken ...

between 1869 and 1939 and then for

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

by Tonbridge Angels F.C., until 1980. It was subsequently demolished and redeveloped by Tonbridge and Malling District Council in 1980. The ground was located in the centre of Tonbridge, around north-east of Tonbridge railway station, just to the east of Tonbridge High Street. It was bordered on the north by a branch of the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, West Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...

and suffered from flooding in 1925.Explorer Map 147 – Sevenoaks & Tonbridge (Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham),

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

, 2015-09-16.Kent v Essex, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', issue 35602, 1898-08-23, p. 9.The floods in Kent, ''

'', issue 43851, 1925-01-05, p. 14.

Cricket venue

The ground was named after the nearby Angel HotelClub History
, Tonbridge Angels F.C. Retrieved 2017-12-10. and was initially used as a cricket ground. Although a field near the Angel Inn is first referenced as a cricket ground in 1844, the first recorded match, featuring Tonbridge Cricket Club, was in 1868.Milton H (1979) Kent cricket grounds, in ''The Cricket Statistician'', no. 28, December 1979, pp. 2–10.Other matches played on Angel Ground, Tonbridge
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-12-10. The club purchased the ground in 1905 for £4,300 and used it until 1942.Cricket: The Tonbridge Week, ''

'', issue 37669, 1905-03-31, p. 12.Cricket: The Angel Ground, Tonbridge, ''

'', issue 37674, 1905-04-06, p. 12.''A brief history of Tonbridge Cricket Club'', accessed a
The Club
, Tonbridge Cricket Club. Retrieved 2017-12-10. The ground was first used as a venue for

in 1869 when Kent played

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

. The ground became more widely used by the county during the 1880s, with

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

initially the most frequent visitors.First-Class Matches played on Angel Ground, Tonbridge
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-12-10. A cricket week was first held in 1890 and had become the second oldest (after the Canterbury Cricket Week) of Kent's five established cricket weeks by the time of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.Cricket: The Kent Festivals, ''

'', issue 40239, 1913-06-16, p. 13. The week was the county's first of the season and was described by ''

'' in 1911 as "one of the most delightful".Kent v Essex, ''

'', issue 39610, 1911-06-13, p. 16. There were usually at least two

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

matches held on the ground each year.Hignell A (2013) ''Rain Stops Play: Cricketing Climates'', p. 70. London: Routledge.
Available online
Retrieved 2017-12-11). Kent played a total of 106 First XI matches on the ground,Grounds Records in ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2017'', pp. 210–211. Canterbury:

. with the county Second XI also using the ground a number of times, including in the Minor Counties Championship.Minor Counties Championship matches played on Angel Ground, Tonbridge
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-12-10. The final first-class match to be played on the ground was in June 1939 when Kent drew with

Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the South Wales, south of Wales. Originally an ea ...

Records on the ground

A total of 106 first-class matches were held on the ground, all of them featuring Kent as the home side.Angel Ground, Tonbridge
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-12-10. *Highest total: 621/6 declared by Kent against

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, 1922 *Lowest total: 16 by

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

against Kent, 1913 *Highest partnership: 307, 2nd wicket by JG Langridge and HW Parks, for

against Kent, 1939 *Highest individual score: 240, EH Hendren, for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

against Kent, 1925 *Best bowling in an innings: 10/48, CHG Bland, for Sussex against Kent, 1899 *Best bowling in a match: 15/76, C Blythe, for Kent against

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, 1904 The total made against Essex in 1922 was Kent's highest total in first-class cricket when it was set. As of December 2017, it remains the fifth highest score in the county's history.Milton H (2016) 'Team Records' in Reid J (ed) ''2016 Kent County Cricket Club Annual'', pp. 199–202, Canterbury:

The score of 16 made by Warwickshire in 1913 is the lowest ever made against a Kent side. It was scored in the Warwickshire second innings, the side being bowled out in 45 minutes.Kent v Warwickshire at Tonbridge, June 19, 20, 21, in ''The Shorter Wisden 2013: The Best Writing from Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2013'', p. 213. London: A & C Black.
Available online
Retrieved 2017-12-11). One of Kent's greatest bowlers, Colin Blythe, made his debut for the county on the Angel Ground in 1899. Playing against

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, he bowled Frank Mitchell with his first ball in first-class cricket, one of only three men to have taken a wicket with their first ball in first-class cricket whilst playing for Kent.'Bowling records' in ''Kent County Cricket Club Annual 2017'', pp. 197–205. Canterbury:

.Colin Blythe 1879-1917

, 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2017-11-09.Lewis P (2013) ''For Kent and Country'', pp. 112–116. Brighton: Reveille Press. .

