Visiting London for the Cricket

Spring and Summer will soon be with us and the sound of leather on willow will be heard in towns, villages and cities across the land as the Cricket season begins.

For many fans, the item high up on the bucket list is to attend a test match or major game, and with lots of options for coach hire to London travelling is simple.

Hundreds of local Cricket clubs and junior clubs hire coaches and minibuses to enjoy these spectacular events and see world-class players in action.

And of course, it's not just about men's Cricket these days as the Women's game has grown enormously over the years and delivers fantastic high standards of Cricket. There will be growing excitement for the ladies in July when England and Australia meet in a Vitality T20 International to determine the winner of the Women’s Ashes at Lords.

In today's blog we take a look at visiting London for a Cricket match and what you can expect.

London's Cricket Meccas

London has two major Cricket grounds where you can enjoy watching the masters of the game display their skills and soak up the atmosphere of big matches.

Both grounds are in residential areas of London but have facilities for hire coach parking close by.

The Oval has hosted some of England’s most memorable moments in cricketing history and every International star to have played the game has at one time played under the famous gas holders.

In great news for preserving a part of The Oval's history, the iconic Gasholder No1 which is famous as the backdrop to so many wonderful Cricket matches and has overlooked the ground since 1847 is to be protected from demolition in recently announced news.

Since 1845 Surrey County Cricket Club has been resident at The Oval and fans regularly hire coaches to attend the enthralling county Cricket matches against counties from across England.

A great many of those trips are organised by local Cricket clubs or groups of followers but what is also popular is minibus hire from London hotels for tourist groups to experience the excitement first-hand.

Although now firmly entrenched as a Cricket stadium, The Oval actually has some distinguished firsts in its halls of fame outside of Cricket and has been called the birthplace of modern English sport. Cricketing history was made in 1880 when it became the first ground to host Test Cricket in England. In 1882, the fires were lit for one of Cricket's greatest contested competitions as the Ashes series was born and England famously lost to Australia, which led to a fascinating and exciting cricketing rivalry ever since.

But the laurel as the birthplace of modern sport is earned as The Oval was the venue for the first ever FA Cup Final Football match in England in 1870 as well as the first-ever Rugby Union international.

Match day at The oval is exciting and it's a good idea to get there early so when you book your London coach hire, discuss pick up and drop off times with our booking specialists to make sure you miss none of the action.

Make sure you are dressed comfortably and unless you are in a VIP area, the dress code at The Oval is smart/casual with tailored shorts seen as acceptable, and smart trainers as suitable footwear. Smart polo shirts are also allowed.

And remember you are actually allowed to leave The Oval and return later in the day as long as you obtain a pass-out stamp. This means you can keep some spare clothing on your hire coach in case the weather turns nasty or your clothing suffers from spillage as a magnificent six is hit.

Lords is one of the most famous Cricket grounds in the world and is situated in St John's Wood, London. Founded by Thomas Lord, himself a gifted cricketer, he was commissioned by the Earl of Winchilsea and the Duke of Richmond to go out and find a new ground for their gentlemans club. Lord found his patch at Dorset Fields and Lords Cricket ground began its illustrious history as the Marylebone Cricket Club was born.

On 31 May 1787 the first match took place at Lord’s new ground with Middlesex beating Essex by 93 runs and Lord himself opened the innings for Middlesex. Many famous matches have followed since but another early fixture of note was the first Eaton versus Harrow Cricket match.

Hiring a coach with friends and family or fellow cricketers sees you visit the home of English Cricket and a ground steeped in history. Gaze upon the famous Father Time Weather Vane which has become an iconic symbol of Lords and was originally a gift from Sr Herbert Baker the Architect who was commissioned to oversee the second grand stand in 1926.

As well as modern day Cricket and a host of test and international matches, Lords is home to the Middlesex County Cricket Club and with regular county matches played here there are lots of opportunities for you and your local club or cricketing friends to hire a minibus to London and witness today's professional greats at the crease or on the outfield.

A favourite addition to the Lords itinerary is to visit behind the scenes of this world famous Cricket ground with a tour of Lords, where you can experience some of the most fantastic views in the sport as well as immerse yourself in Cricket history.

Walk through iconic parts of the ground including the Grade II listed Victorian Pavilion, the world famous Long Room, the Players’ Dressing Rooms, and gaze upon the famous Ashes Urn, Cricket’s best known and most hotly contested sporting artefact.

Lord’s is well known for its extraordinary history but is also a venue that features dramatic architecture, and is home to a museum with an unrivalled collection of Cricket related art and memorabilia. A tour of Lord's is simply a must for all Cricket lovers, but also for visitors to England who are looking to embrace the quintessentially English experience.

Get your coach hire to London booked to Lord’s and enjoy time-honoured tradition.

The Last Over

Cricket is loved the world over and the mens and womens game brings delight to millions. Although the UK has a number of great Cricket grounds it is London's two heavyweights that are often the stars and on every Cricket fans bucket list to visit.

The best way to plan your group travel to Lords or The Oval is to hire a coach to London and make the journey a relaxing part of your trip.

Smaller parties are no problem as we can supply a range of minibuses for hire that are comfortable and modern.

You will want to focus on Cricket and the day's enjoyment, leave the travel and parking to us.

Call us today for great deals on coach and minibus hire in London.