The Tonbridge Nursery

In 1897, the ground became the base for the "Tonbridge Nursery", a player development centre established by Kent to train young professional cricketers.Tonbridge Cricketers
Tonbridge Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-12-10. This was deemed necessary by the Kent Committee as after dominating county cricket in the early years of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's reign, the county had become a weaker side. When the

was formerly established in 1890 Kent were initially able to finish only in mid table and by 1896 the county's administrators had determined that something needed to be done to strengthen the side.Moseling M, Quarrington T (2013) ''A Half-Forgotten Triumph: The Story of Kent's County Championship Title of 1913'', pp. 1–2. Cheltenham: SportsBooks. .Kent County Cricket Club Timeline

. Retrieved 2017-11-23. The establishment of the Nursery was one of the key developments that lay the foundations for the successes of the pre-

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

period during which Kent won the

four times between 1906 and 1913. The Nursery was run by Captain William McCanlis and set up and overseen by Tonbridge man Tom Pawley, who became the club's general manager in 1898. It provided structured coaching and match practise for the young professionals who, by 1914, had become the basis of the Kent team, gradually taking the place of the amateurs who had dominated the county teams of the 1870s and 80s. Marsham G (1907
A short history of Kent cricket
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'' 1907. Retrieved 2016-02-17.Moseling & Quarrington ''Op. cit.'', pp. 2–3.Lewis ''Op. cit.'', p. 33. By 1906 around 60% of all appearances were by professionals, with bowlers such as Colin Blythe and Arthur Fielder forming the core of the Kent attack.Moseling & Quarrington ''Op. cit.'', p. 11. Professional batsmen such as Punter Humphreys, Frank Woolley and James Seymour became an increasing part of Kent's success, coming together with a group of "gifted"Moseling & Quarrington ''Op. cit.'' p. 3. amateurs to produce strong batting lineups.Kent Cricket: A Retrospect, ''

'', issue 39657, 1911-08-07, p. 13. The Nursery began to pay dividends quickly and Kent finished third in the Championship in 1900,Moseling & Quarrington ''Op. cit'', pp. 3–4. and by 1904 ''The Times'' was able to call it a "brilliant success".The Kent Averages, ''

'', 1904-09-05, p. 10. The nursery closed in 1927, with player development moving to the St Lawrence Ground at

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

.Kent County Club, ''

'', issue 44832, 1928-03-03, p. 5.

Wartime use and sale

Occasional wartime cricket matches were held on the ground and the final match, played in 1942, was abandoned after German bombers began to jettison bombs over the town. It was used as an Army vehicle park during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the trustees of the club decided that the ground would require too much money spent on it to return the pitch to its pre-war condition. It was decided that the ground would be sold in 1944, the local council initially declining to purchase the site.Tonbridge Cricket Ground, ''

'', issue 49967, 1944-09-30, p. 2. In 1945 it was bought by greyhound racing promoters who were unable to obtain planning permission to develop the siteAngel Ground's Future, ''

'', issue 50122, 1945-04-20, p. 6.The Angel Ground, ''

'', issue 50336, 1945-12-29, p. 2.Council's £5,500 offer for cricket ground, ''

'', issue 50725, 1947-04-02, p. 2. and Tonbridge Urban District Council eventually purchased the ground for £7,500 in 1947, the cricket club moving to use grounds at Tonbridge School.

Football venue

Following their formation and election to the

Southern Football League The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...

, Tonbridge Angels F.C. leased the ground from the council and adopted it as their home ground in 1949. Their first match, against Hastings United, drew a crowd of 5,000, with Hastings running out 2–1 winners. The club continued to use the ground for more than 30 years. The ground saw its record attendance for Tonbridge's 1951–52 FA Cup first-round tie against Aldershot F.C., when 8,236 supporters watched a 0–0 draw. Another FA Cup tie, against

Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, London, Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Thei ...

in 1972–73, saw 7,770 attend. By 1977 the council required the ground for redevelopment. A three-year legal battle was fought, eventually reaching the High Court, before the council offered the club a new ground, the Longmead Stadium on the north-western edge of the town.Tonbridge Angels FC
Pyramid Passion. Retrieved 2017-12-11. The club took the old main stand with them from the ground and this remains in use at the new ground. The Angel Ground was sold for £1.7 million and the club played its last game at the ground in January 1980, with Mickey Angel scoring the last goal on the ground. They played the remainder of their home matches during the season at a variety of grounds across Kent before moving to the Longmead Stadium for the start of the 1980–81 season. The ground was demolished and a supermarket, department store and Angel leisure centre replaced it.
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

''. Retrieved 2017-12-11.

References

{{Tonbridge Defunct cricket grounds in England Defunct football venues in England Sports venues in Kent Tonbridge Defunct sports venues in Kent Sports venues demolished in 1980 Demolished sports venues in the United Kingdom